Peter the Great
While the Poles fought the Swedes, Peter founded the city of Saint Petersburg in 1703, in Ingermanland (a province of the Swedish Empire that he had captured). It was named after his patron saint Saint Peter. He forbade the building of stone edifices outside Saint Petersburg, which he intended to become Russia's capital, so that all stonemasons could participate in the construction of the new city. Between 1713 and 1728 and in 1732–1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of imperial Russia.
Saint Petersburg State University Faculty of Law
On 22 January 1724, Peter the Great ordered to establish the Russian Academy of Sciences and a university where tutors would teach students in theology, jurisprudence, medicine and philosophy. For this purpose Peter invited teachers from Germany. However, from the middle of 18th century the university had been suffering financial difficulties.
That was until 1819, when Alexander I reinstated it. From the very beginning the Faculty of Philosophy and Law was leading: 13 of 24 first students studied there. The university perceived the liberal ideas of 1860s and became a mainstay of free thought, science and art. The Faculty of Law became the biggest at Saint Petersburg University by the end of 19th century (1335 of 2675 students studied there in 1894). The university's and faculty's advancement was stopped by the Revolution of 1905, World War I and the Revolution of 1917. After the Revolution many professors left the country, some of them were expelled.
The university did not have a law faculty from 1930 to 1944. It was re-established after the Siege of Leningrad had been lifted in 1944. After the war the faculty restored its leading positions and now is considered one of the best law faculties in Russia.