The Don River became unsatisfactory to northern Europeans when Peter the Great, king of the Tsardom of Russia, defeating rival claims of Sweden and the Ottoman Empire to the eastern lands, and armed resistance by the tribes of Siberia, synthesized a new Russian Empire extending to the Ural Mountains and beyond, founded in 1721.
ðə dˈɑːn ɹˈɪvɚ bɪkˌeɪm ʌnsˌæɾɪsfˈæktɚɹi tə nˈɔːɹðɚn jˌʊɹɹəpˈiənz wɛn pˈiːɾɚ ðə ɡɹˈeɪt, kˈɪŋ ʌvðə tsˈɑːɹdəm ʌv ɹˈʌʃə, dᵻfˈiːɾɪŋ ɹˈaɪvəl klˈeɪmz ʌv swˈiːdən ænd ðɪ ˈɑːɾəmən ˈɛmpaɪɚ tə ðɪ ˈiːstɚn lˈændz, ænd ˈɑːɹmd ɹᵻsˈɪstəns baɪ ðə tɹˈaɪbz ʌv saɪbˈiəɹɪə, sˈɪnθəsˌaɪzd ɐ nˈuː ɹˈʌʃən ˈɛmpaɪɚɹ ɛkstˈɛndɪŋ tə ðə jˈuːɚɹəl mˈaʊntɪnz ænd bᵻjˈɔnd, fˈaʊndᵻd ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti wˈʌn.