How Peter the Great turned Russia into a world power

Peter the Great was born on June 9, 1672, in Moscow. He was the son of Tsar Alexis.

Peter's father died when he was just four years old in 1676. This led to a transition of power to his eldest son, Feodor III, who was physically frail and suffered from numerous health issues.

He reigned briefly from 1676 until his death in 1682. During his time as Tsar, Feodor made limited reforms, such as abolishing mestnichestvo, the old system of hereditary rank that often created inefficiencies in the government.

He also focused on reducing the power of the boyar aristocracy and encouraging centralization.

However, his early death in April 1682 without an heir created uncertainty over who would succeed him.

Feodor's death sparked a power struggle between the families of his two wives, Maria Miloslavskaya and Natalya Naryshkina.

Since both of Feodor’s younger brothers, Ivan and Peter, were still minors, the boyars faced a dilemma over the succession.

Initially, Peter, Natalya's son, was declared Tsar due to Ivan’s frailty and perceived inability to rule.

However, Peter’s position quickly became precarious. On the other hand, many favored Ivan as the rightful heir because of his seniority, despite his evident physical and mental challenges.

To resolve the dilemma, the Boyar Duma declared that the younger Peter would become the next tsar, but that his mother, Natalya Naryshkina, would act as his regent.

However, elements who were affected by the reforms under Feodor were not happy with this arrangement.

Suddenly, in 1682, Peter's half-sister, Sophia, the daughter of Alexis and Maria Miloslavskaya, took advantage of the situation.

She gained support from the elite Streltsy military regiments and convinced them that the Naryshkin family had murdered several Miloslavsky relatives.

The Streltsy helped Sophia orchestrate a bloody coup In May 1682 that resulted in her taking control as regent for both Ivan and Peter, who were made joint Tsars.

Though both half-brothers nominally ruled, Sophia wielded actual power for nearly seven years.

So, from 1682-96, Peter ruled Russia as co-monarch with Ivan under Sophia.

During this time, Peter was growing up to be an intelligent and athletic young man, and developed a love for all things military at an early age.

Despite his nominal status as co-Tsar, he was initially content to remain distant from the court, focusing on military exercises at his estate in Preobrazhenskoye. 

However, tensions between Sophia and Peter gradually escalated as he reached maturity and with the encouragement of his mother Natalya and the Naryshkin family.

As Peter reached the 'age of majority', when he could be expected to rule, his family and supporters began to gather influence in the military and among the boyars.

By 1689, there was growing dissatisfaction with Sophia’s leadership, particularly after failed military campaigns against the Crimean Khanate.

Sophia attempted to rally the Streltsy to her side once again, but this time, Peter had the support of loyal military forces.

The 17-year-old Peter moved to Moscow in August 1689 and quickly occupied key positions.

Sophia, now isolated and unable to command the same loyalty from the Streltsy, retreated to the Novodevichy Convent, where she remained until her death in 1704.

While Peter stripped her of her titles and he effectively took full control of the government, but still officially as co-tsar with his brother.

His mother, Natalya, died in 1694, when Peter was 22 years old. Then, when Ivan V died in 1696, Peter became the sole ruler of Russia.

When Peter came to the throne, Russia was considered to be 'backwards' in comparison to other European nations.

This was because it was still using an old-style calendar, had a feudal system of government, and its people were not very well-educated.

Additionally, Russia's economy was in poor shape and its military was not strong. While previous rulers had been trying to expand the army's size over the last few decades, Peter knew that he needed to make some changes if Russia was going to become a major power in the world.

In order to learn more about how to modernise Russia, Peter decided to travel incognito through Europe for several months in 1697-98.

He used the fake name 'Peter Mikhailov but the fact that he was incredibly tall for the time, at 6 feet 8 inches (203 cm) made it difficult for him to go entirely unnoticed, especially during diplomatic events.

This 'Grand Embassy' as it came to be known, gave Peter a chance to see first-hand how other European nations were governed and how their economies functioned.

This was done in order to learn about the latest military and technological advancements of the time, as well as to establish diplomatic relations with various countries. 

While on his journey, Peter visited several major cities including Amsterdam, London, and Berlin.

He also met with a number of famous European leaders, such as King William III of England and Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.

The Tsar was greatly influenced by what he saw there and realised that Russia was significantly behind in technological and social advancements.

The same military group who had brought Sophia to power year earlier, the Streltsy, launched a revolt against Peter in 1698, while he was on his Grand Embassy in Europe

When he returned to Moscow, the revolt was crushed, and Peter responded with severe reprisals, including executions and torture of the rebels.

Since they had become too powerful politically and had become a consistent thorn in Peter's side, he knew he had to find a way to limit their influence in Russia.

To this end, Peter officially disbanded the Streltsy corps. Although the disbandment process began in small ways a few years earlier, it was ultimately completed in the 1720s.

The most efficient Streltsy regiments were incorporated into the regular army, and the Municipal Streltsy were gradually disbanded, with some remaining in certain cities until the late 18th century

After his Grand Embassy, Peter set about reforming Russia. He began implementing sweeping reforms designed to modernise the country.

This included changing the calendar so that it more matched the Western one.

While he didn't adopt the newer Gregorian calendar, he introduced the older Julian calendar that started the year on January 1 (not the old Byzantine method of starting the year on September 1), which was a compromise between Eastern and Western traditions.

Also, he reformed the Russian government along Western lines, and encouraging a focus on education and technology.

One of his most famous reforms was creating the city of St Petersburg in 1703. He deliberately chose this strategic location near the Baltic Sea to serve as Russia’s 'window to the West' and a hub for international trade. 

It would become a symbol of Russian power and prestige.

In addition, inspired by European grandeur, Peter commissioned the construction of Peterhof Palace, often referred to as the 'Russian Versailles,' in 1710 as a symbol of Russia’s new power and Westernization.

Peter also sought to modernise Russia's military. He created a modern army using European methods and technologies.

His ambition to make Russia a maritime power led Peter to found the Russian Navy in 1696, after securing the important port of Azov from the Ottoman Empire.

He also reformed the Russian government bureaucracy, and expanded education and trade.

He invited Western scientists and artists to come to Russia, in order to help improve the country's culture.

Peter encouraged the establishment of factories and shipyards, along with the study of navigation, engineering, and the sciences by founding schools like the Naval Academy in 1701.

In 1722, Peter introduced the Table of Ranks, a formal hierarchy that allowed individuals to rise through the ranks of the government and military based on merit rather than noble birth.

All of these reforms helped to make Russia into a more modern and powerful nation.

Not all of his changes worked well. When Peter the Great attempted to reform the economy of Russia by introducing a new tax system, it caused a great deal of financial instability.

Famously, he introduced a 'beard tax' in order to persuade Russian men to adopt western clothing styles, including the practice of shaving their beards, which were seen as a sign of backwardness.

However, his new taxes helped fund his military campaigns and modernization efforts.

While Peter had a grand vision of a modernized Russia, his people were slow to change and were suspicious of too much Western influence.

In particular, many of his efforts to westernise Russia met with resistance from the conservative nobility.

This led to a number of uprisings and revolts against Peter's rule. However, through a combination of force and persuasion, Peter was eventually able to quell these rebellions and maintain control over Russia.

During his reign, Peter the Great also engaged in a number of wars with neighboring countries.

In particular, he was involved in two major wars with the Ottoman Empire and Sweden.

The first of these was the Russo-Turkish War of 1686-1700, in which Russia joined the European anti-Turkish coalition in 1686.

There were some initial setbacks, such as the failed Crimean campaigns in 1687 and 1689, but Russia eventually achieved a significant victory with the successful capture of the fortress of Azov in 1696.

In the subsequent Treaty of Constantinople in 1700, the Ottomans ceded Azov and several fortresses to Russia, exempted Russia from tribute payments to the Crimean Khan, and allowed Russia to establish an important diplomatic presence in Constantinople.

The second was the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1700-21, in which Peter formed an alliance with Denmark-Norway and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against Sweden’s dominance in the Baltic.

Peter’s most significant military victory during the Great Northern War came at the Battle of Poltava in 1709, where the Russian army decisively defeated Charles XII of Sweden.

This war ended in another Russian victory, and cemented Russia's position as a major European power.

Thanks to these victories, Peter was able to add the regions of Livonia, Estonia, and Ingria (part of Finland) to the empire.

Then, as a result of the Russo-Persian War of 1722–1723, Peter expanded Russian influence in the Caspian and Caucasus regions to counter the territorial ambitions of the Ottoman Empire at the expense of the declining Safavid Empire.

It ended with the Treaty of Saint Petersburg in 1723 several Safavid Iranian territories in the North and South Caucasus and contemporary northern Iran, were handed over to Russia.

This included the cities of Derbent and Baku, as well as the provinces of Gilan, Shirvan, Mazandaran, and Astarabad.

These new additions increased the size of the Russian empire significantly. Also, by the end of Peter’s reign, Russia’s army had grown to about 210,000 men, making it one of the largest standing armies in Europe.

Peter's first son with his first wife, Eudoxia Lopukhina was next in line to the throne.

In fact, Peter had high expectations for him to continue his reforms and modernization efforts in Russia.

However Alexis was resistant to his father's policies and preferred a more traditional Russian lifestyle.

Tensions between Peter and Alexis escalated to the point that Alexis fled the country for Vienna in 1716, where he found asylum with the Habsburgs.

Peter viewed this as a betrayal and persuaded Alexis to return to Russia with promises of forgiveness.

However, upon his return, Alexis was arrested and charged with conspiring against Peter's rule.

In 1718, Alexis was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Under torture, he confessed to being part of a plot to overthrow his father.

Although sentenced to death for high treason, Alexis died in prison, likely due to the injuries sustained during his torture.

After the death of his son, Peter continued to rule Russia for several more years.

In 1721, Peter was declared the Emperor of All Russia, indicating a growing confidence and political power. 

However, his health began to decline, and he developed a series of serious health issues, including a painful urinary tract infection.

Then, in 1725, Peter the Great died at the age of 52 after reigning for more than four decades.

However, he is remembered as one of the most important and influential rulers in Russian history.

Thanks to his reforms, Russia emerged as a major world power during the 18th century.

Peter's reign ushered in a new era in Russian history and laid the foundation for the country's future development.