Peter the Great's Grand Embassy: Learning from the West

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Peter the Great's Grand Embassy of 1697–98, a diplomatic mission that became an 18-month journey of incognito learning across Europe. Peter traveled disguised as a carpenter named Pyotr Mikhailov, working in Dutch shipyards, studying shipbuilding, anatomy, and military tactics. They discuss his visit to the Dutch Republic, where he learned from the Dutch East India Company; his stay in England, meeting with William III and touring the Royal Navy; and his brief stop in Vienna. The episode also covers the Streltsy uprising that cut the journey short, the execution of Peter's sister Sophia, and the reforms Peter brought back to Russia: Western dress, new shipbuilding techniques, and a modernized army. Lucas explains how the Grand Embassy transformed Peter from a curious tsar into a determined modernizer, setting the stage for Russia's emergence as a European power. #PeterTheGreat #GrandEmbassy #RussianHistory #Romanovs #TsarPeter #DutchRepublic #EnglishHistory #Streltsy #SophiaAlekseyevna #Shipbuilding #RoyalNavy #Vienna #EuropeanHistory #Westernization #Reforms #EarlyModern #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo