Peter the Great to the hilt

Peter the Great has literally ruined Russia, lost at least a quarter of its population, tried to break into Europe, moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St Peterbourg, made Russia to an awkward upstart and a laughing stock of Europe. After spending 3 years in Holland and Germany Peter I ordered the nobility to cut beards, smoke tobacco and dance, reformed the orthodox church into total submission. Peter did not quite succeed in his brazen reforms, so he left a testament ordering the Russian Empire to conquer Europe. Peter the Great beheaded old imperial gard, created modern army that won and built a fleet that sank. Peter-reformer to the hilt performed as a live trial of this new army on the king of Sweden Karl XII who also claimed russian throne, beat Karl and his army rumored to be the best of this time into pulp. Russia paid very high price for his reforms in blood, sweat and tears.