In 1812, a special falsification appeared in Russia - the so-called "Testament of Peter the Great". The exact source of the origin of this document has not been established. The "testament" was published in French, which implied familiarization with the educated part of the population. The purpose of creating this document could be to exert a certain influence on the international political situation.
The content of the "Testament" was as follows: allegedly Peter I gives a directive, a strategic plan to his future successors for the gradual and non-stop conquest of more and more territories. The Tsar bequeathed to his descendants to get as close as possible to the "Indies" and Constantinople. Thus, he sees the expediency of moving to the East, South, after which - the further seizure of the whole world.
Origin story
According to historians, "The Testament of Peter the Great" is the fruit of the collective labor, presumably, of French politicians. The famous Canadian doctor of history and philosophy Orest Subtelny tried to reconstruct the way of creating the "Testament". His research led to interesting results. It turns out that points similar to those in this document are still in the writings of the ambassadors of Prince Ferenc II Rakoczi (Transylvania) at the beginning of the 18th century.
Later, an interesting idea was picked up by the Zaporozhye hetman Philip Orlik, who was acting as the Russian ambassador to the French court. It was there that he became acquainted with the thoughts of Russian expansion. From him these ideas passed to the collection of the Polish princes Chertoryski. The final version of the Testament was created by the efforts of General Mikhail Sokolnitsky (Poland) and the politician-publicist Charles-Louis Lezur (France).
After the defeat of the Napoleonic army, in December 1812, Lesure published a book in which he describes the ever-increasing power of the Russian state. The author refers to a certain "Testament of Peter the Great". But this book did not cause much excitement then. Later references to the mythical testament of Peter appear in the 1830s. This document was fully published only in 1836. At the same time, it contained significant changes in relation to the version of 1812.
The Will and Testament publishers have created an intriguing legend about how this document was discovered. According to their version, the famous adventurer and secret agent Chevalier d'Eon found the message of Peter the Great to his descendants in the secret vaults of the Empress Elizabeth I. It happened supposedly in 1757. Since then, the fake has become wildly popular. It was repeatedly used for various propaganda purposes, including during the Crimean War of the middle of the 19th century and the First World War.
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Contents of the "Will"
The document began with the official appeal of the All-Russian autocrat to his successors, in particular, and to the entire government of Russia in general. The "testament" contained 14 basic theses, according to which Peter I for some reason advised to constantly keep the Russian people in a state of war. According to the authors of the document, only in this could the Russian tsar see the constant maintenance of the fighting spirit and skills of the soldiers.
Further, Peter I allegedly bequeathed to use any methods to expand the borders of the state. It was also necessary to constantly study military affairs from the best foreign military leaders, for which they had to be "discharged from abroad." Peter bequeathed to his successors to the throne to always actively intervene in any interstate political strife in order to obtain territorial benefits for Russia.
Another successful political technique that could bring considerable benefit to the country, Peter the Great considered pitting the most powerful European powers against each other. This weakens powerful opponents and plays into the hands of Russia. This was followed by specific instructions with whom it was necessary to maintain the semblance of peace, and whom - to suppress with their combat power. The eastern region should have been captured for the sake of the gold deposits there. This would raise the level of economic development in Russia.
As a result of the "Testament" it turned out that Peter had come up with an ideal plan for establishing world domination by constantly waging wars and using insidious diplomatic moves. Clear guidelines on how to do this and to which countries what tactics to apply, gave the document even more credibility and significance.
The further fate of the document
The first scientifically proven refutation of the authenticity of the Testament was published in 1877. The research was conducted by the historian Sergei Shubinsky. After him, there were many more scientists interested in the document. All of them unanimously asserted that the "Testament of Peter the Great" was a fake. Moreover, it was used for anti-Russian propaganda for a long time.
