Catherine the Great

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Catherine the Great, born Sophia Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst on May 2nd, 1729, in Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland), was the longest-reigning female empress of Russia, ruling from 1762 to 1796. A German princess by birth, she rose to power through a dramatic coup d’état that dethroned her husband, Peter III. Her 34-year reign was marked by territorial expansion, cultural modernisation, and a fervent embrace of Enlightenment ideals.

Catherine’s journey to the Russian throne began in a minor German princedom. With her family facing financial difficulties, her prospects improved when she was invited to Russia in 1744 at the age of 15. Here, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy, taking the name Catherine, and married Peter, heir to the throne. The marriage, however, was a loveless one. Peter was immature and openly disloyal, leading Catherine to cultivate relationships at court and forge alliances with the military.

However, on October 1^st, 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son Paul. Officially the son of Peter III he would go on to succeed his mother as emperor of Russia upon her death. In 1776 Paul married Princess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg and his children included the future Alexander I of Russia and Nicholas I of Russia.

In 1762, with Peter’s unpopularity at its peak, Catherine, backed by the military’s elite guards, staged a bloodless coup. Peter was subsequently deposed and died, though the exact circumstances remain murky. It is alleged that he was assassinated, but after an autopsy it was officially declared that he suffered from a severe attack of haemorrhoidal colic and an apoplexy stroke.

Crowned Catherine II at the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow on September 22nd 1762, the new empress embarked on a grand mission to transform Russia.

A student of Enlightenment philosophers like Voltaire and Montesquieu, Catherine believed in the power of reason and progress. She embarked on a series of reforms to modernise Russia’s legal system, education, and administration. She commissioned a new legal code, the Instruction, which aimed to be more humane and just, though serfdom remained firmly in place. Education was a particular focus, with the establishment of the Smolny Institute, the first state-funded school for girls in Russia.

Catherine was also a shrewd diplomat and military leader. She oversaw a significant expansion of Russia’s territory, particularly in the south. Through victories against the Ottoman Empire and the partitions of Poland, she secured access to the Black Sea and expanded Russian influence in Eastern Europe. This territorial expansion, however, came at the cost of human suffering and the subjugation of non-Russian peoples.

Despite her focus on modernisation, Catherine was not a champion of democracy. She ruled with an absolute hand, suppressing dissent and tightening control over the nobility. A series of peasant rebellions, particularly the Pugachev Uprising of 1773-75, exposed the simmering discontent amongst the peasantry and the limitations of her reforms.

Catherine’s personal life was as colourful as her reign. She surrounded herself with a series of favourites, most notably Grigory Potemkin, with whom she enjoyed a long and influential relationship. These relationships fuelled gossip and scandal throughout Europe but also provided her with trusted advisors and confidantes.

As a patron of the arts and sciences, Catherine transformed St Petersburg into a cultural hub. She amassed a vast collection of Western European art, forming the core of the Hermitage Museum today. She corresponded with leading intellectuals, commissioned philosophical and historical works, and even dabbled in writing herself composing plays and educational texts.

Catherine the Great’s legacy remains complex and contested. Hailed as a moderniser and a strong leader by some, she is also criticised for her ruthless expansionism and her perpetuation of serfdom. Regardless of perspective, her impact on Russia was undeniable. She transformed the nation from a largely isolated state into a major European power, leaving behind a rich cultural legacy and a complex historical figure for future generations to grapple with. Catherine died on November 17th, 1796, at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, leaving behind a vast empire and a reputation that fascinates historians and the public alike.