Tsar and Emperor of Russia Peter the Great (1672-1725) was unusual ruler by many means. In the battle against the Turks in 1695 he fought as regular foot soldier believing that was the only way to beat the Turks. Peter is believed to have been six feet, seven inches in height (2.04 meters). He married twice and had 11 children, many of whom died in infancy. The eldest son from his first marriage, Czarevich Alexei, was convicted of high treason by his father and secretly executed in 1718.