What were the consequences of Peter the Great’s mighty victory over Sweden at the Battle of Poltova in 1707? How great was the impact of his reign upon Russia overall, and was he responsible for turning it into one of Europe’s greatest powers? What occurred during the later years of his life? And, what is the story behind his bloody, terrible and tragic treatment of his son, Alexis…? Join Dominic and Tom for the mighty conclusion of their series on one of history’s most remarkable characters: Peter the Great. The ramifications of his reign for Russia, his ghastly dealings with his own family, and the end of his colourful life. The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Did you know that our Sunday Times bestselling book, The Rest Is History Returns, is now out in paperback? From finding out who British history's biggest lad was to tracing the admittedly hazy ancient origins of Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's filled cover to cover with more curious historical moments than you can crack a lasso at, plus puzzles and a pub quiz.
The Rest Is History Returns, available now in all good bookshops. Dinner was prepared in a spacious hall. Several small tables were placed in the middle of the hall for the new married couple and the rest of the dwarfs, who were all splendidly dressed after the German fashion. After dinner, the dwarfs began to dance after the Russian way, which lasted till eleven at night.
It is easy to imagine how much the Tsar and the rest of the company were delighted at the comical capers, strange grimaces, and odd postures of that medley of pygmies, most of whom were so short that their size alone had people in fits of laughter. One had a high hunch on his back and very short legs, another was remarkable by a monstrous big belly.
A third came waddling along on a little bear of crooked legs like a badger. A fourth had a head of prodigious size. Some had wry mouths and long ears, little pig eyes and chubby cheeks, and there were many more such comical figures. When these diversions were ended, the newly married couple were carried to the Tsar's house and bedded in his own bedchamber.
So that was Friedrich Christian Weber, who was the ambassador of Hanover, the German state, to the court of Peter the Great. And he is struggling to cope, I guess, Dominic, with the fondness for grotesquerie that has been a marker of Peter's court right from the very beginning. Yes. And Weber there is describing a wedding feast that was held in St.
Petersburg in November 1710, where the couple and all the attendees were dwarves. And it's very expressive of Peter's kind of dark sense of humour, his fondness for, I suppose, making a show of people who aren't of normal size. I mean, he's obsessed by giants as well as dwarves, isn't he? He is. And there are German princes who are obsessed by giants, for instance.
But Peter's obsession with that kind of grotesquery seems exceptional, even by the standards of the time.
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