Peter I the Great, the last Tsar of all Russia and the founder of the Russian Empire, was one of 16 children of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the first son from his second wife, Natalia Naryshkina. After the death of his older brother Fyodor, he was crowned at the age of 10 along with his brother Ivan, during the de facto rule of Tsarevna Sophia.

Peter was born on June 9, 1672, in the village of Kolomenskoye. His parents came from different social strata: his father was the second Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty, while his mother, Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina, was a minor noblewoman and the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich. The Tsar's first wife, Maria Ilinichna Miloslavskaya, died during childbirth.

Peter I had two wives: Evdokia Fyodorovna Lopukhina and Catherine Alexeyevna Mikhailova (Catherine I). He had 10 children (2 from the first marriage and 8 from the second), but most of them died in childhood.

From childhood, Peter was fascinated by military games, and his father appointed an experienced Colonel Menzius as his mentor. Alexei Mikhailovich created a "Peter's regiment" for his son, a small military unit where Peter learned military affairs in a playful manner. These regiments, later called "poteshny," had real uniforms and weapons. In 1682, at the age of ten, Peter began to govern Russia.

Peter the Great transformed the Moscow kingdom into the Russian Empire, making Rus a multinational power with access to southern and northern seas. He founded the Russian navy in 1696 and achieved victory in the Battle of Poltava. In the war with Turkey, he conquered Azov, and the Great Northern War with Sweden secured access to the Baltic Sea.

One of his great achievements was the founding of St. Petersburg. During his reign, the first domestic newspaper, "Vedomosti," began to be published. Peter created conditions for the development of sciences, urban planning, and industry. His energy allowed him to master many professions, including carpentry and seamanship. In Holland, he even learned to treat teeth.

Peter carried out a series of reforms, including the reform of executive bodies. The system of orders was replaced by colleges, formed from 1717 to 1722. He also reformed the church, creating a Spiritual College instead of the abolished Patriarchate, aiming to integrate the religious institution into the state mechanism.

Peter I died in 1725 after an illness contracted while rescuing people from icy waters. Magistrates were established in cities to oversee them. The main goal of the reforms was to increase tax collection. Peter commissioned the development of a General Regulation to govern the work of administrative bodies. A fiscal service and a Secret Chancellery were created to monitor officials.

Peter I's administrative policy allowed for a strict vertical of power, ensuring control over state affairs, the army, taxes, and culture. Peter was an enthusiastic person, and his reforms required significant expenditures, which fell on taxpayers. He also introduced new cultural customs and changed trade routes, leading to uprisings that were brutally suppressed.

Realizing that the existing system could not handle the rebellions, Peter affirmed the necessity of an absolutist monarchy and increased police oversight.