Peter the Great (1672-1725) ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother. In numerous successful wars he expanded the Tsardom into a huge empire that became a major Eur
Peter the Great (1672-1725) ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother. In numerous successful wars he expanded the Tsardom into a huge empire that became a major European power. Peter implemented sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing Russia. Heavily influenced by his advisors from Western Europe, Peter reorganized the Russian army along modern lines and dreamed of making Russia a maritime power. He instigated the Great Northern War (1700-1721) a conflict in which he contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. He allied himself with Frederick IV of Denmark-Norway and August II the Strong of Saxe-Poland-Lithuania. The war ended with a defeat for Sweden, leaving Russia as the new major power in the Baltic Sea and a new important player in European politics. Peter's last years were marked by further reform in Russia. Soon after peace was made with Sweden, he was officially proclaimed Emperor of All Russia. During his reign the Russian Orthodox Church was reformed. In 1722 He created a new order of precedence known as the Table of Rank; it recognized three fundamental types of service: military, civil and court, dividing each into 14 ranks (grades). It determined position and status of everybody according to service rather than according to birth or seniority. In the winter of 1723, Pete began having problems with his urinary tract and bladder. According to legend, Peter saw a group of soldiers drowning not far from shore and, wading out into near-waist deep water, came to their rescue and is said to have exacerbated Peter's bladder problems and caused his death. He died in 1725. An autopsy revealed his bladder to be infected with gangrene. He was 52 having reigned 42 of them.
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