In 1682, a little tsar who had just turned 10 came to the throne. He is Peter, the fourth tsar of the Romanov dynasty of Russia? Alexeyevich? Romanov. Shortly after Peter ascended the throne, his half-sister Sophia mutinied with the help of the Shooting Army and came to power. Peter was forced to live with his mother on the outskirts of Moscow. He has been fond of military games since he was a child. He organized his friends into two "game" corps and spent all day in the village surrounded by greenery, building earthen castles and conducting military exercises and anti-war games.

Seven years later, Peter grew up, and his game soldiers became two well-trained guards. Sophia realizes that Peter is a dangerous opponent. In August 1689, she launched a mutiny in an attempt to depose Peter, but the plot failed and Sophia was sent to a monastery.

Peter began to rule personally. At this time, Russia was basically a landlocked country, and its economy was also very backward. To change this situation, Peter believed that we must first have an outlet to the sea. He declared that "waters, this is what Russia needs." Having an outlet to the sea means that Opened the window to Western Europe.

In January 1695, Peter personally led an army of 30,000 to attack Turkey in an attempt to occupy the Sea of ??Azov. Without a navy, Peter could not siege the Azov citadel from the sea, while the Turkish fleet could provide constant assistance, and the expedition failed. Undeterred, he spent more than a year building a fleet. In the spring of 1696, 30 Russian warships appeared in the Sea of ??Azov. The Russian army advanced on land and water and besieged the Azov Castle. Turkey was defeated and sued for peace, and the Sea of ??Azov fell into the hands of the Russians.

After occupying Azov, Russia did not open up the southern seaport. Because Turkey not only occupies Kerch, the gateway to the Sea of ??Azov, but it also has a powerful navy and dominates the Black Sea. Peter felt that he should learn from Western Europe, and he decided to send a mission to inspect various countries in Western Europe.

In 1697, the Russian inspection mission set out. Peter alias Peter? Mikhailov accompanied him as a corporal. He attaches great importance to learning advanced Western science and technology, and calls himself "a student who is looking for a teacher." He is nearly two meters tall and strong. He works as a carpenter in a shipyard and learns shipbuilding technology. In Amsterdam, he worked as an apprentice in one of the largest shipyards and worked there for more than four months. In his free time, Peter always visited craft workshops and museums, visited famous scholars and scientists, and hired them to work in Russia. In London, he inspected the British national system, attended meetings of Parliament, and participated in a masquerade ball at the palace.

While Peter was inspecting abroad, the domestic shooting army launched a mutiny and demanded that Sophia be made tsar. After hearing the news, Peter hurried back to the country and brutally suppressed the rebellion, executing more than 1,000 people. He forced Sophia to become a nun and hung the corpses of 195 rebels in front of her window.

After quelling the rebellion, Peter began to carry out comprehensive reforms in Russia.

After the reforms, Russia became rich and powerful. Peter began to look for a seaport for Russia again. If the south was not available, he turned his attention to the north. The primary target of attack was Sweden. Sweden is the most powerful country in Northern Europe and one of the European powers. It has a powerful army. Peter's decision to compete with Sweden for the Baltic Sea was a very bold decision and a serious test for Russia.

In the autumn of 1700, Peter led 30,000 troops to surround the Swedish castle Narva. The 18-year-old King Charles XII of Sweden first defeated Russia's ally Denmark, and then led more than 10,000 elite troops to launch a fierce attack on the Russian army. The Russian army collapsed across the board and was almost wiped out. Peter fled back to Moscow alone.

The disastrous defeat did not make Peter lose confidence. He took advantage of the favorable opportunity of Charles XII's attack on Poland and tried his best to rebuild the army.

Peter recruited new soldiers from all over the country and stepped up training. There were no cannons, so he ordered that every third church hand over a bronze bell to have cannons cast. A year later, Russia produced 300 cannons. In 1703, the Russian army once again attacked the Swedish fortress on the Baltic Sea coast and occupied Nienschanz? Narva. Then the fortress Caronstadt was built on Kotlin Island near the mouth of the Neva River, and the Peter-Paul Fortress was built on Yenissary Island. The Peter-Paul Fortress is located at the confluence of the Bolshoi and Lesser Neva rivers and controls the waterway to the Baltic Sea. Peter chose this place as his future capital, making it a true trade gateway to Europe.

In 1712, Peter established a new city on the desert islands on both sides of the Neva River, named it Petersburg, and moved the capital here from Moscow.

On June 27, 1709, Russia and Sweden launched a fierce battle of unprecedented scale in Poltava. Peter came to the front line to take command, and his hat and saddle were shot. Finally, Sweden was defeated and Charles XII fled to Turkey. Later, the Russian army defeated Sweden many times in the Baltic Sea. In 1721, the two sides signed a peace treaty, and Russia seized the land along the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga from Sweden, thus solving the problem of the northern seaport.

In October 1721, the Russian Privy Council honored Peter as "The Great" and "Father of the Fatherland", and Russia was officially renamed the "Russian Empire."