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St. Petersburg. Yaminah Agosto. Founder: Peter the Great. Life Span: 1672-1725 Reign: Was Tsar of Russia 7 May, 1682 to 8 February 1725 (Ruled Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire) Expanded Tsardom into a huge empire that became a major European Power
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St. Petersburg Yaminah Agosto
Founder: Peter the Great • Life Span: 1672-1725 • Reign: Was Tsar of Russia 7 May, 1682 to 8 February 1725 (Ruled Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire) • Expanded Tsardom into a huge empire that became a major European Power • Led a cultural revolution by adopting Western European ways • 12 May 1703, Captured Nyenskens and replaced fortress
Creation of St. Petersburg • Founded on 16 May 1703 (May 27 modern calendar) • Recaptured island from Swedish during war • Long established trading route to Europe • Tsar Peter I, wanted a “fortress.” Named it the Peter and Paul Fortress • Peter the Great built his own (house) log cabin in three days, which was the start to the city • The city was built by conscripted peasants and a few imprisoned swedes • Very difficult to build
Few tools were given to workers; used hands to shovel dirt • Sunk wooden piles into ground for support • Plenty of serfs died while building the city • The original walls and bastions of the fortress were completed by the end of summer in 1703 • Land wasn’t really good for a city; it was very damp, bad housing, short supply of food. • Flooding was a huge problem • By 1712, grew from a small little town to the new Russian Capital • Made to prevent Swedish attacks, but didn’t participate in any fights
Location • On the Neva River • At the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea • Also named Petrograd (1914), Leningrad (1924) and Back to St. Petersburg (1991 until present)
Sources • http://www.saint-petersburg.com/history/foundation.asp • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg • http://europeanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa021201a.htm • http://www.saint-petersburg.com/history/first-years.asp