CATHERINE THE GREAT
CATHERINE THE GREAT
Catherine the Great
Former Emperor of All Russia
Yekaterina Alexeevna or Catherine II, also
known as Catherine the Great, was the most
renowned and the longest-ruling female leader
of Russia, reigning from 9 July [O.S. 28 June]
1762 until her death in 1796 at the age of 67.
Born: May 2, 1729, Szczecin, Poland
Died: November 17, 1796, Saint Petersburg,
Russia
Full name: Sophie Friederike Auguste von
Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg
WHY I PICKED HER
Power following a coup d'état, at
the end of the Seven Years' War,
shortly upon which her husband,
Peter III, was assassinated. [1]
Russia was revitalized under her
reign, growing larger and stronger
than ever and becoming
recognized as one of the great
powers of Europe.
In both her accession to power and in rule of her empire,
Catherine often relied on her noble favorites, most
notably Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted
by highly successful generals such as Pyotr Rumyantsev
and Alexander Suvorov, and admirals such as Fyodor
Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian
Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and
diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was
crushed following victories over the Ottoman Empire in
the Russo-Turkish wars, and Russia colonised the vast
territories of Novorossiya along the coasts of the Black
and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, king
Stanisław August Poniatowski, was eventually
partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the
largest share. In the east, Russia started to colonise
Alaska, establishing Russian America
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Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas,
and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. An
admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise
Russia along Western European lines. However, military
conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and
the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to
increased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief
reasons behind several rebellions, including the large-scale
Pugachev's Rebellion of cossacks and peasants.
The period of Catherine the Great's rule, the Catherinian Era,
is often considered the Golden Age of the Russian Empire and the
Russian nobility. The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility,
issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by
Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state
service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the
classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the
country. A notable example of an enlightened despot, a
correspondent of Voltaire and an amateur opera librettist,
Catherine presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment,
when the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher
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
Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas, and many new
cities and towns were founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great,
Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines.
However, military conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom,
and the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to
increased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief reasons behind
several rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev's Rebellion of cossacks
and peasants.
The period of Catherine the Great's rule, the Catherinian Era, is often
considered the Golden Age of the Russian Empire and the Russian nobility.
The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of
Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory
military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in
the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country.
A notable example of an enlightened despot, a correspondent of Voltaire and
an amateur opera librettist, Catherine presided over the age of the Russian
Enlightenment, when the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher
education institution for women in Europe, was established.
THIS WAS
DONE BY
Méadhbh
mockler
MÉADHBH MOCKLER