The Tsardom of Russia (1701-1709)

[Reddawn]

The Tsardom of Russia

Capital: Moscow
Sovereign: Peter I


Russian Empire
Prestige Rating: C
Credit Rating: F
Population: 20 Million

Economy of Russia
Ports: 1 (Arkhangelsk): 1
Commercial flotillas: (Arkhangelsk): .25
Craft Centers: 1 (Moscow): 1
Resources: 3 (1 Moscow, 1 Kharkov, 1 Tver): 3
Trading Posts: 3 (Omsk, Yekaterinaburg, Novosibirsk): .75
Taxes: 5
Total: 11

[Reddawn]

Military Forces of Russia
as of Winter 1708

Army Order of Battle

Moscow
1 fortress
2 infantry brigades
1 infantry battalion
2 cavalry brigades
1 garrison brigade

Pskov
1 depot
1 base
1 garrison brigade

Astrakhan
1 garrison brigade

Voronezh
1 garrison brigade

Tsaritsyn
1 depot
1 garrison brigade

Navy Order of Battle

Arkhangelsk
1 naval station
1 patron
1 commercial flotilla

[Reddawn]

15 Year Build

191.25 pts

8 infantry brigades: 32 (4)
2 guards infantry brigades: 12 (1)
2 cavalry brigades: 8 (2)
4 cavalry regiments (cossacks): 8 (1)
17 militia brigades: 17 (1.7)
1 militia battalion: .5 (.05)

2 fortresses (Moscow, Kiev): 12 (1.5)
6 garrison brigades (Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, Kiev, Kharkov, Tsaritsyn): 18 (1.5)  

6 depots (Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, Kiev, Kharkov, Tsaritsyn): 6 (0)
3 bases (Pskov, Kiev, Tsaritsyn): 3 (0)

1 commercial flotilla 3 (+.25)
1 patron: 2 (.25)
3 outposts: 9 (Ufa, Novosibirsk, Omsk)
Total Cost: 112.50 (remainder spent on Church property, vodka, and beard razors)
Annual Maintenance: 13

[Reddawn]

Recent History

The Time of Troubles
The reign of Ivan (IV) the Terrible ended with the ascension of his mentally disabled son Feodor. His death ended the Rikurid dynasty, and his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov, was elected his successor by the Zemsky Sabor (Assembly of the Land). After a series of poor harvests, a government plagued by internal corruption, and a series of succession crises, Sweden attacked, annexing Ingria, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth captured Moscow in 1610, installing Władysław IV Vasa as the Tsar of Russia. Russia's people rose up, led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, and expelled the foreigners in 1612. In 1613, the Zemsky Sabor elected Michael Romanov, young son of Patriarch Filaret, as Tsar.

Early Romanov Rule
Fortunately, Poland-Lithuania and Sweden were at war, and a peace was signed. Recovery of lost territories started in the mid-17th century, when the Khmelnitsky Uprising in Ukraine against Polish rule brought about the Treaty of Pereyaslav concluded between Russia and the Ukrainian Cossacks. In this treaty ended with Russian control of Kiev, Smolensk, and the left-bank Ukraine. However, this fealty did not prevent Cossack revolts from time to time. Reform in the Russian Orthodox church caused schism in the Russian Orthodox Church and appearance of Old Believers.

Peter the Great's Excellent Adventure
Peter's reign began in 1682, when he became tsar jointly with his older brother Ivan. Rather than quickly assume his powers, he preferred to prolong his adolescence. His warlike games involved the construction of seagoing ships, actual soldiers, and real casualties. In 1697 he began a tour across Europe, sometimes travelling incognito. He visited states in central Germany, England, Venice, and Vienna, but his particular goal was Holland, where he set out to master all the secrets of modern shipbuilding. Peter himself helped build an East Indiaman. Peter's trip had to be cut short in 1698, when a rebellion of the Streltsy forced his return. After it was crushed, Peter himself took part in some of the interrogations. Peter also divorced his first wife, Tsarina Evdokiya Feodorovna Lopukhina in 1698, forcing her into a convent in Suzdal.

Peter now looks to the West, longing for Russia to become a western country and one with access to the sea.

[Ottoman]

FYI this timeline the Russia didn't take Azov.

[Reddawn]

FYI this timeline the Russia didn't take Azov.

Fixed.

[Reddawn]

Russia 1701 Build


Income
Taxes: 5
Ports: 1
Commercial flotillas: .25
Craft Centers: 1
Resources: 5
Trading posts: .75
Total: 13

Maintenance
10 infantry brigades: 5
2 cavalry brigades: 2
4 cavalry regiments: 1
17 militia brigades: 1.7
1 militia battalion: .05
2 fortresses: 1.5
6 garrison brigades: 1.5
1 patron: .25
Total: 13

Remainder: 0

[Reddawn]

Peter's Reforms

The Tsar's visit to the West impressed upon him the notion that European customs were superior to Russian traditions.

He commanded all of his courtiers and officials to cut off their long beards, causing significant distress among the nobility. Those who sought to retain their beards were required to pay an annual beard tax of 100 rubles.

He also sought to end arranged marriages, because he thought such a practice was barbaric and led to domestic violence.

In 1699 Peter changed the date of the celebration of the new year from 1 September to 1 January. Traditionally, the years were reckoned from the purported creation of the World, but after Peter's reforms, they were to be counted from the birth of Christ. Thus, in the year 7207 of the old Russian calendar, Peter proclaimed that the Julian Calendar was in effect and the year was 1700.

[Reddawn]

Russia declares war on Sweden.

[Reddawn]

The Aftermath of the Battle of Narva

The Tsar is furious when he receives news of how poorly his forces fared against the Swedes at Narva. Clearly the Russian soldier has a long way to go to be on par with his western neighbor. Peter dismisses accounts by his staff of the "nearly suicidal" charge into the Swedish guns. He now focuses on rebuilding his army.

Sheremetev is relieved of his duties, and is replaced by Alexander Danilovich Menshikov.

By means of a Russian merchant, acting as courier for the Tsar, Peter is able to secure a loan of 5 million rubles (5 points) from Ireland. He also informs the boyars that he will enact war taxation next year.

[Reddawn]

Spring 1701 Supplemental Build:

Available budget: 0 points

Additional budget: 5 points (Loan)

Total budget: 5 points

Training forces assembling in Pskov
1 Infantry Brigade: 4 points
1 Infantry Battalion: 1
Total: 5 points

Remaining surplus: 0 points

[Reddawn]

1702 Build

Income
War Taxes: 10
Resources: 5
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Total: 18

Expenses
Maintenance:
6 infantry brigades: 3
1 infantry battalions: .1
1 cavalry brigade: 1
4 cavalry regiments: 1
12 militia brigades: 1.2
1 militia battalion: .05
6 garrison brigades: 1.5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 9.6
Loan Servicing: 1.15 (4.35 remaining)
Total: 10.75

Remaining: 7.15
Change 2 militia brigades to infantry: 6
Infantry battalion: 1
Extra payment on loan: .15 (4.2 remaining)

[Reddawn]

1703 Build

Income
Peacetime Taxes: 5
Resources: 6
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Total: 14

Expenses
Maintenance:
8 infantry brigades: 4
2 infantry battalions: .2
1 cavalry brigade: 1
4 cavalry regiments: 1
7 militia brigades: .7
1 militia battalion: .05
6 garrison brigades: 1.5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 9.7
Loan Servicing: 1.15 (3.2 remaining)
Total: 10.85

Remaining: 3.15
Build Fortress in St. Petersburg: 2/4 points
1 point to rebuild Stettin: 1
Extra payment on loan: .15 (3.05 remaining)

[Kilani]

Despite ostensible hostilities in the Northern War, there are Commonwealth merchants interested in the new possibilities of trade with the Russian Empire. They do, after all, have timber and other valuable raw materials. Some junior officers, out of work and on half-pay with the end of the war, also arrive in Russia, hoping to offer their services to the Tsar - especially since it seems likely they will need a navy.

[Reddawn]

A Window to the West

After a series of victories at Nyen and Narva, followed by the peace of the Paris Accords, the coast of Ingria and Estonia is Russian. Rather than adopting a Swedish port, Peter, while touring the battlefield of Nyen, was struck with inspiration to build his city there. Here he commissioned a fort, called the Peter and Paul fort, and began conscripting serfs to construct the location. Conscripts are required to provide their own tools and food for the journey of hundreds of miles, on foot, in gangs, often escorted by military guards and shackled to prevent desertion, but many escaped; others died from disease and exposure under the harsh conditions. Thus, construction has begun in a new gateway to trade with the West. This location (OOC: historical) is located at the end of the Neva River delta, on the right bank, which can access the internal system of rivers in Russia. He decides to name the city after his patron saint, Saint Peter.

The fortress is being built on Zayachy Ostrov, or Hare's Island, but the city will be built on the swamp. To provide a building surface, thousands of timber pilings and mountains of earth will be used to shore up the foundation of the city. Plans are being developed to drain the wetlands in this way.

Peter sends out agents to entice engineers, architects, shipbuilders, scientists and businessmen to come to St. Petersburg. He also decides to ban all civilian construction of stone buildings in Russia outside of St. Petersburg, allowing the stonemasons to converge on the project for the foreseeable future.

Peter’s architects estimate that the bulk of the city’s construction will be complete in 10 years.

[Reddawn]

1704 Build

Income
Wartime Taxes: 10
Resources: 5 (1 less due to raids)
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Total: 18

Expenses
Maintenance:
8 infantry brigades: 2
2 infantry battalions: .2
1 cavalry brigade: .75
1 cavalry regiments: .25
7 militia brigades: .7
6 garrison brigades: 1.5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 6.65
Loan Servicing: 1.15 (1.9 remaining)
Total: 7.8

Remaining: 10.2
Build Fortress in St. Petersburg: 4/4 points: 2
Build 4 militia cavalry brigades: 8
Additional loan payment: .2

[Reddawn]

1705 Build

Income
Wartime Taxes: 10
Resources: 5
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Outposts: .3
Loan: 5
Total: 23.3

Expenses
Maintenance:
3 infantry brigades: .75
2 infantry battalions: .2
1 cavalry regiment: .25
2 militia cavalry brigades: .5
4 militia brigades: .4
5 garrison brigades: .5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 3.85
Loan Servicing: 1.7
Total: 5.55

Remaining: 17.55
1 cavalry brigade: 5
1 militia cavalry brigade: 2
2 infantry brigades: 8
1 infantry battalion: 1
Loan payment: 1.5

[Reddawn]

1706 Build

Income
Wartime Taxes: 10
Resources: 4.25
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Outposts: .3
Loan: 5
Total: 22.65

Expenses
Maintenance:
4 infantry brigades: 1
1 infantry battalions: .1
1 cavalry regiment: .25
1 militia cavalry brigades: .25
2 militia brigades: .2
5 garrison brigades: .5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 3.35
Loan Servicing: 2
Total: 5.35

Remaining: 17.3
1 cavalry brigade: 5
1 militia cavalry brigade: 2
2 infantry brigades: 8
Payments to Persia: 2.3

[Reddawn]

1707 Build

Income
Wartime Taxes: 10
Resources: 3.5 (1 Moscow, 1 Tver, .75 from Tsaritsyn/Volgograd, .75 from Reval, 0 from Kharkov, 0 from Smolensk)
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Outposts: .3
Total: 16.8

Expenses
Maintenance:
4 infantry brigades: 1
1 militia brigade: .1
1 infantry battalions: .1
1 cavalry regiment: .25
1 cavalry brigade: .75
2 militia cavalry brigades: .5
2 militia brigades: .2
5 garrison brigades: .5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 4.55
Loan Servicing: 4
Total: 8.55

Remaining: 8.25
1 infantry brigade: 4
2 militia brigades: 2
Payments to Polish rebels: 2.25

[Reddawn]

The war with the Turks and Poles is over, and Russia has been defeated. Smolensk, Kiev, and Estonia are now in the hands of the Poles. Moscow was occupied by a hostile power. The Russian people have suffered greatly from this war. No European power came to Russia’s aid, and the monarchs of Europe were content to watch Russia be fettered and dismembered.

Tsar Peter faces a dilemma. He desires to continue his reforms, build his new capital on the Baltic (now much closer to Polish territory), and expand Russian interests, but he faces a crisis of confidence among the nobles, and a growing backlash to Petrine reforms. Only time will tell if his legacy is one of greatness, or a footnote in Russia’s history.

[Reddawn]

1708 Build

Income
Peacetime Taxes: 5
Resources: 3 (1 Moscow, 1 Tver, 1 from Tsaritsyn/Volgograd)
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Outposts: .3
Total: 11.3

Expenses
Maintenance:
2 infantry brigades: .5
1 infantry battalions: .1
2 cavalry regiment: .5
5 garrison brigades: .5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 2.85

Remaining: 8.45
Build St. Petersburg: 4 (4/20)
1 cavalry regiment: 2
2 infantry battalions: 2
Bribes to nobles: .45

[Reddawn]

Tsar Peter, having just concluded a disastrous war, devotes his attentions to the building of his new capitol in St. Petersburg. He coordinates the construction efforts with seemingly boundless energy, and proceeds to enlist refugees from there battle in Moscow into his labor pool. The work is brutal, and death is common. There are significant desertions, and Petrine agents patrol the countryside in search of runaway serfs.

Peter is seen increasingly in the company of a mistress, Marta Skavronskaya. He had previously exiled his wife Eudoxia, to a monastery in 1698. However, the flaunting of this relationship, particularly a Polish commoner, is outrageous to the nobility, and a scandal Russian high society.

Pressure is put on Peter to name a successor Patriarch, as Patriarch Adrian died in 1701. So far he rebuffs these requests, naming Stefan Yenakorsky as the temporary placeholder.

Finally, the boyars were stunned when Peter issues an ukase abolishing the Duma, and establishing a Privy Council to help him govern. Discontent about the Tsar’s actions grows, and there is talk that it was Peter’s reforms that angered God and allowed their defeat at the hands of the Poles and Turks, noting that Peter never actually opposed them on the battlefield...

[Reddawn]

1709 Build

Income
Peacetime Taxes: 5
Resources: 3 (1 Moscow, 1 Tver, 1 from Tsaritsyn/Volgograd)
Craft Centers: 1
Port: 1
Commercial shipping:.25
Trading posts: .75
Outposts: .3
Total: 11.3

Expenses
Maintenance:
3 infantry brigades: .75
1 cavalry brigade: .5
5 garrison brigades: .5
2 fortresses: 1
1 patron: .25
Total: 3

Remaining: 8
Build St. Petersburg: 4 (8/20)
Build 1 infantry brigade: 4

[TLS]

The 2nd Time of Troubles

Agitation against Peter only grows as time moves on and he continues to pour resources into his pet project on the Baltic. Boyars begin openly renouncing their Western clothes and growing out their beards again, publicly burning the western dress on bonfires, while within the Church there is increasing agitation and discontent. Most of the clergy clamors for the restoration of the Patriarch, but Old Believers are increasingly infiltrating, or converting, clergymen to the pre-Nikonian ways. Both Popovtsy and bezpopovsty, denominations with and without priests respectively, are spreading like wildfire among the rebellious boyars and clergy.

Similarly, the economic havoc caused by the war is only building. Famine stalks the frontier, and the disruption of traditional regional economies is only deteriorating the situation. While the worst of the trouble is now in the lost territories, this has not stopped a large movement of now boyar-less serfs, either from across the border or from estates destroyed in the war, heading north in search of work. This only adds to the terror and anger felt by the Boyars, but facilitates the Tsar's project (Game Effect: the cost of building St. Petersburg drops to 15 to represent influx of cheap labor).

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