Peter I of Russia

Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov, also known as Peter the Great (9 June 1672 – 8 February 1725) ruled Russia and later the Russian Empire from 7 May 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his weak and sickly half-brother, Ivan V.

He carried out a policy of modernization and expansion that transformed the Tsardom of Russia into a 3-billion acre Russian Empire, a major European power.

Peter I in The War That Came Early
After the "big switch" in 1940 turned the Soviet Union's former allies into enemies, Joseph Stalin harkened back to Peter the Great's victory over the Swedes to help inspire the Soviet people to keep fighting until victory.