important trade routes and ports. Peter the Great led Russia in the Great Northern War against Sweden in order to gain control of the Baltic Sea and establish Russia as a major naval power. Catherine the Great continued to expand Russian territory through a series of wars and treaties, gaining control of Crimea, Poland, and parts of the Caucasus region. Both rulers sought to modernize Russia and bring it into closer contact with Western Europe, leading to significant cultural and political changes within the Russian Empire.
