Why did Russian Tsar Peter I forbid nobles to marry without knowing how to count?

In 1714, the tsar obliged the offspring of noble families to undergo a mandatory course of study in arithmetic and geometry in the so-called “numerical schools”. Without it, they were forbidden to marry. Why?

The reign of Peter became an era of large-scale changes in all spheres of state life. To implement his bold reforms, the monarch needed a huge number of engineers, shipwrights, artillerymen and various other specialists.

But, finding specialists was not easy. Most children from noble families did learn to read and write and some form of basic arithmetic at home, but only a small part sought to study further.

According to the tsar’s decree, it was not enough to enroll in school; it was necessary to graduate with excellent marks. Only the most hard-working nobleman received a document from the teacher with a note that the student “had learned the science perfectly”.

With this document, he could freely go to a priest to get married.