ABSTRACT
The exact reasons for the Russian campaign which began in the spring of 1695 against the port of Azov, at the mouth of the Don, remain obscure. In particular it is doubtful whether Peter himself had much to do with the decision to attack the Turkish fortress, for as yet he had hardly begun to play a leading role in the government. The victory meant to Peter more than prestige and an opportunity for display. One reason for the defective administration of the scheme was Peter's absence from Russia. The anti-Swedish alliance was in no sense a Russian creation. It was beginning to take shape well before Peter had seen that he must transfer his hopes of conquest from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Peter's efforts to inspect the fortifications produced an incident trivial in itself but destined to have considerable consequences, when he was rudely ordered away by a sentry.
