The Rurik family ruled over Russia from its inception in the ninth century until 1613 when they were replaced by the Romanov family. The Romanovs ruled from 1613 until they were ousted from power during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Notable Romanovs include Catherine the Great, Peter the Great, Alexander I and II, and Nicholas I. 

The boyars were the highest ranking aristocrats in feudal Russian society. Their power came from the tracts of land and the number of men they controlled. Because they controlled vast private armies they were very important to the ruler of Russia who had to keep the boyars on his side. 

When Ivan III of Russia, usually called Ivan the Great, came to power, Russia was little more than Moscow and the surrounding territory. He dramatically increased the size of the country, first by conquering the Republic of Novgorod and then by kicking the Mongolian rulers out of Russian land. 

The Rurik family had previously ruled Russia for hundreds of years, but during the Time of Troubles (1598–1613) the family collapsed and was replaced by the Romanov family. The Romanovs would rule until the end of the Russian monarchy, which was destroyed by the Russian Revolution in 1917. The Time of Troubles is so-called because it was a period of extreme hardship for the Russian people. The country was occupied by the forces of the Duchy of Lithuania, and the country experienced widespread famine from 1601 until 1603, when a third of the population (two million people) starved to death.

Peter the Great is one of the most significant rulers in Russian history. He was was motivated by the idea of modernizing and reforming Russian society and the Russian army. To this end, he turned to his advisors from Western Europe and eradicated many of the longstanding traditions in Russian society. Peter was also desperate to expand Russian territory, particularly into the Baltic Sea, and he fought the Great Northern War against the Swedish Empire to achieve this. He founded the city of St. Petersburg to serve as a port city on the Baltic, making it the capital of Russia.

St. Petersburg was founded by the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the early years of the eighteenth century. It followed Russian victory in the Great Northern War, which was fought to ensure that Russia had access to the Baltic Sea. It was later made the capital of the Russian Empire. During the Soviet period, it was renamed Leningrad, but following the fall of the Soviet Union, it reverted back to St. Petersburg. 

The Russian Code of Laws (1649) was designed to strengthen the institution of serfdom in Russia. Until then, the serfs (peasants who worked the lands) still enjoyed some rights, including the ability to abandon their land and move about. With the introduction of the Code of Laws, most Russian peasants were firmly tied to the feudal system and had almost no rights of their own.

The Great Northern War was fought from 1700 until 1721 between Russia and the Swedish Empire. The war was waged under the direction of the Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, who wanted to expand Russian influence into the Baltic and contest Swedish hegemony in the region. It resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Russians, which propelled the nation forward dramatically in terms of regional dominance.

Prior to Russia's victory in the Great Northern War, it had possessed no territory which directly bordered a sea or ocean. With the annexation of territory on the Baltic Sea, Peter the Great was able to build and develop the first Russian navy—one of the many accomplishments for which he is fondly remembered in popular Russian history.

In 1588, England came perhaps the closest it has ever come to being conquered by another European power. The mighty Spanish Armada sailed for England with the hope of establishing control of the Channel Sea and landing troops in Southern England. This represented a great threat to Queen Elizabeth, who had fewer ships and fewer troops than the Spanish; however, fortunate weather and brilliant tactics by the naval defenders ensured that the complete destruction of the Spanish Armada occurred before it could wreak havoc in England.