Russia Engages the World, 1453–1825 traces Russia’s movement from relative isolation to global empire through its contacts with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. When Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg as a “window on Europe” in 1703, he intended the city to symbolize Russia’s new direction. This website explores Russia’s exposure to and interaction with the larger world, as well as the significant role the new cosmopolitan capital played in this evolution.