Russia and the West have had quite a tumultuous relationship throughout history. A well known war that took place when Russia was attempting to modernize itself under the leadership of Peter the Great was against Sweden. It is interesting that a war would take place against Sweden since it was the European country that Russia was mostly modeling itself after.1 However, Russia found themselves victors in the Great Northern War (1700-1721) over Sweden. http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw15russiawestmughals.htm
Crowned Tsar of Russia on April 27, 1682.Peter was a grandson of Tsar Michael Romanov. In 1682 Peter was proclaimed Tsar at 10. Due to power struggles between different political forces in the country, he was forced to rule jointly with his brother Ivan. http://www.saint-petersburg.com/history/peter1st.asp
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