Peter The Great

Peter the Great

Peter the Great was one of the most famous rulers in history. First, he ruled as king of Russia and later became Russia's first emperor. Peter transformed Russia from an isolated and backward country into a great European power.

Peter was born in Moscow in 1672. He was the son of King Alexis. Alexis died in 1676 and was succeeded as king by his oldest son, Feodor. Feodor died in 1682. Peter then came to the throne at the age of 10, along with his weak-minded half brother Ivan V. However, Peter's half-sister Sophia actually ruled Russia until 1689. Peter's followers forced Sophia to retire that year and Peter eventually became the sole ruler of Russia in 1696 after Ivan died.

Peter had been interested in the military matters as a youth. He also had enjoyed spending time with foreign military that lived in Moscow, and he learned much about European civilization from them. In 1695, a number of these officers helped Peter lead a force against the Ottoman Empire. Peter conquered the Ottoman port of Azov on the Black Sea in 1696.

In 1697 and 1698, Peter toured Western Europe with a group of Russian delegates to seek allies for Russia against the Ottoman Empire. He traveled for about 17 months, mostly in England and the Netherlands. Upon his return from touring Europe and the Netherlands, Peter divorced his wife, Tsaritsa, whom he had three children with. But only one of his children survived past childhood and his name was Tsarevich Aleksei. Peter also recruited Western experts to bring modern techniques in engineering, architecture, art and science to Russia. Russia then lagged far behind other European nations in those areas.

Peter's visits to the West showed him that European customs were in several respects superior to Russian traditions. He commanded all of this courtiers and officials to cut off their long beards and wear European clothing. Whoever chose to keep their beards had to pay an annual tax of 100 rubles. In 1699, Peter got rid of the traditional Russian calendar and changed to the Julian calendar. Russia will continue to use this calendar until 1918.

From 1700 until 1721, Peter led Russia in war against Sweden. When the war began, Sweden was the leading power in Northern Europe. With the help of Western advisors, Peter improved Russia's army created a navy and made his government more efficient in raising troops and money for his war effort. By the end of the war, Russia had gained control over important territory along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. This land gave Russia direct approach by water to the rest of Europe.

In 1712, the Ottomans forced Peter to turnover the port of Azov and other territories taken earlier from them. But in 1722 and 1723, Peter attacked Persia and conquered territory along the Caspian Sea. Peter's foreign conquests helped Russia greatly to expand its trade with other countries. Peter's conquests enormously increased Russia's political importance in Europe.

One of Peter's chief goals was to end the inefficiency corruption in Russia's government. Peter strengthened his power as king and created a senate to supervise the Russian government. He began a policy of appointing people to high military or administrative offices according to merit and seniority rather than social status. Peter also abolished