Signature of Peter the Great

Petr I Alekseevich was the 13th Russian tsar and first Emperor of the Russian Empire. In the world history he is known as Peter the Great. He was one of the most outstanding state people in the world history who set the tendency for Russia’s development in the 18th century.

In 1696 Peter became the autocrat of all the Russias and in 1721 - the first Russian Emperor. The period of his rule was full of reforms, construction of fleet, foundation of Saint-Petersburg and move of the capital there, and victory in the Northern War with Sweden. He died in 1725 in Saint-Petersburg.

Only a few samples of the Emperor’s handwriting survived to these days. There also very few specialists who can understand and read it.

Among the survived specimens is a letter of Peter the Great to his mother, tsarina Natalia Kirillovna. It was written at the end of the 17th century and later copied in the book by a famous historian Sergey A. Knyazkov The Essays on the History of Peter the Great and his Time (1914).

The text of the letter (orthography is changed in accordance with the modern norms) was as follows:  “To my beloved and dearest Mother, Tsarina and Great Duchess Natalia Kirillovna. Your sonny, in labor being, is begging for your bless and whishes to hear about your health; we all are healthy due to your prayers. Ice on the lake  broke today on the 20th day of the month and all the ships except for the big one are in business, only the ropes are missing; and I beg to send me seven hundred fathoms of ropes without delay. And thus I beg for your motherly blessing”.

Analyzing the handwriting of Peter the Great, we may say it is broad, not calligraphic and nervous. Basing on the graphological data of the Emperor’s handwriting we draw a conclusion of the Emperor’s character being impulsive, explosive but strong-willed.

At his younger years the Emperor tried to write neatly but as time went by his handwriting became very complicated. His handwriting was alike to his father’s, tsar Aleksey  Mikhailovich, handwriting.

At present time the book which the letters of Peter were bound in is in a poor state.