Peter The Great
Emperor of Russia
Personality
Peter the Great was an absolute monarch of Europe. Many people feared him, therefore he was a very forceful leader. Peter had no mercy when it came to people resisting what he ordered them to do. He obtained the throne when he was 10 years old and this caused him to be the ruler he thought was right which was strict and had absolute power where no one could say anything against him.
Policies
Peter sought out to expand Russian territory because he wanted many things and he got them by making policies. He passed laws that made sure nobles got control over their land to ensure that he strengthening serfdom. Peter wanted to strengthen the military, expand Russian borders, and he wanted to centralize all royal power. He had stuck to his policies and achieve what he wanted during his reign.
Accomplishments
Westernizing Russia- Peter set out on a journey to the west to discover western routes for himself. He went in to many European cities on his journey. While traveling his visited factories, art galleries, learned anatomy, and learned how to pull teeth. Peter was very impressed with Parliament and embarked on a policy of westernization. Because of this he became the most autocratic monarch of Europe.
Accomplishments
Strengthen the Military- One of Peter's goals was to strengthen the military. To achieve this he brought all Russian institutions under his control, forced landowning nobles to serve the state in civilian and military positions. To assure this he passed laws that made sure nobles got control over their land.
Accomplishments
Blazing Trails to the Pacific- Under Peter, Russia signed a treaty with Qing China. The treaty defined their common border in the east. The treaty recognized Russia’s right to lands north of Manchuria. This displayed how Peter expanded the Western borders.
Fun Facts
- When Peter the Great found his wife had a lover he had the man beheaded, then forced her to keep her lovers head in a jar of alcohol in her bedroom which stood in Catherine’s bedroom till Peter’s death.
- He married twice and had twice and had 11 children, many of whom died in infancy. The eldest son from his first marriage, Czarevich Alexei, was convicted of high treason by his father and secretly executed in 1718
- As part of his effort to force Russia to adopt Western European culture and style, he imposed a tax on men who refused to shave their beards.
- In 1722, Peter decreed that the ruler of Russia could freely appoint an heir, but failed to name one for himself, having outlived both of his sons.