Russian Horse Granadier, Poltava Campaign 1709 - 54mm

Product not suitable for children under 14 years - Kit not painted and not assembled

According to Peter I of Russia (Tsar of Russia from 1682—initially in co-regency with his brother Ivan—and from 1696 sole ruler until 1724), his country was backward, medieval, and surrounded by powerful neighbours who looked upon it with disdain. The only way Russia could take its rightful place among the nations was to modernize; and to modernize, Russia would have to look westward.
One of the aims of the Grand Embassy that Peter undertook in Western Europe in 1697 was to acquire first-hand knowledge of European industrial techniques, and the needs created by his plans against Sweden, beginning in 1700, made industrial development an urgent matter. Upon his return home he immediately set to work, issuing a series of decrees that transformed Russia. Western technology was introduced, the coinage system was reformed, and the Western Julian calendar became standard: the Russian year 7206 would become 1698, the first of a new era. Since outward appearance could reflect inner thought and character, Peter ensured that Russians adopted Western European dress. Moreover—and most importantly—the first steps were taken toward creating an army on the Western model.
During Peter’s reign, the forms of government of his predecessors gave way to a de facto autocracy. In 1711 he abolished the Boyar Duma (Council of Boyars) and, by decree, established the Senate as the supreme organ of the state. Its tasks were to coordinate the activities of various central and local bodies, to supervise the collection and use of revenue, and to draft laws in accordance with his edicts. From 1722 onward, moreover, a procurator general was appointed to oversee the daily work of the Senate and its chancellery, acting as the “sovereign’s eye.” (...)