Peter the Great: A Biography

And now for Peter the Great's life story. Throughout his life, Peter the Great has faced numerous challenges, both in his political career as well as in his personal life. However, these obstacles never stopped the Tsar from following his dream of making Russia the crowning jewel of Europe. Peter the Great was born in 1672 as the fourteenth son of the Tsar of Russia, Alexis I. Even though Peter was not born as the direct heir to the throne, he was nevertheless raised at an early age to have an understanding of governing. Under the commission of his father, Peter was educated in military strategy, geography, and Russia's history. In 1676, Peter's father, the Tsar of Russia, died, leaving the government in upheaval over who the next ruler should be. At the tender age of ten years old, Peter was drawn into a bloody debate over whether he, or his older half-brother Ivan V, should be the next Tsar. Ironically, Ivan V was mentally unfit to rule over Russia. Despite this, his sister, Sophia, sought to elect him as the next Tsar in order to increase her own political power. Tragically, during a rebellion led by Sophia and a group of elite military soldiers named the Streltsy, Peter witnessed the massacre of many of his friends and family. Consequentially, while Peter was the most physically and mentally competent of the Tsar's heirs, he was forced to share the throne with his mentally ill half-brother, Ivan V. With Ivan V being nothing more than a puppet, Peter co-ruled over Russia with Sophia for the next seven years. However, with the government falling into chaos after two failed military campaigns led by Sophia, Peter saw Russia's need for a stable ruler. In 1689, by the age of 17, Peter the Great succeeded in overthrowing Sophia. Prior to Peter's ascension to the throne, many of Russia's governing policies had become outdated. While the rest of Europe benefited from reforms during the Renaissance era, Russia remained untouched. Therefore, when Peter took the throne in the late 17th century, Russia was still running off of a medieval-style government. With this in mind, Peter began his reign with sweeping reforms directed at modernizing Russia's government. He modeled many of his reforms off of policies he found successful in Western Europe. When Peter was 25, he decided that he wanted to experience firsthand what had made Western Europe thrive after the Renaissance. Traveling incognito, the Tsar visited Germany, Holland, and even London. In Holland, he spent a great deal of his time in the shipyard watching the Dutch ships come and go. Dressed as a commoner, he would even mingle with sailors and carpenters, learning what he could for the intent of improving Russia's shipping industry. Peter the Great's reforms included new educational institutes, the establishment of a governing senate body, the abolishment of church hierarchies, as well as reforms focused at giving more rights to estate owners. Also, during his reign, Peter was able to consolidate his power over the nobility through decreeing that every nobleman serve in the royal army for a specific period of time. Likewise, through the table of ranks, Peter was able to better organize and control power through a list of military rankings that represented the degree of service a citizen was mandated to give to the Tsar. One of the most notable accomplishments of Peter's reign was the growth and power of Russia's navy. After his time spent on the shipping docks of Holland, Peter realized the tremendous gain to be had through a strong navy. Peter began building up his navy by bringing in foreign naval experts and then slowly replacing them with Russian officers. By introducing these modified western European philosophies, Peter the Great was able to quickly raise Russia's standing in Europe while maintaining its national identity. So great was his accomplishment in establishing the first Russian navy that after winning the great northern war against the Swedish king Charles XII, the king of England George I expressed his surprise at the strength of Peter's navy. Russia's success during the great northern war also brought it territorial access to the Baltic Sea, which fulfilled Peter's dream of creating a Russian window to the west. With access to new trading ports in the Baltic Sea, Peter the Great launched the building of a new capital that would eventually serve as a center for economic and cultural growth. He named his city St. Petersburg. Just as Peter the Great's dream of building a window to the west came true, your dreams can come true too if you vote for the Tsar.