Abstract

“Deadly Temper” How Peter the Great's Violent Acts Have Been Perceived by Contemporaries and Historians

The question of how many people Peter the Great killed during his reign by his own hands, for whatever reason and by whatever right, will be discussed in this article in the context of the civilizing process, the construction of European identity, the exercise of power, the history of emotions, and the role of physical presence in early modern rulers' representation.

The survey suggests that historians paid attention to Peter's violent acts if they seemed to illustrate “Muscovite barbarism” or the Tsar's character traits (“hot temper”), but frequently ignored his more serious atrocities if they took place in a situation of “normal” early modern European warfare. Russia's Westernization essentially was not about enlightenment but about militarization – and Peter followed the pattern of European officers' behavior.

The Tsar's personal involvement in murderous acts was possible only in consequence of his famous and fascinating habit of changing the roles he played. In such moments, Peter did not appear as an Orthodox Tsar, but acted in capacity of a common army officer. In a certain way, atrocities described in this article reflected the darker side of Russia's “Europeanization”.