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Catherine was born a princess in Stettin, Germany. Originally known as Sophia Augusta Frederica.
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Catherine was born a princess originally known as Sophia Augusta Frederica (Lutheran); daughter of Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zebst and Princess Johanna Elizabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. She, unfortunately, was not the boy her parents wished for, so, they neglected her and did not show much affection to her. Instead, she grew close to her governess Babette who she loved dearly. Catherine was very smart. She was taught religion (Lutheranism), history, French, German, Russian and music.
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A teenage Catherine traveled with her mother to Russia after they were invited by empress Elizabeth at St. Petersburg.During her visit in Russia, Catherine met Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the throne after Empress Elizabeth.
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After converting to Russian Orthodoxy from Lutheranism, Catherine earns her new name (Catherine) and gets engaged to Grand Duke Peter.
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16 year old Catherine and Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the throne, are married, yet, the marriage is an unhappy one. The Russian she learned as a child will now come in handy as she starts to try and master the language.
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(Currently) Grand Duke Peter and Catherine's first son named Paul is born
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After Empress Elizabeth died, Grand Duke Peter was proclaimed Emperor and Catherine proclaimed Empress
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Catherine had many plans put for Russia, but her primary concern during her Early Reign was to secure the throne for herself and gain the trust of people around her.
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With the aid from her new lover Gregory Orlov, Catherine rallied troops into St. Petersburg and overthrew Peter III and declared herself Catherine II, the sole ruler of Russia. She had Peter arrested and imprisoned him. He was killed by his captors a few days later.
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Catherine tried to reform the legal system of Russia and modernize it but due to the delegates she selected from every class (except the serfs) not cooperating with her, she failed and gave up on the idea.
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A Cossack by the name of Yemelyan Pugachev claimed himself to be Peter III and rebelled against Catherine. He managed to gain support of many people including mostly of Cossacks, peasants and low class citizens. The rebellion was incredibly threatening to Catherine and threatened her position.
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After many expeditions by Russian imperial forces and the capture of Pugachev, Catherine felt secure again, but the events of the rebellion led her to conclude that she needed to strengthen the nobles and her positions, not improve the lives of the lower classes.
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Catherine's accomplished many things after the Pugachev uprising. She expanded Russia geographically. She expanded Russia intellectually, building many schools. She expanded Russia economically. She built cities and towns attracting many foreigners.
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