Peter I was born in Russia in 1672. Peter I was the son of Tsar Alexis of Russia, who was succeeded by Peter I's older brother, Fedodor III. After Fedogor III died, Peter I was installed as a joint Tsar, along with Ivan V, his half brother. Peter I was very interested in sailing, finding and restoring a boat, with the help of carpenters and other maritime inclined individuals. He was also educated in mathematics and military science. Ivan V died in 1696, leaving Peter I the sole ruler. Peter I set his sights on reorganizing the military, and creating an impressive Russian Navy. He made a lot of effort to modernize and westernize Russia, from styles of dress and behavior in public, to industrialization and infrastructure. Peter I did a lot of things during his reign, dying in 1725 from a perfectly horrible sounding illness. It was decided that Peter I suffered from uremia, and, upon autopsy, it was discovered that his bladder was gangrenous, causing widespread infection.

This book was absolutely packed with information. It was a long read, so if you are into long biographies, this may be a good one for you to pick up. It gave a very detailed account of the life and activities of Peter I, the state of affairs in Russia during his lifetime, and his personal relationships with others. I was not very familiar with Peter I before reading this book, other than knowing his name in passing. I learned a great deal about his reign from this book, which is terrific since I have had it for a long time and bought it used. I had no idea that it was believed he had some type of epilepsy and had facial tics, and certainly didn't know about the horrible way he died. This was a really educational book.