Decrees of Peter 1. The first decree of Peter 1. Decrees of Peter 1 funny

Everyone who is interested in the history of the Russian state sooner or later had to deal with anecdotes, in which today some decrees of Peter 1 have turned. From our article you will learn about many unexpected decisions of this reforming tsar who turned the social life of the country at the end of the 17th - early 18th centuries , That is called, upside down.

Today the decrees of Peter the Great are studied in schools and institutes. Some of them are amused, some are perceived as a norm. But this concerns the present time. At the beginning of the XVIII century, these documents were for the majority "blasphemy and devilry."

Some of the king's decrees, for example, a decree on the unanimity of Peter the Great, led to intrigues. Others have influenced fashion, economics and the army. Undoubtedly, there is only one thing: the king tried hard to update the stagnant society of his time with harsh methods.

The Order of Succession

One of the most significant in the history of the state was a decree on the unanimity of Peter the Great. It was issued in 1722. The document changed all the foundations of power. Now the heir was not the elder in the family, but the one whom the sovereign appointed as his successor.

This decree on the succession of Peter the Great was abolished only by Emperor Paul I in 1797. Before that, it served as the basis for many palace coups, murders and intrigues. Although initially thought of by Peter, as a preventive measure against the conservative mood of people dissatisfied with the reforms.

New Year

We offer to consider the most popular decrees of Peter the Great. Perhaps the most famous to date are two laws: the celebration of the new year and the beards. On the second we will talk further. As for the first decree, then, according to the will of the king, since 1700, the chronology in Russia has changed to European style.

That is, now the year began not in September, but from the first of January. The chronology was conducted from the birth of Christ, and not from the creation of the world, as it was before. Thus, instead of the fourth month of 7208, the first year of 1700 became.

Beards

Perhaps the most famous innovation of the Russian king after his return from Europe concerned fashion on his beard. Further, many decrees of Peter 1, funny and serious, will be given. But none of them caused such anger among the boyars like this.

Thus, at the age of twenty-six, the sovereign gathered representatives of noble families, took scissors and cut off some of them with beards. Such actions plunged society into shock.

But the young king did not stop there. He imposed a tax on beards. Anyone who wanted to preserve the vegetation on his face had to pay a certain amount annually to the treasury.

So, for the nobility, it was six hundred rubles a year, for merchants - one hundred, townships cost sixty, and servants and others - thirty. It should be noted that these were very serious amounts for those times. Only the peasants were exempt from this annual tax, but for the entrance to the city they had to pay a penny from their beard.

Fashion Issues

Many decrees of Peter 1 concerned public life. With their help, the tsar tried to give the Russian nobility a European look.

First, having spent considerable funds for the construction of St. Petersburg, the sovereign was concerned about the time of the service of the wooden pavement. Therefore, a ban on metal heels of heels was issued. For their establishment, fines were imposed, and for the sale - confiscation of property and penal servitude.

The next moment concerned the army. Since Peter the Great seriously engaged in its updating and improvement, the attention was paid literally to every little thing. Thus, a decree was issued on "sewing buttons to the front of a soldier's uniform." This measure was to extend the life of official clothing, since it was impossible to wipe the mouth with a sleeve.

Also in the cities was introduced the European fashion. The Tsar ordered everyone to replace traditional long clothes with short suits "in Hungarian style".

Well, finally, the noble ladies were punished to monitor the freshness of the underwear, so that "do not embarrass the foreign gentlemen with unseemly fragrances that break through perfume."

About construction and quality

One of the most famous is the decree of Peter 1 about quality. He is not as popular as many ridiculous laws adopted by the tsar, but with his help the Russian army was able to defeat Poltava.

So, having discovered that guns from the Tula factory are not of a very good quality, the emperor ordered the owner and the person responsible for the products to be arrested. Then they were sentenced to death in the form of killing whips and sending into exile. Peter the Great decided to carefully monitor the quality of the products produced at the plant. For control, he sent the entire arms order to Tula. For any marriage, it was presumed to be punished with rods. In addition, the new master, Demidov, the king ordered to build a hut for all workers, as the owner.

No less interesting is the decree of Peter the Great on construction. When the tsar intended to begin the erection of St. Petersburg, he forbade the construction of stone houses all over the country. Therefore, all specialists came to work for the Neva.
Thus, the sovereign in the shortest time was able to build a city.

Military issues

One of the most famous anecdotes today is the decree of Peter 1 about subordinates. In fact, his existence has not been proven, but nowadays, as they say, everyone on his lips. We'll talk about it at the end of the article.

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Now it will not be about the famous "funny decrees of Peter", but about really important things. So, the king in the context of military operations with Sweden was in dire need of qualified officers. Therefore, it was decided to provide foreigners with promising positions in the ranks of the Russian army. Thus, all European warriors in higher ranks, with the experience of command, were invited to our country for a salary that was twice that of domestic officers.

The first wave of "labor migrants" turned out, according to Peter's contemporaries, "the ransacking of rascals". Thus, foreign officers surrendered to the Swedes in the first month of service. But the failure did not discourage the emperor, and in the end, he achieved the goal. The Russian army was trained and rearmed.

By the way, as far as rearmament is concerned, there are evidences of melting church bells into cannon after "embarrassment on Narva". It is noteworthy that here the Emperor also showed nobility. So, he did not confiscate church property, but rented it. After the victory at Poltava, the tsar ordered the bell from the captured Swedish guns to be cast and put them back in place.

Economic decrees

Introduced by Peter the Great and economic innovations. We will consider three decrees, which largely shaken the traditional Russian foundations.

So, according to the first decree, the state introduced "counteraction to promises and bribes". For such misdemeanors, the highest penalty was assumed. To prevent the reasons for pushing officials to commit crimes, the emperor increased his salaries to civil servants. But at the same time it was forbidden "all bribery, trade, contract and promises".

At that time in Russia the medical practice of people, far enough even from the foundations of this craft, was widespread. Therefore, one of the laws prohibited "the implementation of pharmaceutical and medical activities to all persons who do not have the right to do so".

The last fact is a joke rather than a truth. So, to this day, the following quotation of the king reached: "The collection of taxes is a thieves' business. They do not have to pay the grants, and once a year to hang one, so that others are not unintentional. "

Measures for improvement

Sovereign Peter the Great, 1 after returning from a journey through Western Europe, seriously decided, as they say, to bring order to the Russian Empire. In addition to many other issues, problems of cleanliness, fire safety and improvement were raised.

First, the law "On cleanliness in Moscow" was adopted. He punished all residents to monitor the debris on the pavements and in the yards. "If you find it, take it out of town and dig it into the ground." If you noticed unharvested waste from your yard, imposed fines or flogged with rods.

The second decree concerned exclusively shipbuilding and fleet. According to him, when repairing ships and living on them, all waste should be taken out. If at least one shovel falls into the water, a punishment was provided. For the first offense, it was in the amount of a monthly salary, and for the second - half a year. For the third shovel in the river, the officers were demoted to the rank and file, and ordinary sailors were exiled to Siberia.

The decree on fire safety was also adopted. It instructed homeowners to convert all the stoves, installing a stone foundation in them. It was also prescribed between the wall and the stove to make the brickwork, and the pipes to hold such, in which "the person will climb". It was necessary to clean such a structure once a month. For non-compliance with this rule, fines were imposed.

Alcohol

Corresponding to the time and different layers of society, the texts of the decrees of Peter the Great often refer to the treatment of alcoholic beverages. Especially these provisions concerned the army and navy.

The assemblies were recommended to drink to the extent that "their snoring bodies" did not confuse the recently arrived guests who did not manage to "get to the condition of the gentlemen and others lying nearby".

Speaking of the fleet, there were several decrees.

First, while abroad, it was forbidden to everyone from the sailor to the admiral "to get drunk in order not to disgrace the honor of the fleet and the state."

Secondly, it should not have been allowed into the tents of navigators, since they are "a boorish offspring, they are recruited and arrange a rowdy".

There was also a law in the fleet, which is sometimes used today. So, if a sailor, walking on the shore, got drunk to the point of losing consciousness, but he was found lying with his head towards the ship, in this case he was practically not punished: "he did not reach, but tried to go back."

It was also from the time of Peter the Great that our country celebrated May Day. It was borrowed from the peoples of Europe. So, this holiday was celebrated as a day of spring for the Germans and Scandinavians. In Moscow, festivities were held, tables were set for all passers-by. Participation in festive events was not disdained by the emperor himself, urging the people to join.

Rules of Conduct for Assemblies

In addition to innovations in the army, chronology and other areas of life, the emperor also cared about the rise of the general culture of the population. Despite the fact that the tsar tried to do everything as best, today his decisions like that often cause only a smile.

So, let's look at the unusual decrees of Peter 1. The funny today, they were truly revolutionary in the eighteenth century.

Among others, the most popular is the regulation on the rules of conduct for the people, visiting and assemblies. First, it was necessary to thoroughly wash and shave. Secondly, to be half hungry and better sober. Third, do not stand a pillar, and participate in the festivities. It was also recommended to know in advance where the toilets are in case of what. Fourth, it was allowed to eat moderately, but to drink - in plenty. By the way, to drunk in Russia the attitude was special. Those who lost consciousness from a large amount of alcohol should be carefully folded separately, "so that they do not fall by chance and do not interfere with dances." Fifth, recommendations were given for dealing with ladies, "so as not to shuffle over the mordas".

And the last important instruction. It is known that without a song there is no fun, so it was necessary to get attached to the general chorus, and "do not roar with an ass of Valaam".

Population census

Equally, like the decree on the succession of Peter the Great, this provision was simply necessary for the state. In view of the constant conduct of military campaigns, the country was constantly in need of finance to provide the army. Therefore, the emperor issued an order to conduct a household census.

But this measure did not work properly. The landlords did not want to pay taxes "no one knows where," since the country is already tired of constant war. Therefore, Petr Alekseevich had to conduct such a census several times, since with each new number of households decreased.

Previous results of the census were dated 1646 and 1678 years. Data for 1710 decreased by twenty percent. Therefore, after the next attempt to "take tales from everyone, and to bring truthful ones (a date to give a year)," the household taxation was replaced by a per capita tax.

Other amusing decrees

Smiles cause the king's decisions about his attitude toward his superiors. For example, the decree of Peter 1 about subordinates. According to him, "the subordinate in the face of a high-ranking person must have a silly and dashing look, so as not to seem smarter."

In addition, senators were forbidden to read speeches. As a result, they had to speak in their own words, and everyone's level of development was understandable.

No less interesting was the decree of Peter 1 about the redheads. In accordance with it, it was forbidden to hire people with a defect (red hair color was then considered as such). This order is caused, in part, by the saying that "God is marking a rascal".

As we mentioned earlier, Peter I encompassed all strata of society in his decrees. So often it got to not only men, but also ladies. Let us give one example. Since ancient times in Russia, the pallor of the skin has been considered a sign of "blue blood". Therefore, the notable ladies blackened their teeth for greater contrast. In addition, spoiled teeth showed prosperity. A lot of money - eating a lot of sugar. Therefore, the emperor ordered the ladies to brush their teeth with chalk and bleach them.

Thus, in this article we have got acquainted with the decrees of one of the greatest rulers of Russia. Emperor Peter the First was not just the head of the country, he was happy for improvements in the most diverse spheres of public life.

Even despite the fact that today some of his decrees cause a smile, at that time they were revolutionary measures.