In the early years of his reign, Peter with his circle of like-minded associates, both Russian and Western European, made two trips to the White Sea in the north of Russia (1693-1694), where he familiarized himself with shipbuilding.  A year later, in 1695, he joined the Azov campaign in the south, which was led by the generals A. Golovin, F. Lefort and P. Gordon against the Crimean Tartars and the Turks. The capture of the fortress of Azov in 1696 was Peter’s first major military success and a proof that the first steps in the reorganization of the army and the navy had been made in the right direction.

Peter’s next important  step was quite untypical of a Russian ruler up to that time: he made a long visit to Europe (1697-1698) known as the ‘Great Embassy’. Significantly, the aims of the Embassy foreshadowed the main directions of his future Europeanization of Russia. Its main aim was to make closer military and diplomatic alliances with Western powers, in particular against Turkey. It also sought to establish cultural, trade and technical ties with the West and obtain an informed view about the European way of life. Peter’s informal participation in the Embassy gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about various aspects of the life of European states and different sections of Western society - from courtiers to craftsmen.  As a result, Peter could form a broad and objective view of the larger world outside Russia and of Russia’s place in it.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE UNDER PETER THE GREAT

Throughout almost the whole of the Petrine reign Russia was engaged in the Northern War against Sweden (1700 -1721). At that time Sweden was the dominant power in the Baltic, and the early stages of the war had clearly demonstrated that Russia could hope  to beat Sweden only when it had reorganized its army and created a strong navy. Peter’s military reforms were among his most radical and successful ones. He extended conscription for the army, equipped it with modern firearms and artillery and gave it training manuals acquired from the West.  As a result, by the end of his reign Russia had a  powerful standing army of 200 000 - the largest such force in Europe. It provided Russia with the military muscle to replace Sweden as the greatest power in north-eastern Europe. The war with Sweden ended with the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystadt (1721) that gave Russia access to a strategically important stretch of the Baltic coast. The country had now a much needed access to the sea and sea trade which opened the opportunity of economic and cultural exchanges with the countries of western Europe.

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