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Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg was born of her father, Christian August: Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, and her mother, Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. She was bon in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia.
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Catherine's first brother, Prince Christian Wilhelm Friedrich, died at the age of 12. Catherine and her other sibling, Prince Friedrich Augustus were the only of 5 to live into adulthood.
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A teenage Catherine travelled with he mother to Russia to meet Empress Elizabeth and Peter III
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She converted from Lutheranism to Russian Orthodox, and change he name to Catherine (Yekaterina), because she was to marry a Russian Tsar.
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She married Peter, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
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Gave birth to her son Paul I
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Catherine's mother, Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp dies in Paris, France at the age of 47.
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Catherine's husband Peter became Emperor of Russia. Catherine became Empress Consort.
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Catherine's husband, Emperor Peter III is assassinated in Ropsha during a coup organized by Catherine herself. She became official Empress.
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Catherine II is officially crowned as Empress of Russia. Named her son as her heir.
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The Establishment of the Smolny Institute for Girls was created by Catherine in hopes to increase education for girls in Russia. 11 years after, the Imperial Russian Dictionary was established, which include the vocabulary of over 200 different languages.
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After a smallpox epidemic in Siberia, Catherine recruited Dr. Thomas Dimsdale from England to develop a vaccine. She and her son were the fist to be vaccinated to show the people it was safe.
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Catherine II died of a stroke while on the toilet (64). Her son, Paul I (42), took the throne as Emperor on the same day.
