Peter the Great, Russian Emperor and Autocrat

Peter the Great (June 9, 1672 - February 8, 1725) ruled the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire from 1682 until 1725. In numerous successful wars he expanded the Tsardom into a huge empire that became a major European power. Peter implemented sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing Russia. Heavily influenced by his advisors from Western Europe, Peter reorganized the Russian army along modern lines and dreamed of making Russia a maritime power. In 1722 He created a new order of precedence known as the Table of Rank; it recognized three fundamental types of service: military, civil and court, dividing each into 14 ranks (grades). It determined position and status of everybody according to service rather than according to birth or seniority. According to legend, Peter saw a group of soldiers drowning not far from shore and, wading out into near-waist deep water, came to their rescueand is said to have exacerbated Peter's bladder problems. He died in 1725 at the age of 52 having reigned 42 of them. An autopsy revealed his bladder to be infected with gangrene

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Library of Congress