The Coinage of Peter I Part Six: 1721–1725
IN MANY WAYS the last years of Czar Peter the Great were just as interesting as his early days in power. A man of great energy and drive, he wanted above all to bring Russia into the modern age. To what extent he succeeded is still a matter of dispute among historians, but no one doubts that he made every effort to achieve this single objective.
On September 10, 1721, the Russian and Swedish governments had, at long last, signed a treaty of peace at Nystad, ending the Great Northern War which had commenced in 1700. Queen Ulrika of Sweden now bowed to the inevitable and gave up the struggle; Peter the Great had put Russia on the political map of Europe for all time.
The Russian Senate, after some prodding from the proper people, decided that the title of Czar was no longer adequate to describe a ruler of so vast a state and adopted Emperor instead. The change was made at the end of October 1721 but only the gold coinage of that year reflects the new imperial title. This particular 1721 gold coinage is of great rarity and found in few modern collections outside of the largest museums.
In 1722 war
