The age of exploration and discovery in Europe was an era of various absolute rulers. An absolute monarch is a ruler who has unlimited power and controls all aspects of life. Many rulers were excellent examples of absolute monarchs, but none of them even compared to absolute monarch Peter the Great of Russia. Peter I, more commonly known as Peter the Great, was born on June 9, 1672. At ten years old, Peter came to the throne, but other people helped him make decisions. He was forced to rule with his mentally disabled half-brother, Ivan (Beck, 609). Only after Ivan's death did he take full control and become the sole ruler of Russia. During his own reign, he was able to change the way Russia operated. He was aware that his country was behind the rest of the world in many areas, particularly in culture and technology. He was determined to improve Russia. Thanks to his determination and his love for Russia, he was able to conquer its ideas and do what he wanted with his nation. His reign is known as a period of transformation because, thanks to him, he was able to lead Russia in the right direction and modernize it. Peter the Great was an absolute monarch; he changed the culture of Russia, created new cities and reformed the Church. Peter the Great knew that the countries that ruled the world were those in the West, so he did everything he could to “Westernize” Russia. The first thing Peter did to westernize his country was to go out and bring back technology and culture from surrounding countries (“History of St. Petersburg, Russia: Peter the Great (short biography)”). He ended up bringing back many workers to help improve Russian technology. Peter then learned construction and middle of paper so quickly before it was too late for Russia. He introduced new technologies and ideas from major countries and was able to transform Russia. Peter the Great is the exact definition of an absolute ruler, as he changed or controlled every part of the Russian people. Peter the Great westernized his country, built major cities, and reformed the Church. He had total power and control over the entire country. He was definitely above the law, unlike anyone else. He was even allowed to organize the massacre of 1,200 rebels and suffered no consequences for his actions. An absolute monarch must affect every aspect of his people's lives. Few, if any, leaders have been able to accomplish this to the extent that Peter the Great was able to do. Without the reign of Peter the Great, Russia might not have become the powerful nation it is today..