How did Aleksandr Pushkin portray Peter the Great in his poetry and prose?

Aleksandr Pushkin maintained a persistent interest in Peter the Great, viewing him as a "tsar-educator" and a model of reform from above. His portrayal of the emperor evolved across several notable works:1

• Stansy (1826): Pushkin held Peter up as an example of a reforming leader to the contemporary tsar, Nicholas I.1
• The Negro of Peter the Great: This prose work further explored the era of Petrine reforms.1
• Poltava (1829): In this historical poem, Pushkin continued to engage with Peter’s legacy and his role in shaping Russia.1
• The Bronze Horseman (1837): This masterpiece presents a more complex view of the emperor. While acknowledging Peter’s monumental achievement in building St. Petersburg, the poem highlights the tragic conflict between the "great leader" and the "little man." It depicts the state's power as potentially destructive to individual happiness, symbolized by the protagonist Yevgeny, whose life is ruined by the city’s creation and the subsequent flood.12

Additionally, Pushkin was commissioned by the government in 1831 to write a formal history of Peter the Great, reflecting his deep scholarly and artistic preoccupation with the ruler.3