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1598
When Ivan’s dynasty came to an end in 1598, a period of anarchy known as the Time of Troubles followed. -
1613
This period did not end until the Zemsky Sobor, or national assembly, chose Michael Romanov as the new czar in 1613. -
1689
Peter the Great became czar in 1689. Like the other Romanov czars who preceded him, Peter was an absolutist monarch who claimed the divine right to rule. -
1703
A long and hard-fought war with Sweden enabled Peter to acquire the lands he sought. On a marshland on the Baltic in 1703, Peter began the construction of a new city, St. Petersburg, his window on the West. -
1725
Under Peter, Russia became a great military power. By his death in 1725, Russia was an important European state. -
1917
The Romanov dynasty lasted until 1917. One of its most prominent members was Peter the Great.