The first Russian printed newspaper appeared during the reign. History of books in Rus'

In chapter Literature to the question: when did the first Russian newspaper appear and what was its name? given by the author Who are you? And who am I? 😀 the best answer is In Russia, the first newspapers - handwritten “messenger letters” appeared during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich in 1613. They were also called “columns”, since they were written in columns on oblong sheets glued to one another, several fathoms long. Later they were named in the European manner - “Chimes”. The oldest publication of this kind that has survived to this day is considered to be a copy of the Chimes, published in 1621. The content of the “messenger letters” was based on translated notes from foreign press and reports from Russian diplomats and merchants from abroad. The first Russian printed newspaper was the newspaper “Vedomosti about military and other affairs worthy of knowledge and memory that happened in the Moscow state and other surrounding countries,” which appeared in 1702 by decree of Emperor Peter I. The first sheet of this printed newspaper appeared in Moscow on January 2, 1703. Peter did the proofreading himself. The newspaper was an eight-page sheet, almost without margins, in church font. Most of the information was drawn from Dutch newspapers, and Peter himself noted with a pencil what needed to be translated for the newspaper. The Gazette was printed in 1000 copies. The selling price of the room was 2 kopecks
Source: Wikipedia

Answer from Max Sergeev[active]
Vedomosti

Answer from Sergey Sergeev[guru]
What was the name of the first Russian regular newspaper?
On December 15, 1702, Peter the Great, as already mentioned, issued a decree: “The chimes, in our opinion “Vedomosti”, should be printed at the Printing Yard, and those printed “Vedomosti” should be sold to the world at the proper price.” The next day, apparently not relying on the agility of his subjects, the king issues a second decree. ordering the printing of newspapers “to notify them of foreign and domestic incidents.” And the very next day the first issue of the newspaper, which had not reached us, was published. The name “Chimes” is replaced by the more understandable word “Vedomosti”, meaning “to know” - to know.
Ten days later, the second issue (also not preserved) comes out. It has a special name “Journal or daily painting, which was carried out on the 26th of September in 1702 during the past siege near the Noteburkh fortress.” This was information about the siege of the said fortress.
Finally, on January 2, 1703, the third issue of the newspaper was published, this time surviving to this day, which served as the basis for the establishment of Russian Press Day in 1991.

How did it all begin? (The first Russian printed newspaper “Vedomosti”)

The first Russian printed newspaper "Vedomosti" was organized on the basis of the decrees of Peter I in December 1702. Trial issues of "Vedomosti" were published on December 16 and 17, but were not preserved in printed form; from January 2, 1703, "Vedomosti" began to appear more or less less regularly.

The first Russian newspaper began to be published at the Printing Yard and was a thin brochure of one-eighth of a sheet (11 x 16 cm, the size of the typesetting page was 5 x 7.5 square). The newspaper was typed in the Cyrillic font common at that time.

Initially, the newspaper did not have a permanent title and was called “Moscow Vedomosti”, “Russian Vedomosti”, sometimes in the old fashioned way - “Chimes”, and sometimes the title became the definition of the official Document printed in the newspaper: “Genuine report”, “Relyadiya”.

The newspaper also did not have a constant format, circulation, or strict frequency of publication. In the first year of existence of the Vedomosti newspaper, 39 issues were published, in subsequent years - 30-40 issues. Since 1711, the Vedomosti newspaper began to be published in St. Petersburg.

The newspaper's circulation experienced great fluctuations - from several tens to several thousand copies. Data, for example, for 1708 show that individual issues of Vedomosti were printed in quantities of 150, 200, 400, 700 and even 1000 copies, and in 1724 the circulation dropped to 30 copies. The news about the Battle of Poltava was printed in 2,500 copies and sold out in its entirety, but a number of issues did not find distribution and remained at the Printing Yard.

It took many years for the first Russian newspaper to acquire the type of stable, regular publication that St. Petersburg Vedomosti became from 1728.

However, let's turn to the files that have survived and come down to us in in electronic format(i.e., scanned) newspapers. Let's analyze the content.

The newspaper contained materials on military affairs, on issues of technology and industry, production artillery pieces, fleet construction. A large proportion of publications were devoted to the victories of the Russian army, especially in major battles at Poltava, Gangut, in the Baltic states. Along with military topics, the pages of the newspaper reflected the problems of civil life: the founding new capital- St. Petersburg, construction of cities and fortresses, development of trade. Here you can also find information about education, the successes of science and culture. The source of operational information was official documents, reports of ambassadors, and departmental materials. Information was also drawn from foreign newspapers, the range of which expanded compared to the 17th century due to newspapers coming from cities such as Leipzig, Paris, and Amsterdam.

It must be said that the first Russian newspaper, being an organ of the state of landowners, nobles and merchants, appeared at the same time important factor development of national culture, especially considering that from 1710 it began to be printed in civil script instead of Church Slavonic.

The content of the first Russian newspaper was limited to broad propaganda of Peter's reforms, much space was devoted to characterizing the country's economic potential, a review of military operations in the Northern War, diplomatic relations of the Russian state, facts of national culture, the opening of schools, a description of solemn holiday acts, publication of sermons of the associates of Peter I (Theophanes Prokopovich) and others.

The newspaper did not have thematic sections, so many issues are a motley mixture of a wide variety of information - from descriptions sea ​​battle before advertising healing properties Olonets waters, “which were examined through many sick people...”. And yet, in this information kaleidoscope, the main themes of the published materials can be identified. For almost twenty years, the newspaper focused on the events of the Northern War.

The first Russian newspaper widely covered the affairs of developing industry and trade. In it you can find overall assessment economic situation in the country: “Merchants, manufacturing and all kinds of handicrafts are doing well.” And then there are concrete facts that speak of the growth of production and the development of new technologies: “there are 11 ships on the stocks of the Admiralty, including one that is expected to be launched this fall.”

On its pages, Vedomosti wrote about the profound changes taking place in the field of education and the dissemination of civilian literature, for example, that by order of the Tsar, the network of schools, including special ones, was expanding, that in Moscow “more than 300 students study at the mathematical navigation school people accept good science.” In the 12th issue for 1710, a bibliographic review was published for the first time - “Register of new civil books, which, by decree of the Tsar's Majesty, were printed with the newly invented Amsterdam alphabet.”

Vedomosti undoubtedly expanded the horizons of readers, introducing them to the life of European countries, popularizing geographical knowledge, systematically explaining geographical terms, etc.

Let's take a closer look at the first printed issue that has survived to this day, dated January 2, 1703. Let's turn to the first page. It’s interesting that the title came first, then a comma, and then the text itself.

Translation of the first editorial into modern language: “In Moscow, once again, four hundred guns of copper howitzers and mortars have been poured. Those cannons with cannonballs of 24, 52 and 12 pounds each, howitzers with bombs of a pound and half a pound, mortars with bombs of nine, three and two pounds, and less. And there are many more forms of great and medium cannons, howitzers and mortars ready for casting, and now there is more than forty thousand pounds of copper in the cannon yard, which is prepared for new casting.”

The question immediately arises: why is the editorial of the first issue of Vedomosti in 1703 devoted to the casting of new howitzers and mortars? The fact is that this issue was then the most important, state issue. The Russians were still acutely upset by the loss to the Swedes in the Battle of Narva in 1700. The Russian army completely lost all its artillery there. That is why the first issue of the first printed newspaper immediately reassures fellow citizens: pay attention to how many new guns have been produced, how much copper has been prepared for casting new guns, and know that the Narva losses have been fully compensated.

A rising, resurgent nation is capable of turning even defeat in one battle into a weapon of victory. The defeat of the Russian army near Narva turned out to be useful for Russia, and later in the Northern War, Peter and his associates won victories one after another. Vedomosti constantly devoted its pages to describing the course of this long war, which led to the exaltation of Russia and forever removed Sweden from the ranks of powerful military powers. Already in the first issue, dated January 2, 1703, there was a note about how “from the city of Olonets, priest Ivan Okulov gathered hunters on foot with a thousand people, went abroad to the Svei (that is, Swedish) border, and defeated the Svei outposts. And at those outposts of the Swedes he beat a large number of Swedes, and took the Reitar banner, drums and swords, fuses and horses. The Swedish cavalry killed 50 people, the infantry 90 people, and only two soldiers were wounded from the priest’s army.”

The third article reports population growth: “In Moscow, from November 24 to December 24, 356 people were born, male and female.”

The fourth article is about international relations: “They write from Persia. The Indian king sent an elephant and many other things as gifts to our great Sovereign. An elephant was released from the city of Shamakhi to Astrakhan by land.”

The fifth article is about successes in mineral exploration: “They write from Kazan that a lot of oil and copper ore were found on the Soku River, a fair amount of copper was smelted from that ore, from which they hope to generate considerable profit for the Moscow State.”

The Vedomosti newspaper was a fairly successful tool of Peter the Great, but not everything was perfect. The progenitor of Russian newspapers was unstable in everything except format. Everything is mobile in it, everything is unstable. The name of the newspaper changes slightly from issue to issue. The set of issues for 1714 most fully outlined the content and nature of the publication: “Report on military and other affairs worthy of knowledge and memory that happened in the Moscow state and in other surrounding countries.” But before and later titles newspapers change: “Vedomosti”, “Vedomosti of the Moscow State”, “Vedomosti from the Caesar's letters sent via mail in the current December 1702 on the 5th day”. “Moscow Vedomosti”, “Genuine Report”, “Russian Vedomosti”, and even the title of the issue: “Essence from French printed newspapers”. Some numbers are completely nameless.

But, despite all these shortcomings, the newspaper was popular. If not for the death of Peter I, which entailed the loss of readers and, accordingly, circulation, Vedomosti would have continued to exist.

16.12.1702 (29.12). – Peter I signed a decree on the publication of the first Russian printed newspaper “Vedomosti”

The birth of the Russian press

Title page of the Gazette set of 1704.

Discussion: 6 comments

thanks for the info

Sergey 2009-12-29

There is a sword in the left paw of the double-headed eagle. Who is it directed against? The left head of the eagle looks to the left, to the east. And the sword is pointing east? Isn't this heraldic feature PROOF of the existence of Gardariki - a country of cities - in the EAST?

Sergey, you will decide where is left and where is right. The sword is in the left paw relative to the viewer. And for the Eagle this is the right paw. East is always to the viewer's right (as if he were looking at a classical map), that is, in in this case left for eagle. They completely confused us, and you yourself, apparently, do not have a clear idea of ​​what you wanted to confirm and with what.

As fully convinced fan of fmous Chicherin understan why Peter 1 grsnted that hiAs prominent Family with roots tis electyin of Ts
Mijail Romanov in 1611 after all events with the Paloogs.Shorty said dream som e day to visist coservef as restaured pearls done from Catherine la Grande y/or POTEMKI
Wait certainly epoc-making word of President Putim becse little people,s buisiness is sall-mindness.
REGARDS,SOFI,JUNE 8 2017

The newspaper “Vesti-Kuranty” (“messenger letters”) began to be published regularly in Moscow in 1621, but some of its issues appeared as early as June 1600.
The newspaper was published without a permanent name, but in the “Census Book of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich” (1676) it was called “chimes about all sorts of news.” It is believed that the word “chimes” no later than 1649 began to mean columns with news, since this word was part of the name of several Dutch newspapers of the 17th century (in business writing, foreign newspapers are also called “printed messenger letters”).
Externally, the newspaper consisted of narrow sheets of glued paper, written in a column from top to bottom. Such columns of text were sometimes several meters long. That’s why the editorial team was called “chimes.”

Dear President of Russia VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH PUTIN!
I am writing to you about what happened here in Russia during your reign. IT'S been TWENTY YEARS since YOU have been the PRESIDENT of RUSSIA.
RUSSIA is the RICHEST country in the WORLD - it owns more than 30% of all world reserves natural resources. 75% of raw materials are sold abroad without processing.
We have POOR pensions because we have MINOR salaries. [...]
Dear VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH, I ask YOU to think about what is happening here in Russia. How and on what our PEOPLE and PENSIONERS live. I really want to hope that YOU will stop PROMISING, and actually start doing something to improve real life people and pensioners of RUSSIA.
Sincerely, V. LUTZINGER, Kaliningrad.
[Administrator: Due to the large size, the text has been completely moved to the forum: ]

In Russia, handwritten newspapers appeared in the first quarter of the 17th century. They contained translations from foreign newspapers, which were brought to the Ambassadorial Prikaz on special orders or as an occasional opportunity by persons coming from abroad. Since 1668, when a permanent post office already existed, foreign newspapers began to arrive regularly. Russian handwritten newspapers began to be published 3-4 times a month. They were delivered to the tsar's court, and they were read among the nearby boyars. The content of the newspapers included reports about wars, changes of governments, ceremonial receptions, treaties, as well as major fires, floods, epidemics, etc. These newspapers, or “chimes” as they were called, usually did not reach the boundaries of the royal court.

A direct continuation of these handwritten chimes was the first Russian printed newspaper called “Vedomosti”, or, as it was later printed on the title page of the newspaper, “Vedomosti about military and other affairs worthy of knowledge and memory, which happened in the Moscow state and in other surrounding countries.”

The first two issues of Vedomosti appeared in December 1702. The first issue of Vedomosti for 1703, published on January 2, has reached us. These were the first years of the Northern War and, at the same time, broad transformations in Russia, which affected various aspects of state, social and cultural life. The country began exploring mineral resources, built factories, and began publishing scientific and educational books, geographical expeditions and trips abroad were made. The newspaper has become necessary for many people involved in various areas public life Russia.

The newspaper was printed first at the Moscow Printing Yard, then mostly in St. Petersburg. The newspaper was published irregularly, 1-3 times a month. Its circulation ranged from 100 copies to 3 thousand, depending on the importance of the reported events. ABOUT Poltava victory, for example, they notified 2.5 thousand copies of Vedomosti. The newspaper was sold at prices ranging from 2 to 6 “money”.

Peter I himself took an active part in the publication of the newspaper: he often edited it, printed his orders and reports from the theater of military operations.

Let us cite, as an example, messages from Vedomosti: “In Moscow, again, 400 copper howitzers and mortars have now been poured, those cannons with cannonballs of 24, 18 and 12 pounds each. Howitzers with bombs are worth a pound and half a pound. And now there is more than 40 thousand poods of copper in the cannon yard, which is prepared for new casting.

By order of His Majesty, Moscow schools are multiplying, 45 people are studying philosophy, and have already graduated from dialectics. More than 300 people study at the mathematical navigation school, and they accept good science...

From Persia they write: The Indian king sent our great sovereign an elephant and many other things as gifts...

They write from Siberia: In the Chinese state, the Velmi Jesuits were not loved for their “cunning,” and some of them were executed by death.”

“Vedomosti” dated July 2, 1709 contained a letter from Peter, joyfully reporting the victory over the Swedes near Poltava: “I announce to you a very great and unforeseen victory, which the Lord God, through the indescribable courage of our soldiers, deigned to grant us with the small blood of our troops " This is how this letter began, and then the course of the battle itself and the huge trophies that went to the Russian army were described in detail.

V. A. Nike

The appearance in Russia of the first printed newspaper "Vedomosti" (1702-1727) was caused by the reforms of Peter I and the need to promote the reforms he was carrying out. Peter I's aspiration as soon as possible establishing Russia as equal among European states was determined by the scale and nature of reforms that affected all spheres of life.
Even before Peter came to power, Russia was faced with the task of strengthening the internal and external position of the country, to overcome economic backwardness, to gain access to the Black and Baltic Seas, and to open the way to Europe. Wars undertaken by Peter (1696 - conquest of Azov, 1704 - capture of Narva, 1709 - victorious Battle of Poltava), ensured the independent existence of Russian statehood. As a result of the Northern War, which lasted 21 years, Russia regained access to the Baltic and strengthened itself in the west, north and south of its territory. Simultaneously with military campaigns, reforming the army and navy, Peter carried out economic reforms, was engaged in the creation of domestic industry, the construction of factories, shipyards, and new cities.
The people paid a heavy price for the transformations at the beginning of the century, which promoted Russia to the ranks of world powers. The introduction of conscription and the poll tax, an increase in taxes and increased persecution of schismatics, the construction of St. Petersburg and the protracted Northern War resulted in great losses. From 1672 to 1710 The country's population not only did not increase, but even decreased by 6.6 °/o. Dissatisfaction with the policies being pursued caused unrest among landowners and assigned peasants, factory workers and dissenters. But the process of reconstruction was becoming irreversible, Russia was rapidly turning into a powerful European power.

To develop science and education, at the direction of Peter, extensive publishing activities were launched. Since 1708 books of non-ecclesiastical content began to be printed in a new civil font. In the first quarter of the 18th century. More books were published in Russia than in the previous two centuries (600 books and brochures). Special attention is devoted to the dissemination of natural science publications. Textbooks on geometry, physics, and architecture are published. Books appeared for the education of the nobility, which reflected changes in the way of life. Domostroevsky traditions were crumbling, masquerades and balls contributed to new forms of communication. What was needed was guidance on how to behave in society. The collection “Examples of how different compliments are written” (1708) offered samples of letters, gallant and businesslike, since private correspondence became a sign of good manners (for example, “A student’s petitionary letter to his father at the beginning of the new year”). The book “An Honest Mirror of Youth, or Indications for Everyday Conduct” (1719) contained advice for young nobles on how to behave in society, how to behave at the table (don’t lean your hands on the table, don’t brush your teeth with a knife, don’t grab the first dish), how to bow when meeting (taking off your hat in three steps), etc. The book was compiled on the instructions of the Tsar and was subsequently republished more than once by the Academy of Sciences.
The culture of Peter the Great's time was secular in nature and developed in the confrontation between old and new. The rise of the authority of the state over the authority of the church accelerated the “worldliness” of all aspects of Russian life. Peter I changed the attitude towards man, the individual, thus realizing one of the postulates of the Enlightenment - the extra-class value of man. In 1722, he enshrined this provision legislatively, in the “Table of Ranks of all ranks of military, civil and courtiers,” opening the opportunity for representatives of different classes to receive the title of nobility for services to the state. And there were many such examples when it was not the wealth and nobility of the family, but devotion and conscientious service to the Fatherland that elevated people to the highest rung of the social ladder. The ideal of the Petrine era was a human citizen, a patriot, who must be imbued with understanding and awareness of the need for the government reforms being carried out.
For Peter 1, in the face of resistance from internal opposition, it was important to find support in society and expand the circle of supporters of reforms. Being familiar with the role of journalism in European countries and understanding the importance of information, he decides to create a Russian printed newspaper.
Abroad, the first printed newspapers appeared in the 16th-17th centuries. The oldest surviving newspaper, Relatio, was published in Strasbourg in 1609. weekly. The word “newspaper” itself is Italian. "Gazzetta" was called small coin, which was the price of a written message about any trading news. In Venice, a city that was in the 16th century. one of the centers of world trade collected news from all corners of the world. Enterprising scribes copied these messages by hand and sold them business people, demanding for each copy of "gazzetta". Gradually, the name of the price was transferred to a handwritten message, so that when printed press organs appeared, they were immediately called newspapers.
Before the appearance of Peter's Vedomosti, the Moscow state did not know newspapers. At the royal court there was a custom of translating and rewriting news from foreign newspapers. Handwritten news from 1621 has been preserved. and later. They talked about battles, the capture of cities, the reception of ambassadors, state treaties, the arrival of ships with goods, the appearance of comets, etc. The source of this information was German, Dutch, Polish, and Swedish newspapers. They arrived at the Ambassadorial Prikaz, where clerks and clerks selected news, recording them in Russian translation on long narrow sheets of paper - “columns”. This is how “Message Letters” or “Courants” were compiled, from the French word “courant” - current.
The handwritten newspaper in Russia was prepared for Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, and then Alexei Mikhailovich, and was surrounded by strict diplomatic secrecy. The newspaper was read aloud to the kings; on some manuscripts there are notes about this, sometimes with the addition that the neighboring boyars also listened to the news.
These “Courants”, or “Message Letters”, after the establishment of regular mail in 1668. were compiled two, three and four times a month, mostly in one copy, less often in two or three, intended, in addition to the tsar, for the most prominent boyars, and after reading they were returned to the Ambassadorial Prikaz or the Prikaz of Secret Affairs.
Peter I personally became acquainted with foreign newspapers and did not need clerks to collect foreign news for him. He needed his own printed newspaper, capable of keeping certain circles of readers informed about government policies, notifying about military operations, news of Russian and foreign life. Peter I wanted to use the printed word to propagate his military and economic undertakings and give them popularity.

1. The first issues of Vedomosti
The first newspaper in Russia, which went down in the history of domestic journalism as Peter’s "Vedomosti", was created in December 1702 based on the decrees of Peter l of December 15 and 16, 1702. The decree of December 15 (26) read:
“The chimes, in our opinion, are the messages that are sent from different states and cities to the State Embassy and other orders, from those orders to send those statements to the order of the printing books, and when those statements are sent, they will also be printed at the printing yard, and those printed statements what remains behind the tray is sold into the world at the right price.”. 1
The second royal decree of December 16 (27) announced:
“According to reports about military and all sorts of affairs that are necessary for the announcement of Moscow and surrounding states to people, print chimes, and for the printing of those chimes, reports in which orders, about which there are now and will continue to be, are sent from those orders to the Monastic Prikaz , without wasting, and send those statements from the Monastic Order to the Printing Yard. And this should be sent to memory in all orders from the Monastic Order.”. 2
These two decrees determined the mechanism for organizing the newspaper, its content, and the order of distribution.
Simultaneously with the decree of December 16, 1702. The first issue of the printed newspaper “Vedomosti from the Tsar's Letters” was published, which to a large extent was still an echo of the handwritten “Chimes”. It contained only foreign news (quite in the spirit of its predecessor), received by mail on December 5th. This was news from Frankfurt, Berlin, The Hague, Amsterdam, Augsburg. The next day, December 17, the second issue was published - entitled “Vedomosti of the Moscow State”, this time with exclusively Russian news. It reported on Peter’s triumphal entry into Moscow on December 4 after victories over the Swedes and the capture of “the fortresses of Marien-6urg and Slusenburg”, the promise of the “Kalmyk great owner Ayuki-Taishi” to send His Majesty his troops, the deposit of saltpeter, sulfur, iron ore etc. The first two issues of the newspaper (dated December 16 and 17) have not survived in printed form, apparently due to the small number of printed copies, and are known from originals and handwritten copies. The third issue of the newspaper, which appeared on December 27, was dedicated to only one news - the capture of the Noteburg fortress and was called “Yurkal or day painting, which was carried out during the recent siege near the Noteburg fortress on September 26, 1702.” Unlike the first two issues, which contained different news, this was a detailed, tentative story about one event, four times in length than the two previous issues combined. It was stamped on one large sheet in the amount of 1000 copies, and has come down to us in printed and handwritten versions. Its proof sheet contains the editorial changes of Peter I. This kind of messages in the form of reports first appeared in the handwritten “Chimes”.
Thus, the first three issues of the newspaper, published in December 1702, differed from each other in name, in the structure of the numbers and in content (No. 1 foreign news, No. 2 - Russian news, No. 3 - a message about a military victory), which was evidence of an attempt to find ways to initially design the newspaper, to search for one’s own identity. The first issues, on the one hand, reflected the influence of handwritten “Chimes”, which consisted mainly of foreign news, and on the other hand, the desire to become a national newspaper was outlined.

2. Formation and development of the newspaper
The process of formation of the newspaper is evidenced by the inconstancy of headlines in subsequent issues. First issue for 1703 (dated January 2) was called “Vedomosti”, the following were published under different titles: “Moskovskie Vedomosti”, “Genuine Report”, “Vedomosti about the Mitau Siege” “Relation”, “Russian Gazette”, others without a title at all. Following the example of the handwritten “Chimes”, “Vedomosti” was compiled from laconic messages from different cities, following each other without any internal communication. With the exception of a small number of reports, letters and reports, when reading the Gazette, the reader goes through a series of incidents that happened in Warsaw, Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen, London, Berlin and other main cities of Europe. News from Pskov, Kazan, Azov, Siberia and other places in Russia is much less common. The predominance of information obtained from abroad. mainly from foreign newspapers, make Vedomosti much like the handwritten Chimes. Vedomosti takes material from the same foreign publications, only gradually supplementing and updating the range of sources. Moreover, these are mainly reports about military events. The continuity of the printed newspaper with the handwritten one can also be traced in the attention to foreign news concerning Russia.
Unlike foreign (mostly private commercial publications), Vedomosti, like the handwritten Chimes, had an official state character. In their structure, content and presentation, they were in many ways a continuation of pre-printed Russian newspapers, but their publication represented a significant step forward in comparison with the handwritten “Courants”, which had a departmental and diplomatic purpose and were aimed at a select circle of readers. With the help of the newspaper, the government for the first time publicly addressed Russian society, trying to get his support.
The newspaper appeared in 1702. not by chance. After the unsuccessful start of the Northern War, Peter needed to convince society of the possibility of victory, explain some of his actions, in particular, the confiscation of bells from churches and monasteries, their melting down into cannons and howitzers, and report on the preparedness of the Russian troops and their support from other peoples of Russia. This is exactly what the newspaper wrote about on December 17, 1702. and in subsequent issues.
The first issue for 1703, published on January 2,” reported:
“In Moscow, again, now 400 copper cannons, howitzers and martyrs have been poured. Those cannons have a cannonball of 24, 18 and 12 pounds. Howitzers with bombs are worth a pound and half a pound. Martyrs with a bomb of nine, three, two pounds and less. And there are many more forms of great and medium guns, howitzers and martyrs ready for casting. And now there is more than 40,000 poods of copper in the cannon yard, which is prepared for new casting.” 3
If you remember historical events, then this dry list takes on a special meaning. We are talking about the time after the defeat near Narva, when the Russian army lost almost all of its artillery. To create a new one, Peter had to transfer the bells to the cannons, which naturally caused outrage among the believers. Therefore, Peter, reporting in the newspaper how many guns were poured, seeks to calm down, to position in his favor public opinion, explain the necessity and justification of the sacrifices made. Further it was written about the opening of general schools (“Moscow schools are multiplying, and 45 people listen to philosophy and have already graduated from dialectics”) and special ones (“more than 300 study in the mathematical navigation school and accept good science”), about births in Moscow from November 24 to 24 December 386 people “male and female”, about the discovery of minerals (“A lot of oil and copper ore were found on the Soku River, a fair amount of copper was smelted from that ore, from which they hope to generate considerable profit for the Moscow state”).
News about internal life, which was clearly of a propaganda nature, was supplemented by foreign news, the selection of which was also determined by the interests of the state: information was selected, as a rule, about those countries that were of greatest interest to Russia (Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Turkey). Moreover, reports from foreign newspapers of a negative nature, which cast a shadow on Russia, its army, its allies, etc., were not included in the newspaper. In the surviving originals of Vedomosti there are often notes “this article should not be allowed between brackets among the people.” When preparing manuscripts for publication, news of Peter's military failures was crossed out. At the same time, information about victories won Russian troops, was given fully and often.
For a long time it was believed that this was the first printed issue of Vedomosti, so the birth of Russian journalism began on January 2 (13), 1703.
Only in 1903, in preparation for the re-publication of Vedomosti in connection with its 200th anniversary, were manuscripts of earlier issues discovered, and subsequently it was reliably established that the first issues of the newspaper were published back in December 1702.
A special place was occupied by coverage of the Northern War, information about which was reflected in almost every issue of Vedomosti: in reports on military operations, in letters from Peter and reports from his comrades, in numerous reports from foreign newspapers. So, in the issues of Vedomosti dated July 2 and 15, 1709. A letter from Peter to the Tsarevich was placed, reporting the victory over the Swedes near Poltava. For the first time, due to the importance of the event, the first paragraphs in both issues were highlighted in red. Peter wrote “about a very great and unforeseen victory”, which was won thanks to the bravery of the soldiers “with the little blood of our troops”, about the strength of spirit and about the art of war, which helped the Russians win a difficult victory over the Swedes and capture several thousand officers and privates, among them - “General Felt Marshal Mr. Reinshilt, together with four generals,” as well as “Minister Count Peper with secretaries Emerlin and Zidergerm.” The first message, written hastily in the wake of the event, contained initial information, as the author himself pointed out: “We will write in detail soon, but now it’s impossible because of the speed.” The issue dated July 15 gives a description of the Russian pursuit of the Swedish army and its capture at Perevolochna.
The Poltava victory was of great historical significance. Russia's role in European affairs has increased significantly. An alliance was again concluded with Poland, to which Denmark joined. Russian troops won a number of victories in the Baltic states. The newspaper wrote about the capture of Vyborg, Livonia and Estland, about the victory over the army of General Steinbock, about the campaign in Finland. The most voluminous issue for 1714. was dedicated to the Battle of Gangut, which contemporaries compared in importance to the Battle of Poltava. After the victory of the Russian fleet at Gangut, the war was fought on enemy territory. As a rule, reports of battles were supplemented by large registers that listed the captured Swedish ships, trophies, including captured officers. The news of the conclusion of the Peace of Nystadt, published in the issue dated September 12, 1721, read:
“The Swedish crown always cedes to us Livonia, Estland, Ingria and a significant part of Karelia”. 4
Covering the events of the Northern War, Vedomosti appealed to the patriotic feelings of readers, emphasizing the courage and bravery of Russian soldiers, “both basic and ordinary.” The newspaper's materials clearly express the journalistic element: emotional sound, civic pathos of messages, the desire to raise the prestige of the Russian state.
Along with the events of the Northern War, Vedomosti regularly covered other topics in Russian foreign policy. Moreover, primary attention was paid to those issues or countries that were of greater importance in a given period. Thus, the newspaper most often wrote about Poland in the first years of the war, about Turkey - in 1710-1714, about England - at the end of the Northern War. The attitude towards the countries was far from uniform: Vedomosti wrote about Poland as an allied and related country, about Turkey as a hostile state, and about England the materials were correct and neutral. Russian-Polish relations were covered in more detail, with the interests of the Russian state always in the center of attention. Most of the publications were borrowed from foreign newspapers, especially German ones. Messages from Leipzig were often published. It was here that, from 1702, the then famous newspaper in Europe “Die Europoische Foma” was published, in which diplomat and journalist Heinrich Huyssen, on instructions from the Russian government, published articles that shaped European public opinion in favor of Russia. He also recruited other journalists for this purpose.
But Vedomosti did not limit itself to publishing materials from foreign newspapers, often publishing original materials sent by Russian diplomats, whom Peter I charged with writing for the newspaper. So, August 20, 1720 a separate issue published an article-pamphlet by the famous diplomat B.I. Kurakin entitled “A certain person writes from Gdansk to his friend,” which talks about the futile attempts of England to help Sweden regain lost territories on the coast Baltic Sea. The article tells in a very witty form how the English squadron, which, having come to Revel, promised to “give birth to mountains,” was unable to prevent the actions of Russian troops on Swedish territory. It is curious that the article, written on Peter’s instructions, was carefully edited: the title was changed several times, and not all the facts about the hostile act of the English government were useful. The newspaper showed caution and balance in its coverage of the issue; it emphasized Peter’s desire to maintain friendship with English king and at the same time provided objective and reliable information about the event in a vivid and expressive form.

3. Main topics of Vedomosti
The newspaper amazes with the variety of topics presented on its pages. Moreover, along with publications borrowed from the foreign press and revised for Vedomosti, a large number of original materials were placed here. They comprised two groups: foreign and Russian news. Foreign messages were sent, as a rule, by Russian ambassadors and special agents and contained information about life abroad. This source also existed for the handwritten “Chimes”. As for Russian news, this was no longer a simple reproduction of European assessments of what was happening in Russia, but was part of the program of the first printed newspaper - to reflect “what happened in the Moscow state”: according to Peter’s decree of December 16, various departments were supposed to deliver information “about what they are now and will be in the future.” Appearance in the newspaper chronicle Russian life, although very meager and one-sided, was undoubtedly a wonderful innovation. The new material, reporting on the revival of trade, the development of industry, the spread of education in the country, and the great war with the Swedes, corresponded to the new purpose that, according to Peter, Vedomosti should have fulfilled.
Information about internal life was focused primarily on the country's successes and was clearly propaganda in nature. So, already in the issue dated December 17, 1702. it was reported that a lot of iron was made from iron ore recently found in Verkhoturye district, which was superior in quality to Swedish (the insertion “that they don’t have that” was made by the editor after the material was written), and many cannons were cast from this iron. The newspaper continued this topic on January 2, 1703, then returned to it again in the issue of July 18, 1703, reporting that “in Siberia, the iron plant is multiplying, and there is no such good iron in secular land.” It is noteworthy that the message about the successes of industry in the Urals (“Siberia”) is on a par with publications about the development of military production that appeared in the early years of the newspaper’s existence, when the war with the Swedes was just flaring up. Under these conditions, it was important to note the successes achieved in the production of guns. The relevance of the material is confirmed by the fact that the management of Vedomosti published it the next day after receiving it. The newspaper emphasized: Ural iron is better than Swedish, which at the beginning of the 18th century. sounded like news of political significance.
After the message in the issue of December 31, 1706. about copper ore found near the Novopetrovsk factories, materials about the industry disappear from the pages of Vedomosti until 1719. Such a long break in coverage of the development of domestic industry is due to the fact that for a number of years the focus of attention politicians, and therefore the government newspaper, included the war, its successes and failures. As P. Shafirov wrote in his book “Reflections on the Sveian War,” “under the ringing of weapons, civil rights are silent.”
And if in the first years, when the country had not yet had significant successes in the Northern War, the newspaper devoted a lot of space to publications about the country’s economic resources, then in subsequent years, when Russia returned Ingria, won a number of victories in Livonia and Poland, defeated the Swedes near Poltava, there was no longer any need to prove that the country had a lot of guns and raw materials for their production.
The newspaper will return to the successes of industry only in the second half of the Northern War, when the country will feel tired from the protracted campaign, when the government is forced to take measures to return fugitive soldiers to the army, as reported in the newspaper. Under these conditions, it was necessary to encourage society, to instill in it faith in the growing power of the Russian state, which was supposed to be facilitated by publications about the successes of Russian industry, about the ability of Russian people in the sciences and crafts, as well as “merchants, manufacturers and all kinds of handicrafts.” affairs." In the issue dated August 25, 1719. detailed material was published about economic development countries. The newspaper wrote that a lot of ore was being mined, and therefore the tsar ordered to invite foreign experts in the field to the Russian service, and in addition, “from the Russian nation they choose the most understandable ones.” It was reported that craftsmen were brought from Stockholm and were ordered to “produce their craft to multiply manufactures in the state”, that two hundred people voluntarily signed up to study manufacturing and “the common people are particularly keen on these sciences”, that sheepfold factories have been established in many provinces, in which “foreign shepherds” teach Russian people “how to keep sheep, from which good wool could be returned to the manufactory.” The newspaper reported on the successes of gunpowder factories, a cannon factory in St. Petersburg, and gun factories in Tula. The material ended with a message about the construction of ships at the Admiralty, that there were 11 ships on the stocks, “including one eightieth ship that will be launched this fall.”
The Northern War did not interrupt Russia's trade relations with the West. European countries. The newspaper seeks to show the development of trade relations by publishing a series of information:
- “A ship from Maly Kupno with some ships from the Moscow state came to Tesel” (1703.8 January).
- “The King of Denmark’s ship, returning from the city of Arkhangelsk, crashed, but the people all escaped” (1703. November 24).
- “The Moscow fleet of 30 rich merchant ships yesterday, under the security of two warships, happily arrived on the Thames River” (1710. January 22).
In the issue dated December 15, 1703. A message was published that the government especially encourages trade through St. Petersburg. The newspaper wrote about the arrival in St. Petersburg in November 1703. a Dutch ship with goods, on which there was a “shipper” and several sailors. The skipper was given five hundred gold pieces at the governor's table, and each sailor “300 efimki, and moreover, it was told to him to encourage others, if then another ship comes there, and the one on that ship will be given three hundred gold pieces, and if the third ship comes, there will be one hundred and fifty gold pieces, and with that that aforementioned ship about St. Petersburg was released on his proper journey with pleasure, and all the goods that were on that ship were bought at a free price.".
The newspaper often wrote about Russia's interest in trade with European countries. Thus, “Vedomosti” dated December 5, 1710. they said that the Russian ambassador to Holland Matveev, on behalf of the tsar, announced “to all trading people of the United Netherlands... so that they have free access to St. Petersburg, Narva, Riga and Pernov”, that they are guaranteed travel to the listed cities and the opportunity to trade . It was important for Russia to develop trade relations through the newly conquered ports of the Baltic Sea. Vedomosti reported the arrival of a large number of ships in St. Petersburg, which brought “cloth, damasks, garuses, ginger, stockings, watches” and other goods, and from St. Petersburg they took “hemp, yufa, lard, resin.” Newspaper interest in issues foreign trade not accidental. Obviously, for contemporaries this question had public importance, because growing trade ties with European countries, despite the hardships of the war, testified to the strengthening of the country.
The expansion of trade required the construction of new canals. Vedomosti reported on the construction of the Vyshnevolotsky Canal, connecting the Volga with the Baltic Sea, which was built under the leadership of Dutch engineers and was subsequently improved by the Novgorod merchant Mikhail Serdyukov “at his own expense,” that is, at his own expense, which the newspaper wrote about on July 1, 1719 In the issue dated July 19, 1719, news appeared about the construction of the Ladoga Canal, on the construction of which soldiers and civilians worked.
From the first issues of Vedomosti they reported on the successes of education and the opening of schools. To popularize books published in 1710, the newspaper began publishing bibliographic reviews - first in the form of lists, and then with annotations. In the issue dated July 1, 1719, Stefan Yavorsky’s review of P. Shafirov’s book “Reflections on the Suean War” was published, which resembled a sermon in form. In an effort to broaden the readers' horizons, the newspaper provided information about geographical events. So, in the issue dated March 18, 1704. a message was published that a captain was sent from Astrakhan to the “Khvalizh Sea” with the task of making a map of this sea. Caspian Sea, about which we're talking about, was of particular interest to Russia at that time, since it bordered on the Moscow state, Persian state and “with other lands.” The newspaper explained to readers the meaning of geographical terms, which made the texts more accessible.
Already in the first Russian newspaper one can discern the editor's desire to make the newspaper not only useful, but also entertaining.