-
Tsar Alexis died when Peter was only four years old.
-
Peter wanted to take power from his half-sister Sophia. Sophia was eventually overthrown and Peter I and Ivan V shared the throne. Peter forced Sophia to give up her name and her position as a member of the royal family.
-
He married Eudoxia Lopukhina. The marriage did not go well and they got divorced in 1698.
-
Ivan died in 1696 and Peter was officially declared Sovereign of all Russia. When Peter came to power, Russia was underdeveloped compared to the other European nations and Peter vowed to change this.
-
Peter went on a trip to Europe in hope to help westernize Russia. He traveled in disguise under the name of Peter Mikhailov and worked as a carpenter.
-
Peter the Great starts the construction of his new city of St. Petersburg. His goal was to make St. Petersburg the new capital of Russia.
-
Peter opened the first secular schools in Russia. The children of soldiers, officials, and churchmen went to them. Russians were also able to go abroad for their education.
-
Peter was committed to Catherine and married her at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.
-
Peter believed his son, Aleksei, was involved with his court opponents. Thinking that his son was a focus for possible sedition while Russia was at war, Peter killed his.
-
This replaced the old system of promotion in the state services, which was by ancestry. This system classified all functionaries in 14 categories. This system was much fairer.
-
Peter began to have problems with his urinary tract and bladder. He had a surgery in 1724, however, his health began to decline again shortly after. After his death, an autopsy revealed his bladder was infected with gangrene.
