Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796. She came to power following a coup d’état that overthrew her husband and second cousin, Peter III. The period of Catherine the Great’s rule, the Catherinian Era, is considered a Golden Age of Russia.
About Catherine the Great in brief
Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796. She came to power following a coup d’état that overthrew her husband and second cousin, Peter III. Under her reign, Russia grew larger, its culture was revitalised, and it was recognized as one of the great powers worldwide. The period of Catherine the Great’s rule, the Catherinian Era, is considered a Golden Age of Russia. She presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, including the establishment of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe. Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas, and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. She enthusiastically supported the ideals of the Enlightenment and is often included in the ranks of the enlightened despots. Catherine was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, as Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg. Her mother’s brother became the heir to the Swedish throne after her second cousin Peter III converted to Orthodoxy. Her father tried to become the duke of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia but in vain. But because of conversion of Peter III to Orthodox Christianity, two of her first cousins became Kings of Sweden: Gustav III and Charles XIII. In accordance with the custom then prevailing in the ruling dynasties of Germany, she received her education chiefly from a French governess and from tutors.
According to her memoirs, Sophie was regarded as a tomboy, and trained herself to master a sword. Just prior to her arrival in Russia, she participated in a duel with her female second cousin from AnhALT. She once wrote to her correspondent Baron Grimm: ‘I see nothing of interest in it.’ Catherine came to fear this leading her to fear it leading to bloodletting. The more powerful she became, the more uneventful she became. She was once said to have once wrote: “I once saw nothing ofinterest in it once.” Catherine was once described as a ‘tomboy’ by Baron Grimm, who once wrote that she was ‘uneventful’ and had ‘nothing of interest’ in the event of her death. She died in 1796 and was succeeded by her son Peter III, who was later assassinated by his brother Peter II. Catherine’s son Peter II was the first Russian king to be elected to the European Parliament. Catherine died in 1815 and was replaced by her daughter-in-law, Catherine II, who went on to become a member of the House of Representatives. Catherine is buried in the Tsar’s Palace in Moscow, along with her husband Peter III and her brother Peter I of Russia, as well as her two sons, Peter II and Peter II of Poland and Peter III of Lithuania.
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This page is based on the article Catherine the Great published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
