1672-1725. Tsar of Russia from 1682 on the
death of his brother Tsar Feodor, he assumed
control of the government 1689. He attempted
to reorganize the country on Western lines;
the army was modernized, a fleet was built,
the administrative and legal systems were
remodelled, education was encouraged, and the
church was brought under state control. On
the Baltic coast, where he had conquered
territory from Sweden, Peter built his new
capital, St Petersburg (now Leningrad). After
a successful campaign against the Ottoman
Empire 1696, he visited Holland and Britain
to study Western techniques, and worked in
Dutch and English shipyards. In order to
secure an outlet to the Baltic, Peter
undertook a war with Sweden 1700-21, which
resulted in the acquisition of Estonia and
parts of Latvia and Finland. A war with
Persia 1722-23 added Baku to Russia.