That Time Peter the Great Went to Europe Undercover
The Tsar Goes Incognito in Europe, Hijinks Ensue
In the year 1697, Tsar Peter the Great set out on an incognito trip throughout Europe.
At the end of the 17th century, Russia found itself lagging behind the other European powers. Peter set out to travel around Europe and learn firsthand how to modernize Russia. First and foremost, Russia needed to build a strong navy. The Tsar’s plan? Work undercover in the best shipyards around Europe.1 To pull this off, he needed a disguise.
Peter would be accompanying a Grand Embassy of ~250 people, under the pseudonym “Sergeant Pyotr Mikhaylov.”2 The first big destination for this secret undercover trip would be the Netherlands.
Part 1: Caught in the Netherlands
At the time the Embassy was visiting the Netherlands, it was the richest country in Europe. The near-monopoly the Dutch had on shipping was the source of their great wealth. Since part of the Embassy’s mission was to learn how to create the Russian Navy, the Netherlands would prove to be very valuable.
During this part of the trip, Peter broke away from the planned route. He left most of the Embassy behind and sailed to the shipbuilding town of Zaandam with only six companions by his side. It had been a personal desire of his to learn to build ships in Zaandam and now he had the chance. On the way there, he ran into a Dutch blacksmith he knew named Gerrit Kist who lived in Zaandam. Peter stayed with Kist in his tiny wooden house (which only had two rooms) and began working in a nearby shipyard.
After a few days, Peter had a very unfortunate run-in with some local kids. The Tsar was eating plums from his hat while walking down the street one afternoon. He happened upon a group of boys and offered them some plums. The only problem was that there weren’t enough plums left for all of them. The boys started following Peter around and he made an effort to chase them away. In retaliation, the boys began throwing stones and mud at him.3
Despite using his fake name and ditching his Russian attire for Dutch work clothes, Peter was not doing a great job at remaining undercover.4 It didn’t help that he was incredibly tall (6 feet 7 inches), making him stick out like a sore thumb.5 Soon, everyone in Zaandam knew that “a person of great importance” was in town.
After the run-in with the stone-throwing kids, Peter’s anonymity was done in completely. Covered in mud, Peter took refuge in a hotel called the Three Swans Inn and called for help. The mayor himself came, forcing Peter to explain who he was and why he was there. The mayor promptly issued an order that forbade any of the townspeople from troubling or insulting "distinguished persons who wish to remain unknown."6
Much to his dismay, Peter would not remain unknown for much longer. As historian Robert K. Massie recounts in his book, Peter the Great: His Life and World:
A Zaandam shipwright working in Russia had written home to his father that the Great Embassy was coming to Holland and that the Tsar would probably be with it, traveling incognito. He advised his father that Peter would be easy to recognize because of his great height, the shaking or twitching of his head and left arm, and the small wart on his right cheek.
The father had just read this letter aloud on Wednesday to everyone in Pomp's barber shop when a tall man with exactly those distinguishing marks walked in. Like barbers everywhere, Pomp regarded it as part of his calling to pass along all local gossip, and he forthwith broadcast the news that the tallest of the strangers was the Tsar of Muscovy.
To verify Pomp's report, people hurried to Kist, who was harboring the stranger and who was known to be familiar with the Tsar from his years in Russia. Kist, faithful to Peter's wish, stoutly denied his guest's identity until his wife said, "Gerrit, I cannot stand it any longer. Stop lying."7
Now, everyone knew that the Tsar was in Zaandam.
Wherever Peter went, he was followed by a hoard of townspeople. They would watch him work at the shipyard and follow him back to his house. Once inside, they would wait out front for him. The mayor of the town even sent guards to disperse the crowds and keep them away from Peter’s house.
Needless to say, Zaandam was not very kind to Peter the Great. He left what was supposed to be a months-long stay after a week and went to Amsterdam.8
Once in Amsterdam, Peter was given the opportunity to work at a local shipyard for the Dutch East India Company. Here, he was able to gain the experience he wished for in Zaandam. After several months, he completed his training and received a certificate as proof.
Despite spending so much time in the shipyards of Amsterdam, Peter was left with a desire for even more shipbuilding experience. Luckily for him, the Embassy’s next destination was England.9
Part 2: Partying in England
Eager to learn more about how to modernize Russia, Peter went to London. It was the commercial capital of England and held the country’s most important port, making it the perfect next destination for the trip.10
After Peter arrived in London, he moved into a house owned by writer John Evelyn. The residence, known as Sayes Court, was provided to Peter by the English government. Historian Ian Grey described it as a beautiful house “surrounded by woods and magnificent gardens which Evelyn himself had planned.”11
Located in southeast London, Peter liked the house because of its proximity to the dockyards. During his three-month stay, Peter made numerous visits to the nearby dockyards and studied shipbuilding there.1213
In addition to dockyards, Peter visited factories and workshops. He made sure to gather information about how they all operated so he could emulate them in Russia. Peter was fascinated by the process of how a watch is made, so he visited watchmakers too. In fact, he even took the time to learn how to assemble and repair watches himself.14
As you can probably tell, while this was an important and serious trip, Peter didn’t shy away from having fun. Given the pleasure of residing in such a beautiful house, the 25-year-old Peter decided to push the limits of his host’s generosity.
The Tsar began throwing these unbelievably wild parties at the estate. This included drunken orgies and other insane antics which caused enormous amounts of property damage.
To give a glimpse into the madness:
[The partygoers] used the paintings for target practice, the furniture for firewood and the curtains as lavatory paper. Feather beds and sheets ‘were ripped apart as if by wild animals’.15
On top of that:
[Peter] had never seen a wheelbarrow, so he organized wheelbarrow races that soon destroyed the garden’s trimmed topiary.16
After Peter left, three surveyors were sent to the house to write up a report on the damage so the Treasury of England could foot the bill. Here are some of the findings of that report:
All the floors and carpets were covered with grease and ink.17
All the paint had to be redone.
The curtains, quilts, and bed linen were all torn up.
All the chairs in the house were broken or had disappeared (likely used as wood for the ovens).
300 windowpanes had been shattered.
20 paintings were ruined and all the picture frames were broken.
The garden, which Evelyn took great pride in, had been destroyed.18
The Tsar Returns to Russia
After an eventful 534 days abroad, Tsar Peter the Great finally returned to Russia.
Shipbuilding expertise wasn’t the only thing Peter brought back with him from Europe. As part of his plan to modernize Russia, he wanted Russians to look more like the westerners. During his trip, he realized that the rest of Europe was largely clean-shaven, so he set out to ban beards in Russia once he returned. Though the ban was soon repealed, a beard tax was put in its place and it lasted 74 years.
Grey, Ian. Peter the Great: Emperor of All Russia. J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960, p. 99.
Eschner, Kat. “Why Peter the Great Established a Beard Tax.” Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sept. 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-tsar-peter-great-established-beard-tax-180964693/.
Massie, Robert K. Peter the Great: His Life and World. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1980, pp. 178–181.
Ibid., p. 181.
Hughes, Lindsey. Peter the Great: A Biography. New Haven, Yale University Press, 2002, p. 41.
Massie, Robert K. Peter the Great: His Life and World. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1980, p. 181.
Ibid.
Ibid., p. 183.
Grey, Ian. Peter the Great: Emperor of All Russia. J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960, pp. 108–113.
Ibid., p. 115.
Ibid., p. 117.
Levrier-Jones, George. “Tsar Peter the Great of Russia’s Visit to England.” History Is Now Magazine, 12 Nov. 2017, https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2017/11/12/a-tsar-abroad-peter-the-great-of-russias-visit-to-england.
Hughes, Lindsey. Russia in the Age of Peter the Great. New Haven, Yale University Press, 1998, p. 25.
Grey, Ian. Peter the Great: Emperor of All Russia. J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960, pp. 115–116.
Montefiore, Simon Sebag. The Romanovs: 1613-1918. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 2016, p. 87.
Ibid.
Massie, Robert K. Peter the Great: His Life and World. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1980, p. 209.
Grey, Ian. Peter the Great: Emperor of All Russia. J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960, p. 117.