Voltaire's biographical account of Peter the Great ...

Presenting a free online copy of Voltaire's biographical account of Peter the Great of Russia who modernized Russia and made it a major European power.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The History of Peter the Great, by Tobias Smollett from Voltaire.

Peter led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, Westernized and based on the european Enlightenment. Peter's reforms had a lasting impact on Russia, and many institutions of the Russian government trace their origins to his reign.

Peter was known for his love of knowledge and learning, and had no aristocratic pretensions of being above hard manual labor, which he engaged in throughout his life as an emperor.

Peter also married Catherine, a commoner of low origin who had worked as a servant in the household of Johann Gluck, and who had impressed Peter with her beauty, intelligence, talents and skills.

She was noted for her ability to calm Peter in his frequent rages and was often called in to do so, and was known for her tact and diplomatic skills during Peter's Pruth campaign.