Peter The Great Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Peter The Great?
Peter the Great was a Russian Tsar who reigned from 1682 until his death in 1725. He is widely considered one of the most influential Russian rulers and is credited with transforming Russia into a major European power. During his reign, Peter implemented sweeping changes to modernize Russia’s economy, military, education system and government structure. He also expanded the empire by annexing large swathes of land across Europe, notably Ukraine and Finland.Peter was born on June 9th 1672 in Moscow to Tsar Alexis I of Russia. When he was just ten years old, he assumed power alongside his half-brother Ivan V after their father’s death in 1682. During this time, Peter’s sister Sophia acted as regent while both brothers were too young to rule officially, though it was clear that Peter held more influence than Ivan due to his higher intelligence and ambition for reform.In order to bring about change, Peter traveled extensively throughout Europe during the early 1700s so that he could learn about the latest advances in technology, military tactics and foreign policy. In 1703 Peter declared war on Sweden which resulted in a significant territorial expansion for Russia at their expense; this expansion included parts of Ukraine and Finland into what would become known as the Russian Empire. Following this victory, he sought out more allies such as Prussia, Saxony and Denmark forming an alliance known as the League of Pruthenia allying himself against Sweden once again in 1709-1710 which resulted in further territorial gains for Russia including Estonia and Latvia. His reforms also extended to internal politics; he abolished serfdom permanently in 1723 as well as introducing new laws regarding succession which enabled him to bequeath power directly through hereditary lines rather than reliance on primogeniture (the practice of inheritance going solely through eldest males). Furthermore, he increased taxes significantly so that these funds could be used for military reforms including modernizing weaponry such as cannons & muskets; developing better naval capabilities; improving fortifications & defenses around cities; recruiting new professional soldiers from abroad; founding new academies for engineering & mathematics studies etc.