1. Absolutism in Russia

2. Ivan IV (The Terrible) (1547-1584)
First czar (Russian for Caesar)
Expanded Russia eastward
Crushed power of the boyars (Russian nobility)
Killed his own son in an argument

3. Romanov Dynasty Time of Troubles 1598-1613
Romanov Dynasty established ( )

4. Peter the Great (ruled 1682-1725)
Absolute monarch who claimed divine right to rule
Traveled to Europe and decided to modernize Russia
Executed 1000’s who challenged his power
Enjoyed watching torture and executions, but was terrified of cockroaches!

5. Look
Familiar?

6. Domestic Reforms Reorganized army (200,000 men)
Formed first Russian navy
Shaved men's beards and cut their coats
Women removed their veils and mixed in society

7. St. Petersburg Peter’s “window to the West”
War with Sweden to control Baltic coast and build St. Petersburg

8. Catherine the Great (ruled 1762-1796)
Expanded Russian territory West (into Poland) and South (by defeating the Turks)
Supported Russian nobility at the expense of the peasants
Peasants rebel, but are defeated, and serfdom expands into new regions of the empire (She should have freed the peasants!!)

9. Catherine’s
Crown
Catherine’s Coronation Dress

10. Assignment: Letters Home from Peter
Example:
“Dear Catherine,
Yesterday I arrived here and I went to see the King. Yesterday morning, he came to me and last night I went to the Queen. I send you as many oysters as I could find. I couldn’t get any more because they say the plague has broken out in Hamburg and it is forbidden to bring anything from there.”
October 12, 1712
Pretend you are Peter the Great. Using the reading, write 5 letters home to Catherine, describing your travels and how you plan to modernize Russia. Each letter will be 3-5 sentences minimum, in complete sentences, and include a sketch or drawing.