Pitt the Great

Peter I (Russian: Пётр Первый; June 9, 1672 [May 30 in the Julian calendar] - February 8, 1725 [January 28 in the Julian calendar]), full name Peter Alexeyevich Romanov (Russian: Пётр Алексе́евич Романов), Tsar (1682-1725) and Emperor (1721-1725) of Russia. During his reign, he implemented European-style reforms to modernize Russia and made St. Petersburg its capital. Known as "Peter the Great" (Russian: Пётр Вели́кий); the Holy Synod and the Privy Council awarded him the title "Father of the Fatherland" (Отец Отечество) in 1721. Much of Peter's reign was spent in protracted wars with the Ottoman and Swedish empires. He established the Russian Imperial Navy and after winning the Great Northern War, he annexed a large amount of territory on the east coast of the Baltic Sea and officially upgraded the tsarist state to an empire. Internally, he launched a cultural revolution to replace Russia's traditional and medieval social and political system with modernization, scientificization, Westernization, and new systems influenced by radical Enlightenment ideas. In December 1699, he introduced the Julian calendar; in 1703, he founded Russia's first newspaper, the St. Petersburg News, and promoted the "civilian font" in the Russian alphabet reform. He also founded St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva River and later moved the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1712. The city maintained its status as the capital until 1918. He has a keen interest in plants, animals, minerals, as well as deformed creatures and various natural anomalies, which he collects in his cabinet of curiosities. He encouraged the study of deformities and tried to dispel the superstitious fear of "monsters" among the people. In addition, he actively promoted the industrialization and higher education development of the Russian Empire. In 1724, the Russian Academy of Sciences and St. Petersburg State University were established one after another, and scholars such as Christian Wolff were invited to teach and conduct research. Peter's most important historical status lies in his modernization reforms of Russia, which quickly transformed Russia into one of the European powers. His administrative reforms, including the establishment of the Senate in 1711, the system of ministries and colleges in 1717, and the official list system in 1722, all had a profound impact on Russia. Many of the systems of Russia's government today can trace their roots back to the reign of Peter the Great.