№ 392-397. The History of Russia. Reforms of Peter the Great.

Foundation of St.Petersburg. During the Russian-Swedish War (1700-1723) in May 1703 the Russian troops took the town of Nienshants. Peter the Great ordered to build the fortress of St Peter and St Paul on an island near the town, which marked the beginning of St.Petersburg. Tsar Peter mobilised the efforts of the whole country to build the new capital of Russia and its sea port. The stamp features Peter the Great discussing the construction of the new capital. In the background there is the frame of a ship under construction and the outline of the fortress of Stt. Peter and Paul. In the upper part of the stamp there is a cartouch with the coat of arms of St.Petersburg and symbols of the new capital.

Military Reforms, creation of a regular army and navy. Peter the Great is the founder of the Russian regular army and navy. Peter's army was better organised and equipped than the Swedish army. The stamp features Tsar Peter handing a standard over to the commander of Preobrazhensky regiment, one of the first regiments of the Russian army. In the background there is the view of the Admiralty shipyard (1705) in St.Petersburg, which played an important role in the development of the Russian navy. In the upper part of the stamp there is the badge of the Life-Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment, a guards glory band, and samples of Russian arms of Peter the Great's era.

The Northern War (the war for the access to the Baltic Sea). In 1701-1703 the Russian army took the position on the coast of the Finnish Gulf and started advancement towards the mouth of the Neva river. On 5 May 1703 Swedish ships "Astrild" and "Gedan" entered Neva from the Finnish Gulf. Peter the Great decided to attack the ships using boats. The Swedish ships were encircled and overtaken. That was Peter the Great's first success on sea, for which he was awarded the order of St. Andrew, the first Russian order. As a result of the military campaign of 1701-1703 Russia acquired lands along the Neva river. The stamp features the moment the Swedish ships were overtaken by Russians. In the upper part of the stamp there is the star and the badge of the order of St.Andrew (1698) and symbols of the naval glory of the Northern War.

Administrative reforms. Reforms of the state organisation under Peter the Great were an important step towards transformation of Russian autocraty of the 17th c into administrative monarchy of the 18th c. The tsar created provinces, established ministry boards which governed various segments of state administration, approved the Table of Ranks. In 1711 the Senate was established which substituted the Boyar Duma. The Senate governed all the institutions of the country. The stamp features a meeting of the Senate chaired by Peter the Great. In the upper part of the stamp there is a cartouch with the coat of arms of Russia, and the buildings in which the Senate held its meetings.

Reforms in Culture and Education. Under Peter the Great many colleges were established, i.e. the colleges of engineering, artillery, medicine, mathematics and navigation. Lots of text books and lay books (belles-lettres) were published. The stamp features Peter the Great examining a student of the maths and navigation college which was opened in the Sukharevskaya Tower in Moscow in 1701. The Tower (built in 1692-1701) is in the background. In the upper part of the stamp there is a picture which symbolises the introduction of civil type instead of ancient Slavic type, as well as symbols of scientific research.

The margins of the sheet feature the personal Tsar's standard with the state coat or arms, a double-headed eagle displayed, and the geographical sea maps symbolising that the Tsar rules over the four seas, i.e. the White, Caspian, Black, and Baltic seas. In the lower margin of the sheet there is a picture of the fortress of Stt. Peter and Paul and a battleship, a brig, and a galley which symbolise the great navy created by Peter the Great.