Peter I

PETER I was Tsar of Russia from 1682 and the first Russian Emperor from 1721. He was born in Moscow to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his second wife, Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. He received a private education and continued to expand his knowledge throughout his life, especially in military, naval and technical fields. From 1682 to 1696 he ruled jointly with Ivan V; after the removal of Sophia Alekseyevna from power in 1689 he effectively concentrated government in his own hands, and after Ivan V's death became sole tsar. In 1697–1698 he took part in the Grand Embassy to Europe. His reign encompassed the Great Northern War of 1700–1721, the creation of a regular army and navy, reforms of central and local administration, the establishment of the Senate and colleges, the introduction of the Table of Ranks, changes in church government and the expansion of secular education. Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703 and became the new political centre of the state. After the end of the Great Northern War in 1721, Russia was proclaimed an empire and Peter assumed the title of emperor. His first wife was Eudoxia Feodorovna Lopukhina; their son was Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich. In 1712 he formally married Catherine Alexeyevna; their children included Anna Petrovna and Elizabeth Petrovna. Peter I died at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.