Ruble

The territory of the Russian Empire still lagged behind in terms of economic and cultural development in the 17th century. The monetary system was hardly a modern one, and primitive methods of money production allowed only for minting smaller denominations. The breakthrough came after Peter the Great (1672-1725), a reformer of the state, who wanted to follow Western European models and experience, came to power. Peter also started a reform of the Russian monetary system, making it not only practical but also one of the most modern in Europe. The ruble became a coin that corresponded in weight and purity to the Western European thalers, while the entire monetary system was based on the decimal system – as the first in the world. The Russian thaler or ruble shown above was minted in Moscow during the short, two-year reign of the great reformer's grandson, Peter II (1715-1730). In terms of design, it is almost identical to the coins of Peter I from 1723-25. It bears the same inscriptions, a cross arrangement of the ruler's crowned monograms, the location of the date of issue and the denomination marking. What sets them apart – other than the image of the ruler, the slightly altered typeface and of course the date of issue – is the type of armour in which the Tsar of Russia is portrayed. Peter I is depicted wearing a Western European cuirass with epaulettes, while Peter II is wearing a Roman breastplate. Interestingly, Peter II's successor, Anna, Empress of Russia (1693-1740), was also portrayed in Roman armour on some of the rubles from 1730-37. Peter II's short reign was turbulent and marked by constant battles between court cabals. The young tsar's power was limited by the old aristocracy, which sought to roll back Peter I's social, political and administrative reforms. One of the results of the return of the so-called starina was moving the capital from St. Petersburg back to Moscow, where the ruble was minted.

Mieszko Pawłowski