Absolute Rulers of Russia

Peter the Great&

Catherine the Great

5 reasons why Russia was backward/isolated

• Asian Influence resulting from Mongol rule.• Civilization had reached Russia from

Constantinople not from Western Europe.• Cyrillic Alphabet was different from Roman one -

barrier to communication• Religion was Eastern Orthodox rather than RC or

Protestant - (no Reformation).• Geography - Russia was landlocked. Archangel

was the only port and it was frozen for 2/3 of the year.

Time of Troubles 1558-1613

Ivan’s dead that’s terrible

I’m in charge now

Another day another czar

We’re being

invaded again

Michael Romanov

• 1613 the National Assembly (DUMA) elected Michael Romanov as Czar.

• The Dynasty lasted until 1917 - 300 years!

We’re here to stay

How the Romanovs became despots

• Any groups that elected representatives were banned.

• Old Believers who opposed religious changes were repressed

• Made friends with the Cossacks.

• Made serfdom the way of life for majority of people

ThatShould give me control

Romanov Dynasty(1613-1917)

Romanov Family Crest

Romanov Dynasty(1613-1917)

Peter the Great 1682-1725• He was a Russian

giant - 6 feet 6 inches tall

• Violent temper and was capable of great acts of cruelty

• Strong willed and ruthless.

• Absolute despot

Peter the Mechanic

• Peter the great had an obsession with clocks

Russia Under Peter I

Window to the West

Execution of the Streltsy

Westernization• He remodeled Russia along western European

Lines• Reorganized his army and equipped it with better

weapons.• War with Sweden 1700-1721 - gained

access to the Baltic Sea.• In the new territory he built a new capital city. In

1703 he moved to St Petersburg - bringing the government closer to western Europe and giving him a “window to the west”

St Petersburg

He moved the capital to the West of Russia

• Western dress was imposed on the nobles• Women no longer isolated - more rights• Biggest changes in trade, finance, industry, & govt.• Imposed taxes on everything - beards!• Followed absolutist ideas of French King - Louis

XIV - highly centralized government.• Orthodox Church fell under his control• Created new service ranks for nobles• Imposed feudal system on Russia when it was

declining in western Europe

Peter Cuts the Beards of His Boyars

Russia & Sweden After the Great Northern War

Battle of Poltava (1709)

War with

Sweden

Supply oftroops

Conscription

Census

Experts to train the troops

Weapons for troops

Mines & forgesdeveloped

Transportationdeveloped

Nobles required to work in these areas

Uneducated nobleshad to get an education

• Under his leadership Russia became a great power.

Catherine the GreatCatherine II 1762 - 1796

Queen by Marriage• Born Princess Sophia

Augusta Frederika of Germany.

• At 16 she married Peter the Great’s grandson who became Peter III in 1762

• He was murdered 6 months later by nobles

• Catherine seized the throne and ruled until 1796

How did she become Great• Influenced by the West• She was a great supporter

of the arts, science and theater.

• Nobles become more western and start to speak French - lose touch with peasants

• Nakaz - Code of 256 laws replaced Moscovite code of laws

Foreign Policy• In a war against the Turks she won control of

northern shore of Black Sea and a protectorate over the Crimea.

• Potemkin Villages - fake settlements to fool CII as to value of her new conquest. (term used by judges who dissent from common opinion)

• 3 Partitions of Poland 1772,1793, 1795 she gained the largest slice of Poland for Russia, with Austria and Prussia also taking some.

• In 1741 Russia had crossed the Bering Strait and established a colony in Alaska