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Peter the Great

The Romanovs were high-ranking aristocrats in Russia during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In , Mikhail Romanov became the first Romanov czar of Russia, following a fifteen-year period of political upheaval after the fall of Russia’s medieval Rurik dynasty.

Where the Romanovs were murdered: archived images

He took the name Michael I.

Michael I’s grandson Peter I, also known as Peter the Great, transformed Russia from a landlocked state into one of Europe’s largest empires. Through wars against the Ottoman Empire and the Empire of Sweden, Russia expanded its territory and became the dominant power in both the Baltic Sea and Black Sea regions.

Peter I declared himself emperor of the newly formed Russian Empire in , a position he held until his death in

Catherine the Great

During the reign of Romanov leader Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, the Russian Empire grew larger and stronger.

The period of Catherine’s rule— to —is often called the Golden Age of the Russian Empire.

Catherine II w