Peter the Great was born in Moscow on Thursday, May 30, 1672 on the feast of Saint Isaac of Dalmatia (Hughes 1). Pyotr Alexeevich, his formal name, was the fourteenth child born to Alexi I and his second wife Nataliya Kryillovna Naryshkina. Peter towered an astounding six feet seven inches tall. He started out sharing Power with his step-brother, Ivan, who was an invalid, but obtained sole power when he was twenty-four, after Ivan's death in 1696 ('Peter I of Russia' 1). Through his domestic, military, and government reforms, Peter the Great enabled Russia to be considered a leading eastern European state ('Peter the Great' 1).
Peter the Great wanted to bring Russia into a new era. He achieved his goal of domestic reformation through Russia's economy, the church, and education. By boosting the industrial, commercial, and agricultural aspects, Peter hoped a richer Russia would invest in their military to increase strength, and therefore increasing Peter's amount of power. Unfortunately, he did not gain as much as he had hoped for, but he did help boost Russia into a period of rapid economic growth ('Peter the Great - domestic reforms' 2). Peter also saw a need for reform in the church. Not only did the church have a large source of wealth that Peter wanted a part of, but it had land, power, and serfs challenging those of the tsar. When the head of the church died in 1700, Peter did not replace him -- rather, he handed the property of the church over to a branch of the government. In turn, subjecting it to Peter's command. In 1721, a regulation was set on the church as it fell entirely under state control. This regulation stated everything the clergy could do and, in a sense, controlled their daily life. The clergy's job was to 'make their congregations totally submissive to the state by convincing them that Peter was all but God-like to ensure the population of Russia's total subordination to the crown' ('Peter the Great - domestic reforms' 1). If Russia had any hopes of becoming a superpower, they could not be fulfilled until the education aspect of society was modernized. Peter knew that proper education for both the soldiers and the officers was vital for a successful military. With this in mind, he set up schools for navigation and maths, artillery and languages, medicine, engeneering, and science ('Peter the Great - domestic reforms' 1).
Peter the Great was trying ultimately to make the Russian Empire more Europeanized or Westernized. He wanted to protect and enhance the vulnerable Russian Empire. Peter the Great saw that other European countries are colonizing in other regions like the New World, Asia, and Africa. Peter saw this as a threat and didn’t want for the Europeans to conquer Russia. Through decrees to shave and provisions on dress, he was trying to make them European. He also wanted to make military and economic reforms that could help the empire itself. If they built factories, they didn’t need to get supplies from Europe.
First, both Louis and Peter had noble uprisings early in their reigns, but they handled them and got somewhat on the good side with their nobles. Peter the Great created a Service Nobility, and demanded all nobles, or boyars as they are called in Russia, serve in the civil service
Observing that European technological superiority allowed it to enjoy extraordinary benefits, he adopted many European practices to assert his own dominance and increase Russia’s protection against its adversaries. In doing this, Peter the Great formed himself a lasting legacy. Although Peter the Great originally mimicked Louis XIV in his staunch practice of absolutism, he ultimately surpassed Louis XIV in his goal of supremacy. Peter replaced the previous head of the Orthodox Church, and had both religious and earthly supremacy. Thus, Peter achieved something that Louis could never manage: a control of both church and state. Outside of Russia’s borders, Peter succeeded in his endeavors to a much greater extent than Louis XIV. The Great Northern War against Sweden effectively gave Russia access to a warm water port: Saint Petersburg, where Peter created his own Versailles, the Winter Palace, that fulfilled goals similar to those of Louis. Thus, where Louis fell, Peter
I believe that there was so much attention given to Peter the Great because of his extensive reforms. Peter brought both social and economic changes to his country. He wanted to make Russia big. Peter transformed the culture; he wanted his people to wear the western European fashion. Many of the people were not thrilled with the change because they did not like the ways of the western European societies. He made his navy stronger, he reformed his army to meet the western standards, and he gained control over the church.
Peter the Great, the Russian Czar, inherited his absolutist power from his brother, Ivan V. Born in aristocracy, Peter’s dad was the Czar, and later his brother, and after his brother’s death, him. He was a firm believer in the possible benefits from the control of a single leader to make decisions for the people, and he exercised this divine right to create many renouned institutions. At the beginning of Peter’s reign, Russia was in a poor condition: many rejected modernization from the Renaissance, and large spending from his brother’s reign caused economic droughts. He took advantage of his absolutist power to help ameliorate Russia’s situation and first decided to minimalize power from the other aristocrats. The subduction of the rich allowed
Absolutists during the 16th and 17th centuries were often times focused too heavily on military or other such rather than the people they were ruling. Peter the Great is a good example of this type of ruler because he did great things for Russia like improving the navy; however, Peter the Great did nothing to help the people of Russia, and according to Michael Gibson in document 8, he "failed to create the large, thriving
nation. In order to become a true absolute ruler Louis xiv needed to make sure
Peter preferred to live comfortably, and didn’t have a need for extravagance as much as Louis XIV did. But that didn’t mean he didn’t think big. Peter’s main goals were to modernize Russia, and to make it a major European power—a force to be reckoned with—and also to gain control of the church. He tried to achieve these in many different ways. One way he attempted to make Russia more powerful was by westernizing the country. He traveled all over Western Europe, learning about the culture, more modern practices and way of ...
The main driving force behind Peter I’s consolidation of power and reformation of Russia was the goal of ultimately enhancing military efficiency, allowing Russia to become a world power. Throughout his reign, war raged on and became a huge part of daily life. Compulsory lifetime military
Catherine II was motivated by the ideals of enlightened absolutism because she read the works of enlightenment writers and believed that certain reforms would ensure the well-being of her subjects. Catherine’s first major reform involved Russia’s legal system, which was based on the inefficient Code of Laws. Catherine's legal reform was documented to be the ideal government for Russia. The Empress called for a progressive legal system which focused on granting equal protection under law to all persons and emphasizing prevention of criminal acts rather than the imposing of harsh punishment. Catherine also reformed domestic matters after a series of threatening events. For security reasons, she reorganized provincial administration to favor the nobility. Catherine even reformed educational facilities by increasing the number of elementary and secondary schools. She also gave attention to the arts and science, making St. Petersburg one of the most cultural place in Europe during her reign. The reforms that were influenced by enlightened absolutism were appealing to Catherine II because it would bring peace and stability to Russia and its people. This made her favorable among her people, thus making her more
In the city of a Sparta is a statue of a legend that left behind and attributed a vast of history of a king who was recognized and feared by always getting all he wanted even if the methods were deviant. Respected for keeping his head up in the worst of the challenges he faced. The name of this icon was Leonidas, a king from the ancient Sparta who was a fierce leader and showed the world what it needs to gain the respect of its people.
Peter the Great, was, as his name implies, “great”. He made many accomplishments during his lifetime including expanding Russia’s land, heightening their military, and improving the Russian’s ways of life overall. He assisted with most of the reform in Russia, helped them defeat other countries, and formulated one of the strongest armies in Europe.
King Philip’s War was a disturbing war fought in America in 1675, almost certainly as a result of the early contact between the English Colonists and the Native Americans. The Natives were, and had always been fighting for their freedom and land, as well as their culture unharmed. Though the Natives had their own religious beliefs, the Colonists felt that they were the greater man, and that God would play a part by remaining on their side. The Natives did not trust the English with their multiple cheated promises and such, and it was only expected that the Natives would not believe in the English. There is no one established reason for this war, like many wars, but it is only probable that it be a result of the many differences between the Native way of life, and the English way.
He was the son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, his mother, Herleva, the daughter of a tanner of Falaise. In 1035 William’s father Robert, Duke of Normandy, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in which he died. Before starting the pilgrimage, he presented to the nobles his seven year old child demanding their allegiance. "He is little", the father said, "but he will grow, and, if God please, he will mend." William, after a period of anarchy, became the ruler of Normandy in his father's place at the age of nine. William had a youth of clean life and of much natural piety, while the years of storm and stress through which he passed gave him an endurance of character which lasted to his life's end. During the time of anarchy in Normandy he became a skilled military leader and defeated his enemies, uniting his duchy. Once he began fighting, rumor has it that he never lost a battle.
The Russian Orthodox Church was originally one of the metropolitanates of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was not until 1448 that the Russian Church became independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It then continued to gain strength as the Russian state became stronger. Its role as the single unifying factor of the Russian people during the feudal divisions and during the Tartar invasions made it even more an integral part of Russian culture. People looked towards to church during those times and even now for a source of comfort. Even during the reign of the czars, they had to be ordained by the church as God’s chosen one in order to ‘rightfully’ hold the throne.