Peter the Great's Grand Embassy: Russia Looks West

In this episode of The Romanov Dynasty, Lucas and Luna explore Peter the Great's Grand Embassy of 1697–1698—his unprecedented 18-month tour of Western Europe. They discuss how Peter traveled incognito, studied shipbuilding in the Netherlands, hired hundreds of foreign specialists, and returned to force Russia into modernization. The conversation covers the Streltsy Uprising that cut the trip short, Peter's fascination with Dutch technology, the construction of the first Russian navy, and the establishment of the Table of Ranks. They also touch on the founding of St. Petersburg, the introduction of Western dress codes, and the cultural shock Peter's reforms created among the boyars. Through it all, they examine the paradox of a tsar who embraced foreign ideas while tightening autocratic control at home. This is a story of vision, brutality, and the birth of imperial Russia. #PeterTheGreat #GrandEmbassy #RomanovDynasty #HistoryOfRussia #Westernization #Shipbuilding #Streltsy #AzovCampaigns #FexingoHistory #TsarReformer #DutchRepublic #England #HolyRomanEmpire #Brandenburg #PeterInEurope #RussianNavy #TableOfRanks #StPetersburg Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo