Introduction
In Peter's early childhood, he was the 14th son of Czar Alexis and Peter the Great’s childhood toughened his outlook on life and people. His life was constantly under threat from factions surrounding the two widows of his father. When his father, Alexis, died in January 1676, Peter’s elder brother succeeded as Theodore III. His rule was legal and no-one could dispute it. Theodore died in 1682. A brief period of reign by Peter’s half brother Fedor (1676-1682) was followed by his half sister Sofia trying for control of Russia as regent from 1682-1689. During this time Peter and his half brother, Ivan V, waited as co-Czars until they were old enough. Peter The Great's childhood was very much families from his wife and brothers to have him rule. One of Peter's main goals was to regain access to the Baltic Sea and Baltic trade. In 1700 he started the Northern War with Sweden, which lasted for 21 years, and was victorious, Russia taking the vast lands on the Baltic coast as its spoils of war. During the course of the war St. Petersburg was founded on the delta of the Neva River and the city rapidly grew to become a major seaport, as Russia gained greater and greater access to European trade routes.