Peter I
3 Video Views·Dec 10, 2022
Peter I most commonly known as Peter the Great, was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from 7 May [O.S. 27 April] 1682 to 1721 and subsequently the Russian Empire until his death in 1725, jointly ruling with his elder half-brother, Ivan V until 1696. He is primarily credited with the modernisation of the country, transforming it into a European power.
History of Russia in 100 minutes by Smart Histories
Peter the Great
Until the 1700s, Russia was, technologically, way behind the rest of Europe. One could say
Tsar Peter I, Peter the Great, dragged the country kicking and screaming out of the Middle Ages.
His reforms made Russia an international player for the first time in history.
Background
Peter wanted to change Russia's backwardness. His goal was a technologically advanced country,
and for that he turned his eyes to the West. He also wanted to introduce Western culture
and mentality into Russia. For that, he was hailed by the Westernizers,
in contrast to the Slavophiles, in Russian cultural history.
Great Northern War
In order to open up the window to Europe, Peter needed access to the ports of the Baltic Sea
to participate in international trade, and he also needed a navy to protect them.
After an extensive army reform, shipbuilding, and industrialization,
Russia broke Sweden's domination over the Baltic Sea in the Great Northern War.
In 1709, Peter defeated Swedish armies in the decisive Battle of Poltava on the soil of Ukraine.
Peter also conquered the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea,
where many important port towns were situated.
Reforms
Apart from the military industry, Peter also revolutionized Russian society.
He made Russian nobility look and act like Europeans.
The most important examples for his reforms came from the Netherlands and Sweden.
He made a universal table of ranks that allowed anyone to ascend the social ladder.
The Boyar Duma was replaced by the Governing Senate, the inner circle of the Tsar.
They introduced new taxes and subdued the church directly under the state.
The first hospitals and museums were introduced.
In 1703, Peter began the construction of his new capital,
St. Petersburg, partially on the remains of the small Swedish town of Nyen, near the Baltic Sea.
Most of the new capital was situated in the middle of a swamp.
The construction was undertaken by peasants who emptied the swamp,
an operation that cost tens of thousands of lives.
Thus, it is said, the city was built on bones.
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