Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov (Peter l)

Among his associates, the tsar emerges as a passionate man, fanatically devoted to the common cause and demanding the same unconditional commitment from others. In relationships with close associates, be it Alexander Menshikov or Boris Sheremetev, he values ​​loyalty, diligence, and a willingness to share his ambitious ideas above all else. Despite his quick temper and authoritarianism, the ruler is shown to be capable of listening to sound advice on matters of military strategy or reform, sharing with his comrades both the burden of military failures and the triumph of victories.
In his dealings with the masses and broad sections of the population, the monarch demonstrates a just, yet stern and unwavering will of a ruler, prepared to make any sacrifice to achieve a great goal. He presents himself as a people's leader and protector, capable of personally risking his life in extreme situations or kneeling before the clergy for the good of the state, yet unhesitatingly breaking with centuries-old traditions. His sternness toward the people is dictated solely by the long-term interests of the country and the need to build a strong, independent state capable of resisting powerful external enemies.

The Swedish King Charles XII decides to finally finish off Russia and invades deep into its territory. The situation is exacerbated by an internal attack: Hetman Ivan Mazepa betrays Peter and defects to the Swedes.
On the eve of the decisive battle, Peter, together with Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev, spent hours calculating military tactics. The first major success came with the destruction of Swedish supply trains near the village of Lesnaya, leaving Charles XII's army weakened.
The final third of the film is entirely devoted to the epic Battle of Poltava (1709). The film meticulously recreates this legendary battle. The film opens with the soldiers' dramatic defense in the forward earthen redoubts under the furious onslaught of the perfect, automatic Swedish infantry. The critical moment arrives when Peter the Great personally leads the counterattack, drawing the wavering regiments with him. The Swedish army is completely routed, and the wounded Charles XII and the traitor Mazepa are forced to flee in disgrace.

The plot begins in 1698, when the young Tsar Peter I returns to Russia from the Grand Embassy. Having seen cutting-edge European technology, he encounters the old order, the ossified boyars, and a looming global challenge at home. Wishing to secure access to an ice-free sea for his country, Peter negotiates with European monarchs to form the Northern Union.
In 1700, the Russian army entered the war with Sweden and immediately faced a harsh reality: at Narva, the Tsar's forces suffered a crushing, humiliating defeat at the hands of the young Swedish king, Charles XII. Russia lost all its artillery, thousands of soldiers, and was left virtually defenseless. Foreign allies immediately turned against Peter, writing off his country and considering the war lost. Instead of capitulating, Peter I showed an iron will and launched a radical, painful restructuring of the entire country. The Tsar literally forced the state to work itself to the bone. To break the resistance of the old nobility, the boyars' beards were forcibly shaved and their way of life was changed. Demidov's Ural factories mobilized and switched to round-the-clock metal forging. Church bells were removed from churches across the country to be melted down to make new cannons to replace those lost at Narva. The Tsar builds a fleet and, on the swampy marshes reclaimed from the Swedes, begins the grueling, life-consuming construction of the future capital, St. Petersburg.
Parallel to the state reforms, the ruler's personal drama unfolds. Peter is torn between his old German love, Anna Mons, and the simple captive Marta Skavronskaya, in whom he finds true support. His relationship with his closest ally, Alexander Menshikov, is also tested: Menshikov is fiercely loyal to the Tsar on the battlefield, yet regularly dabble in the state treasury.

In his dealings with high society ladies, Peter displays an authoritarian and uncompromising attitude. He views noblewomen merely as tools for modernizing the country and destroying old patriarchal foundations. The Tsar ruthlessly disrupts the traditional terem lifestyle of the Russian nobility, forcing boyar wives and daughters to discard their traditional, concealing attire and don revealing European dresses with plunging necklines and rigid corsets. He demands their mandatory attendance at his boisterous social gatherings, forcing them to dance and engage in European-style conversation. In these actions, Peter shows little regard for women's feelings, modesty, or age-old traditions, perceiving their obedience to the new rules as a marker of the success of his reforms.
His beloved would become his only living remedy and an inhabited island in the turbulent ocean of state affairs. He would treat her with boundless trust, for she would be the only person on earth before whom this formidable giant could cast off the mask of an invincible monarch, become vulnerable, and find peace of mind. At the same time, Peter, who despised idleness, would treat his beloved as a pampered woman, a comrade in arms and a companion of equal spirit, demanding her willingness to share with him the harsh life of military campaigns and endless construction projects. His love would be possessive and jealous, demanding from his chosen one absolute, fanatical devotion and complete immersion in his lofty goals, and any hint of ulterior motives would cause him crushing resentment. He wouldn't be a sophisticated wooer, but he would display a sincere, gentle generosity, defending his woman before the entire world with the ferocity of a wild beast and showering her with gifts, glitz-laden with romance but filled with deep human care. He would treat his beloved with endless tenderness and gentleness, love and affection.

Peter the Great's nervous tic was a severe neurological disorder that frightened those around him and manifested itself during moments of excitement, anger, or extreme fatigue. During these attacks, his face would become horribly distorted: the left side of his face would twitch involuntarily, his eye would roll back, and his head would jerk toward his right shoulder. Sometimes the convulsions would spread to his left hand, which he would begin clenching and unclenching. The main cause of this disorder is believed to be a severe childhood trauma, when, at the age of ten, Peter witnessed the bloody Streltsy Rebellion and the brutal reprisals against his loved ones.