The painting documents the monumental diplomatic breakthrough signed on September 10, 1721 (August 30 under the old Russian calendar) in the Swedish town of Nystad (modern-day Uusikaupunki, Finland).
It officially brought a definitive end to the grueling Great Northern War, a 21-year geopolitical conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and the Swedish Empire for absolute supremacy over the Baltic Sea.
Sweden surrendered vital strategic territories to Russia, including Estonia, Livonia, Ingria, and part of Karelia. This secured Russia’s long-sought, permanent maritime access to the Baltic Sea.
To celebrate this historic triumph, on November 2, 1721, Tsar Peter I officially accepted the titles of “Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great, and Emperor of All Russia”. From this exact date forward, the Russian state shed its old identity and became known to history as the Russian Empire.