Catherine the great facts

Catherine the Great (Catherine II)

By camihenry25

  • Date of Birth

    Catherine II was born with the name Sophia Frederica Augusta on May 2, 1729 in Stettin, Prussia which is now known as Szczecin, Poland.

  • Catherine Moves to Russia

    Catherine goes to Russia with her mother Elizabeth. When she is there, it is decided that she marries Grand Duke Peter and becomes Russian royalty.

  • Marries into Russian Royal Family

    Catherine II married Peter III becoming a grand duchess.
  • First Child

    First Child

    Catherine's first child was born September 20, 1754 and was named Paul.

  • Mother Passes Away

    Catherine's mother, Empress Elizabeth passed away on December 25,1761. Catherine's husband, Peter III, took over her thrown but was overthrown six months later by Catherine herself.

  • Date of Taking Power

    After her mother, Empress Elizabeth, passed away, Peter III (Catherine's husband) took throne while Catherine became the Empress Consort. Six months later, Peter was overthrown by a coup directed by Catherine.
  • First Husband Dies

    First Husband Dies

    Catherine's first husband passed away on July 17,1762 and many believe that Catherine played a roll in his death.
  • Officially Becomes Russian Empress

    Officially Becomes Russian Empress

    Catherine first claimed herself as Russian Empress in July, but officially became the Empress in September. She was crowned and had a big ceremony that day.

  • Forms Legislative Commision

    Catherine formed the Legislative Commission which included delegates from different social and economic classes. Although this meeting did not create any laws, it was the first time the Russians got to express their thoughts coming from all sorts of social perspectives.
  • Period: to

    Slowly Gained Poland Land

    Starting in 1772, Russia, Austria, and Prussia started to gain parts of Poland because of disputes they had with the Poland ruler. Within the time span of 23 years, the three countries gained all of Poland.
  • Shares Power with Nobles

    Shares Power with Nobles

    In 1773, Russian Serfs planned a massive uprising that was brutally shut down by Catherine's army. In a result of this rebellion, Catherine felt that her throne was being threatened by the serfs so she assigned nobles absolute power over all Russian serfs.
  • Marries Again

    Marries Again

    Catherine married again in 1774 to Russian army officer and statesman, Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin.

  • Death Date

    Catherine II passed away on November 17, 1796 in Tsarskoye Selo, which is now known as Pushkin.

  • Date of Leaving Power

    When Catherine II died, she was still the Russian Empress. Therefore, her date of leaving power was the same day of her death date.