Peter the Great
...to the period known as the “Time of Troubles,” which lasted until the selection of a tsar from the Romanov family in 1603, the dynasty that would continue to rule Russia until the Revolution of 1917. The individual who did the most to transform the Russian state into a major European power was Peter the Great. As a young man Peter traveled to the West where he became fascinated by the work done in Dutch shipyards and other examples of western technology. Upon his return to Russia, Peter was determined to westernize his backward state, beginning with his nobles, whom he famously forced to shave their beards, as was the style in the West. Peter expanded the revenue available to the monarchy by imposing head taxes on Russian serfs, while also establishing monopolies on essential commodities such as salt. Peter used his expanded revenue to follow the lead of the absolutist states in Europe and establish a centralized bureaucracy. In order to ensure the loyalty of his nobility as well as use them for governance, Peter established a Table of Ranks, in which all positions in the st...