ABSTRACT
From the moment of The Young Tsar birth, Peter was caught up in a complex dynastic and political situation dominated by brutal conflicts between different factions and personalities. The principles which governed the succession to the throne were less clear-cut in Russia than in most west-European states; but there was no doubt that, had he been competent to rule, Ivan would have succeeded. The events of 1682 and the disorder and uncertainty which had pervaded the summer and autumn of that year in Moscow left a deep mark on the young tsar. The young tsar's urge to be doing, his feeling for craftsmanship, his passion for the concrete, showed that in tastes and aptitude he was quite different from any of his predecessors. Peter's associates, Russian as well as foreign, were well aware of their direct personal dependence, not merely for their position but even for their physical safety, on the young tsar.
