Peter I, also known as Peter the Great, is arguably one of the greatest absolute rulers that ever held power over the country of Russia. This man was able to achieve his goals during his reign despite the problems that he faced. During this time, some basic issues in several European countries included territory, economy, and religion. However, these issues varied depending on which country someone was responsible for. As for Peter the Great, he had to face the Church who held a large power but was not willing to change. Another domestic affair that he tried to tackle was education for the rest of Europe was advancing at a quicker pace than that of Russia. Not only that, there were several prominent wars that were fought while he was in power. …show more content…
It seemed that each religious group felt as though there was only one way to go, and it was their way. This caused there to be rebellious citizens and various wars in certain countries. In Russia specifically, the Orthodox Church held a large sum of the country’s power. Peter I saw this as a threat to his name as an absolute ruler. He was the one person who was supposed to be able to hold control of Russia without anyone else interfering. To add on, the church owned serfs and vast amounts of land which only added to the feeling of a threat. The last issue with the church was that it refused to modernize resulting in a setback in Russia moving forward along with its neighboring countries. So, when Patriarch Adrian, the ruler of the church passed away, Peter the Great decided not to appoint anyone into the position after him (“Peter I”). A year later in 1701, a department in Russia’s government took control over the church property. This department was known as the Monastyrskii Prikaz (Truman). This was not Peter’s decision. It was evident that it was not because monks were being paid and there were monastic revenues that were being given to the church. So, Peter the Great’s attempt to see a weak spot in the church’s power did not present itself because while it was in control of the government, it continued to gain more wealth regardless of it no longer having a single …show more content…
Before Peter the Great began to rule Russia, there were many unresolved issues with other countries. So, one of his goals knowing what he was walking into was to make sure that his army was strong and properly trained. This ties into the education aspect that was already discussed, but the soldiers being educated would help them when the time came. War was not something that was easily avoided in Europe’s kingdoms. One of the most well known wars was the Great Northern War. If something was wanted badly by a ruler, nothing could stop them. For this reason, Russia got involved in this war against Sweden which lasted for 21 years (Cheney). As one may know, both sides of people in a war have to give up money and some power while it is going on. There is no guarantee that a certain side will be victorious. Russia decided to go to war with Sweden because they held control over a territory that Peter saw as important. The previous rulers of Russia focused on the Black Sea, but Peter turned his attention toward the Baltic Sea instead, since Austria was getting prepared to fight for the Spanish Succession. Russia lost many of the first battles in this war, but later on they went on to win the Battle of Gangut which was their first naval victory. Years later, on September 10, 1721, the area along the east side of the Baltic Sea was officially ceded over to Russia with the Treaty of Nystad (“Peter I”). This allowed