Peter The Great Personality

Peter Alekseyevich Romanov, more commonly known as Peter the Great, was

a 17th century monarch of Russia, or Czar, meaning Caesar. He is known for his

various political, economical, and social reforms that would later forever change the

once barbaric and backward Russia, into a modern state. He created a powerful navy

and westernized Russia, changing most of its ideals into western beliefs, despite public

outrage. At the time of his death, Russia was a power to be reckoned with.

Peter I was born in Moscow in 1672. He was the 14th child of Emperor Alexi I and his second wife, Nataliya Naryshkina. Peter was an exceptionally long man towering at six feet and 7 inches tall. His father died when Peter was only 3 years old, leaving him to

rule alongside his brother Ivan, who was a near idiot, with his ambitious half-sister Sophia, acting as regent until Peter was of age.

Peter lived with his mother in the countryside, where he would play mock battle games with soldiers, it was one of his favorite past times.

He was a very intuitive young boy, who wanted to know everything there was to know, and by the age of 12 he had learned masonry, shooting, hunting, and other games all from experience.

Peter grew to be a large man, and had mastered over 14 professions, including carpentry and masonry. He also had an extraordinary capacity for drink, and a short temper that gave him a harsh reputation. When he became 18, Sophia was reluctant to give up her seat of power, and openly resisted his authority. When Ivan died in 1696, Peter became the sole Czar in Russia. The next year Peter decided to visit Europe and experience it first hand. This caused public outrage, because for over 600 years no ruler of Russia had set a foot out of his domain, this deeply shook the country.

Peter travelled incognito, and without his royal entourage. First he went to Zaandam, a town near Amsterdam, where he learned shipbuilding and even built a ship himself. Next he went on to England where he learned more about western culture. In his travels he continued making observations and noting everything down. He toured several cities all across Europe. This would later lead to his westernization of

Russia.

When Peter came back from his tour, he immediately began to perform changes to Russia. First he cut off his beard, which traditionally showed a display of power and had religious importance. This angered several conservatives, and it is believed he cut off several people's beards as well, arguing that this is what ‘modern’ christians look like; clean-shaven. European clothes were also encouraged.

He dreamed of having a port open to the ocean, so he built St.

Petersburg, and made it Russia’s capital city. There he built a modern and powerful navy capable of standing up to the most powerful navies across the world. The first Russian newspaper was also started by Peter and he ordered the printing of more than 600 books. He re-did the education system of Russian schools in mathematics, medicine, and geography of all things. He also built a theater in Red Square.

He brought in European teachers to improve the education of Russia. This was what angered the conservative Boyars and Clergy who strongly opposed the prospect of westernizing Russia, believing that Russia was what it was and that the motherland was not meant to be changed. The people that Peter trusted would support him turned against him! In consequence he was often referred to as the Anti-Christ on the throne.

The Russian military was united under Peter’s rule, and due to to his economic reforms he had enough funding to increase its size. He implemented European techniques in his military to create what would later become one of the world's most formidable

military.

Peter acquired territory in Estonia, Latvia and Finland. He fought several wars with the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) to gain access to the Black Sea. In 1709, he defeated the Swedish army by leading the Swedish army into Poltava, during an unbearable Russian winter. In 1712, Peter founded the city of St. Petersburg situated on the Neva River and made it Russia's capital, as opposed to Moscow. Soon after, St. Petersburg was referred to as Russia's "window to Europe."

Peter married two times and fathered 11 children, many of which died in infancy. His eldest son from his first wife, Alexis, was secretly executed in 1718 after being convicted of high treason by his father. Peter the Great died on February 8, 1725, without naming an heir. The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, which is located in St. Petersburg is Peter the Great's final resting place. He was eventually succeeded by his wife Catherine II.

Other than gaining land in wars, Peter gained something much more powerful; knowledge. He was able to implement western ideas into Russian culture which created the Russia we all know today. Peter’s actions created a Russia that would be the cause of Napoleon’s downfall at Waterloo, and a powerful force against Hitler in World War 2. What was once a rural and backward country is now one of the most powerful nations in the world, caused by a series of events, put into motion by a single man, Peter the Great.