Catherine the Great

Death of Sibling

1742

Catherine's younger brother William Christian Frederick died

Married

Aug 21, 1745

Catherine married Grand Duke Peter III at only 15 years old

Death of Father

Mar 16, 1747

Catherine's father, Christian August, died

Birth of Son

Sep 20, 1754

Catherine gave birth to her son, Paul. It is speculated that Peter was not the father and that the father was her lover, Sergei Saltykov

Death of Aunt-In-Law

1761

Czarina Elizabeth died. She was the aunt of Catherine's husband, Peter. She protected Catherine and after her death Catherine was living in fear

Death of Husband

Jul 6, 1762

Peter III was killed in an apparent quarrel with a guard. Historians speculated that Catherine orchestrated the murder to protect herself and her son, as well as to come into power

Lover Became King

1764

Stanislas Poniatowski, Catherine's lover, was elected as the next king of Poland thanks to her military influence

Death of Rival

1775

Emilian Pugachev was beheaded in Moscow after leading a rebellion against Catherine. Thanks to her powerful troops he was stopped

Death of King Louis XVI

1793

King Louis XVI of France was beheaded in Paris. Catherine was severely shocked because his death was the result of ideas of men she supported

Stroke

1796

Catherine suffered a massive stroke that would eventually lead to her death and the end of her reign as the empress and autocrat of all the Russias