At the beginning of the 17th century, the All-Russian Council of the Gentry proclaimed Mikhail Romanov Tsar, marking the establishment of the Romanov dynasty. However, at that time Russia was only a small country near Moscow, and Europe did not recognize its imperial status. After Peter I succeeded to the throne, he began to fight against the Islamic Tatars and the Ottoman Empire in order to protect the southern frontier. In order to sustain the war against the Ottoman Empire, he actively sought out European allies and studied Western science and technology in depth, visiting Brandenburg, the Netherlands, England, and the Holy Roman Empire. In 1689, Peter I officially came to power.
Peter I's reforms began with the customs of life. In order to make the ** people more westernized, he cut off the long beards of the great nobles and declared that it was the duty of the subjects of the whole country. In addition, he abolished the ** traditional calendar and introduced the European universal calendar. In terms of culture, Peter introduced many elements, especially the development of education. He hired English professors to establish the first secular school in history, the Mathematical Navigation School, in Moscow in 1701, and many schools were subsequently founded.
Peter I, who believed that money was the lifeblood of the war, reformed the currency system after returning home, introduced new coins, and increased taxes by various means. After the outbreak of the Northern War, the Russian army lost in the Battle of Narva, forcing Peter I to strengthen the reform of military strength. In order to increase opportunities for communication with the West and to find access to the Baltic Sea, he made an armistice with the Ottoman Empire and declared war on Sweden. However, the Swedish army proved in Narva in the Gulf of Finland that the Russian army is not an opponent. In this respite, Peter established a new army, recruited new soldiers, and introduced compulsory military service. He also prepared the Baltic Fleet with the assistance of Great Britain and not only built ships at home, but also purchased ships in the UK. In the Battle of Poltava in 1709, ** defeated Sweden and seized access to the Baltic Sea.
Through the Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye, Russia, Denmark and Saxony formed an alliance in 1700 to wage the Northern War. The war ended in 1721 when Tsar Peter I of Russia changed the name of the country to the Russian Empire, marking the transformation of Russia from a landlocked country to a littoral state. In 1712, Peter I moved his capital to St. Petersburg in order to gain a deeper look at the European continent. The establishment of the empire was an important milestone in the history of Russia, marking its gradual rise from a small state to a powerful empire.