The new Czar inaugurated a policy which has marked the course of the Russian Empire from his day to the present time. This policy aimed to free Russia from confinement as a land-locked empire, and to give her seaports on unfrozen waters. This great object to seek ports, unblocked by ice, was the cornerstone of his administration, and he left the idea as a heritage to his successors.
During these early years, while Sophia was Regent, Peter had done much to acquaint himself with conditions in foreign countries by travel making observations which afterward appeared to have broadened his character and to have given him a comprehension of the necessities far beyond other Russians of his time. He went to Amsterdam and worked in a shipyard, and to the village of Zaandam in Holland, where he caused himself to be enrolled among the workmen. He lived here for two months in a hut, making his own bed and preparing his own food, all the while corresponding with his Ministers at home and laboring at the same time at shipbuilding.
He accepted an invitation from William III to visit London, and spent several weeks there, keenly observing everything about him, and learning all he could of trade, manufactures and the arts. He then proceeded to Vienna, but, receiving there intelligence of a new rebellion by the Guards, he returned home and crushed the insurrection, visiting the rebels with fearful punishment. This episode occurred after he had practically come to the supreme power.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
