About the book: 1996 / The reign of Peter the Great is one of the glorious periods in the history of Russia, when the life of a huge country took a new direction. Peter the Great introduced Russia into the family of European states, from communication with which it was largely rejected by the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Therefore, the study of Peter’s time has been of great scientific interest over the past three centuries. Among the existing biographies of the great monarch, a prominent place is occupied by the study of history professor of Kazan and Yuryev universities Alexander G. Brickner (1834–1880), which is distinguished by exceptional integrity and impartiality. The author vividly presented Peter’s “work, goodness, and glory,” but at the same time, his “sins and dark deeds” did not pass by in silence. Written in German, Brickner's work was first published in 1882. The book offered to the reader vividly and comprehensively characterizes the personality of Peter the Great, recreates the flavor of the era of great transformations at a high artistic level, and fully reveals the significance of Peter’s reform for the development of the Russian state and society.