The family history of the great Tsar. On the publication of a new study

Abstract

The article analyzes a new monograph by N.Yu. Bolotina, A.Yu. Kononova and M.O. Bolotina “Peter the Great in the family circle. Research and Documents” (Moscow, 2023), published for the anniversary of Peter the Great. For the first time, the book reconstructs the family history for one of the most remarkable rulers of Russia, relying on a huge complex of historical sources, primarily archival documents. In great detail, the research recounts all the most important events in the personal life of the tsar, draws up the characterological and psychological portraits of his family members reveals the peculiarities of Peter I’s relationship with the relatives, traces the internal family conflicts and their origins. The book provides the answers to many specific questions about the biographies and genealogy of the Romanov dynasty of the late 17^th – first quarter of the 18^th centuries. The study defines the exact dates of the persons’ lives, reveals the naming traditions, presents the story of childhood in the royal family, shows the level of education and describes the circumstances of life. The book also contains a current publication of more than 300 different sources, many of which are introduced into the scientific circulation for the first time. Another important part consists of the consolidated list of the epistolary heritage of the Peter I’s family; it contains almost one and a half thousand records, including unpublished letters. The book contributes immensely to the study of the dynastic and family history of the house of the Romanovs and will certainly rank among the largest scientific monographic studies of the Peter the Great era.