Peter the Great, the most influential tsar and military leader in Russian history, transformed his country from a quasi-medieval backwater into one of the world's great powers in the early 18th century. Peter combined Western ideas with Russian tradition to modernize his country and create a powerful army and navy. Born the only son of Tsar Alexei and his second wife, Natalya Naryshkin, on June 9, 1672 in Moscow, Peter struggled with his half-brothers and sisters for power after the Tsar's death. In 1689, following a series of political and military movements, Peter, at the age of seventeen, became the sole Russian authority. Although celebrated primarily for his "Westernization" of Russia, Peter invested most of his energies in achievements directly related to the military and warfare. His reign of over thirty-five years saw peace prevail for only one year. During his first decade of rule, Peter transformed from a lanky teenager into a formidable, robust six-foot-tall figure: a physically developing prelude to the growth and presence he would bring to Russia. Possessing a keen interest in military history and theories, Peter established two personal guard regiments to experiment with exercises and develop war games, allowing him to better understand his studies. Young Peter realized that land power alone could not guarantee Russian military might, and so he began strengthening his navy. In 1696 Peter, at just twenty-four years old, launched an offensive against the Turks in Azov. That victory provided Russia access to the Black Sea. Despite this success, Peter knew that neither his armed forces nor his country as a whole were comparable to those of other European powers. Having assumed the throne of a country that had missed both the Renaissance and the Reformation, leaving it nearly a century behind the rest of Europe in cultural and scientific development, Peter was determined to understand how and why the Russians had fallen behind the their neighbors. 1697-98, Pietro traveled throughout Europe under a pseudonym and without his courtly trappings. He studied shipbuilding in Holland and England and observed artillery practices in Prussia. Along the way he visited military and civilian schools, factories and museums, as well as military arsenals and installations. When Peter returned to Russia, he brought with him Western educators, businessmen, and military personnel as advisors.