Peter The Great

A detailed and fascinating biography of an important figure in world history.

Peter I the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov ruled Russia and later the Russian Empire from 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his weak and sickly half-brother, Ivan V. Peter the Great carried out a policy of Westernization and expansion that transformed the Tsardom of Russia into the 3-billion acre Russian Empire, a major European power.
Author Jacob Abbott was the celebrated author of the "Makers of History" series of historical biographies. His stated aim in writing biographies of historical figures was "to present a clear, distinct, and connected narrative of the lives of those great personages who have in various ages of the world made themselves celebrated as leaders among mankind, and, by the part they have taken in the public affairs of great nations, have exerted the widest influence on the history of the human race."