-
Birth
Catherine the II was born Sophie Friederike Aguste in Germany to a small German prince. -
Moved to Russia
Catherine and her mother moved from Germany to Russia to start relationships with others noblemen to get Catherine ready to take power. This was monumental for Catherine because it was her first taste of Russia culture and got her started with her political career. -
Converted to Russian Orthodox
Catherine the II was born a German Lutheran but converted to Russian Orthodox to be fit for rule in Russia which her father strongly disagreed. This was a big for Catherine because she was already an outsider being the Queen of Russia while having being born in Germany. This was one of the ways she fit in with the culture of Russia. -
Relationship with Peter
Catherine started her relationship with Peter the then Grand Duke. He was immature and did not care for Catherine much and eventually took throne after Queen Elizabeth's death. She had to keep herself busy by studying because her husband did not care for her anymore. -
Gave Birth
Catherine after marrying Peter the III years earlier finally gave birth to her first heir, Paul. Peter is the assumed father but it is still under debate because Catherine and Peter were not close at the time and an unknown father was a possibility. Catherine was living almost a completely separate life from her husband because of his liking of mistresses. -
Crowned Queen
Catherine became empress and autocrat of all of Russia. -
Reinstated Secret Police
Catherine's fear of being assassinated reaches an all time high and reacts by bringing back the abolished Russian secret police to attempt to subdue conspiracy plots. -
Closed Private Schools
Catherine highly encouraged and desperately wanted better and more education in Russia. Catherine closed private schools in order reform the entire education system from the ground up. Catherine was `a scholar herself took pride in the construction. -
Founded School for Girls
Catherine the Great founded the first boarding school in Russia for girls was a very personal to her because it was a ideal she highly valued. The school still is in operation today in St. Petersberg. -
Catherine's Promotion of Art
Catherine's love for the arts made her a key component in the advancement in the arts in Russia. She wrote novels, plays, and even painted during her later years. Catherine held art close to her throughout her life by providing asylum for philosophers all over especially those who she studied from France. -
Invasion of Ottoman Empire
Catherine the Great achieved both of her foreign policies in the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. The first policy was gaining more land which Russia accomplished by taking Ottoman land.The second policy Catherine achieved was better reputation because Russia is now no longer alone in the far northeast of Europe but now has access to the Caspian Sea which opens up new possibilities of negotiating with foreign nations. Invading the Ottomans was a huge moral victory for Catherine's pride. -
French Revolution
The French Revolution was a historical European event which was very eye opening for Catherine the Great. The same ideals and morals by French philosophers Catherine studied were factors for the uprising. The revolution made Catherine look back at her goals because the fact that those same ideals she built Russia with were the same ones causing a revolution against monarchy. Catherine felt like her plans were for nothing. -
Censorship of the Press
During the aftermath of the French Revolution Catherine felt her power slipping and tried her best to keep it by censoring the press. She did it attempting to stop an uprising from happening like the one in France. This was hard for Catherine because it went back on her ideals and morals but had to be done to secure her grasp on power. -
Death
Catherine died due to a serve stroke.
