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Birth
Catherine the Great / Catherine II's birth name was Sophie Friederike Auguste and was born in Prussia. She grew up in a small principality called Anhalt-Zebst. Her father, Christian August, was a prince of this tiny dominion, he was famous his military career by serving as a general. And her mother, Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp spent more time on her younger brother than her daughter. Catherine was nurtured by her governess, Babette. -
Husband and Heir
She married Russian's Grand Duke Peter. In 1744, when her and her mother traveled to Russia to meet with Empress Elizabeth. Elizabeth had once been engaged to Johanna's older brother, who died of " smallpox". Elizabeth wanted to see if Catherine would be suitable for her heir, Peter. Peter was immature and juvenile, preferring to play with toy soldiers and mistresses than to be his wife. Peter was cruel to his wife and wanted his mistress and him to rule together when he ascended to throne. -
Children
She finally produced an heir with her son Paul. Th paternity of her Paul has been a subject of great debate among scholars, with some saying that Paul's father was Sergei Saltykov, a Russian noble and a member of the court, and others pointing to Paul's resemblance to Peter as proof of them being related. She spent a little time with Paul but Elizabeth took over raising him. Catherine had 3 other children later. -
Early Reign
She felt concerned about falling by opposing forces. She sought to appease the military and the Church. She remembered the troops that Peter sent to fight Denmark, and promoted and gifted those who sponsored her as the new empress. She also returned the land and property that Peter took from the church. Then, made the church part of the state. She styled herself after Peter, claiming that she was following his footsteps. Then, she commissioned a sculpture, Bronze Horseman to honor Peter. -
Reign Part 2 ( 1764-1796)
Her army won against the Ottoman Turks, and had control of the Northern Shore of the Black sea. And also expanded her empire westward into Poland. The king was weak and it's independent nobles held the most power. Then, 3 neighboring powers: Russia, Prussia & Austria each tried to declare their influence over the country. Then, Catherine grabbed up the rest of Poland. She had a remarkable reign. Russia now has great power but so does Britain, faced the North Colonies. -
Education and the Arts
She was tutored by a military chaplain. She learned 3 Langagues: German, French and Russian. And she sought to change a negative opinion about Russia through her expanding educational oppotunities. She also went to boarding school for girls with noble families in St. Petersburg. She was also devoted to arts,and sponsored many cultural projects. In her school, she had a theater built for opera and ballet performance - and wrote a few librettos by herself. She was also a prominent art collector. -
Nakaz and Reform Attempts
Catherine put together a file which was the " Nakaz', it talked about how the country's legal system ran. She sorted out about the capital punishment that she wanted, torture to be outlawed and calling for every man to be declared equal. When she finalized the "Nakaz", she brought delegates together from different social and economic classes to form the Legislative Commission in 1767. But it was the Russian's first time to express their thoughts about the country's needs and problems. -
Reign Part 1 (1767 - 1773)
Catherine made an order to review Russia's laws and present it based on Montesquieu and Beccaria's ideas. She wanted religious toleration, wanted to abolish torture and capital punishment but none of these happened. Then, she improved the life of Russian Peasants. Her army crushed the rebellion, then the revolt convinced her that she needed the nobles' support for her to keep her throne. Then, she gave the nobles absolute power over the serfs. So, the Russian serfs lost their chances of freedom. -
Romantic Life (1762 - 1796)
Catherine could not remarry because it would threaten her position. Behind the scenes, she seemed to have quite the sexual appetite. She had around 12 lovers during her life. In order to win these men's favors, they gave her gifts, honors and titles on those she liked. When her relationship's end, she always finds a way to get her new lover out of her "hair". Gregory Potemkin, her most significant lover, spent many years as her favorite, and remained lifelong friends when their feelings ended. -
Death
She was found laying on her bathroom floor unconscious. She might had suffered stroke. People have been waiting for her to wake up but her consciousness never came back. At the Winter Palace, her coffin lies next to her husband, Peter. As their son Paul, wanted his father's remains to lie next to his mom's. Giving Peter III the honors he had not receive after his assassination. Catherine was remembered for her romantic connections than her accomplishments
