Part 61

Explore Part 61 of the Civilization V guide, detailing the history of Russia's expansion, Peter the Great's reforms, and Catherine the Great's reign, including territorial gains and internal policies.

The period following the Time of Troubles saw the election of Michael Fyodorovich as Tsar at the young age of 16. He inherited a nation in disarray, with decades of conflict and neglect leaving much of the country in ruins, its population scattered, and its farmlands fallow. Foreign troops occupied parts of the land, and local military forces operated without central authority. It took the first Romanov Tsar nearly twenty years to restore control over the country.

Subsequent Tsars continued Russia's expansion, engaging in conflicts and forming alliances with Sweden, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire to acquire territories such as eastern Ukraine, the Baltic regions, and Belarus.

Peter the Great (1672-1725) co-ruled with his half-brother Ivan V from 1682 to 1696, then ruled alone until 1725. Early in his reign, while his half-sister Sophia acted as regent, Peter focused on sports, mathematics, and military training instead of a traditional education. Despite Russia being a growing land power, it lacked access to the Black, Caspian, or Baltic Seas. Peter recognized the need for a navy to elevate Russia's status and dedicated much of his foreign policy to this goal. In 1695, he captured Azov from the Crimean Tatars, bringing Russia closer to the Black Sea.

In 1697, Peter initiated the "Grand Embassy," a delegation of 250 individuals who traveled across Western Europe to study its culture and economy. Peter himself traveled incognito, working as a ship's carpenter in Dutch shipyards and later with the British Royal Navy. He also recruited hundreds of European workers to aid in improving Russian cities, economy, and infrastructure. Initially seeking allies for a campaign against Turkey, Peter was unsuccessful and instead signed a peace treaty with Turkey to focus on the Baltic.

At the end of the 16th century, Sweden controlled the Baltic coast, including Karelia, Ingria, Estonia, and Livonia. Peter formed an alliance with Saxony and Denmark-Norway, launching an attack in 1700. The "Northern War" lasted for 21 years, during which Peter actively participated on the front lines. In 1703, he began constructing St. Petersburg near the Gulf of Finland, which became the new capital by 1712. By 1721, Russia had expelled Sweden from the eastern and southern Baltic. Peter's life ended shortly after a rescue mission in the Gulf of Finland in 1724, where he contracted a fatal chill.

Peter's death without a declared successor led to a period of weak regencies and short-lived rulers for forty years. His daughter, Elizabeth, ruled from 1741 to 1760 and is considered one of the more capable rulers. During her reign, Moscow State University was founded in 1755, and Russia expanded its control over western Ukraine.

Elizabeth was succeeded by her nephew, Peter III, who was widely unpopular. His reign lasted only two years before he was overthrown and eventually murdered by his wife, Catherine II. Catherine, the daughter of a German prince, came to Russia at 15 to marry Peter III. She educated herself through European literature and, being beautiful, intelligent, and witty, gained the favor of the Russian nobility, who found her preferable to her feebleminded husband. With their support, she orchestrated a palace coup and assumed power at age 33.

Catherine reigned for thirty years, expanding the Russian Empire's borders to include territories along the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and eastward beyond the Ural Mountains. In 1772, she also annexed large portions of Poland during its partition by Austria, Prussia, and Russia, though these territories proved to be a long-term liability. Catherine implemented significant reforms to improve local government organization and combat corruption. Despite her liberal reputation, serfdom intensified during her reign, worsening the conditions for the peasantry. Catherine died in 1796.

The early 19th century saw the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. Following the French Revolution, Napoleon transformed France into Europe's dominant power. Russia and its allies suffered defeats at Austerlitz in 1805, and further conflicts occurred in 1806 and 1807. After five years of peace, Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 marked a turning point. Russian armies fought the French for two more years, playing a significant role in Napoleon's ultimate defeat.