Peter the Great’s usual solution to any problem, domestic or foreign, was to throw peasants at it until it went away. If you ignore the horrendous body count, this strategy was actually remarkably successful. It built a formidable navy out of nothing, a major city out of a swamp, and won a war that brought Russia to the forefront of European diplomacy.
Peter was sole ruler of Russia for twenty nine years. Twenty one of those he spent at war with Sweden.
He stood nearly seven feet tall, built boats and smithed iron bars with his bare hands, and performed minor surgeries in his spare time.
