Biography of Peter the Great, the converter of Russia, owned by the pen of the largest Russian historian N.I. Pavlenko, is rightfully recognized as a classic of the biographical genre. It is written on a strictly documentary basis, with the involvement of all available sources, and at the same time it is read in one breath, like a solid historical novel. The personality of Peter I, like probably no other statesman in the history of Russia, causes to this day incessant fierce disputes: did his famous transformations become a blessing or a tragedy for Russia? The author of the book gives his answer to this question, revealing to the reader all sides of the multifaceted, truly titanic activity of the tsar-reformer. This edition has been significantly revised by the author, as well as supplemented by a new chapter - "The Image of Peter in the Ideas of Contemporaries" and the essay "The Historical Significance of Peter's Transformations."