Born Pyotr Alekseyevich in Moscow, Russia, Peter was the fourteenth child of Tsar Alexis by his second wife, Natalya. Peter inherited the sovereignty along with his older half-brother Ivan from Alexis’ first marriage. Since Peter was only 10 years old, his mother served as regent. When Ivan died in 1696, Peter was officially declared Sovereign of all Russia. Now, in the late 17th century, Russia was not exactly a superpower. Peter inherited a nation that was extremely underdeveloped compared to the culturally and economically prosperous European countries. While the Renaissance and the Reformation swept through Europe, Russia rejected westernization and remained isolated from modernization. Peter would change all that. During his reign, the far-sighted Peter implemented extensive social, economic and military reforms for the purpose of establishing Russia as a great nation. He modernized the church, the schools, scientific advancement. He massively modernized Russia’s army and navy. He also localized government, expanded the Empire and gained access to the Black Sea. In the end, this brilliant (if autocratic and temperamental) leader managed to establish Russia as a major European power and his city, St. Petersburg, was considered a “window to Europe.â€
