Five glorious deeds of Catherine II. Time of Catherine II (1762–1796)

Private bussiness

Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst (1729-1796) was born in the German city of Stettin (now Szczecin in Poland) in the family of the city governor Christian August and Johanna Elisabeth. She received a home education - languages, fine arts, history, geography, theology.

Frederica's fate was decided in 1743, when Elizaveta Petrovna, choosing a bride for her heir Peter Fedorovich (the future Russian Emperor Peter III), remembered that her mother had bequeathed to her to become the wife of the Holstein prince, Johanna Elisabeth's brother. In 1744, the Zerbst princess was invited to Russia to marry her second cousin Peter Fedorovich.

Immediately after arriving in Russia, she began to study the Russian language, history, Orthodoxy, and Russian traditions, trying to become more fully acquainted with Russia, which she perceived as a new homeland. In particular, she studied Orthodoxy under the guidance of the famous preacher Simon of Todor.

On July 9, 1744, Sophia Frederica Augusta converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy, receiving the name Ekaterina Alekseevna (the same name and patronymic as Catherine I), and the very next day she was engaged to the future emperor.

On October 1, 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son, Pavel. After this, the relationship between her and Peter, which had previously been tense, completely deteriorated - Peter called his wife “spare madam” and took mistresses, however, without interfering with Catherine’s love affairs. The couple separated even more after the husband's accession to the throne under the name of Peter III in 1762 - he began to live openly with his mistress Elizaveta Vorontsova, settling his wife at the other end of the Winter Palace.

As emperor, Peter III did not gain popularity - he concluded an agreement with Prussia that was unfavorable for Russia, announced the sequestration of the property of the Russian Church, the abolition of monastic land ownership, and shared with those around him plans for the reform of church rites. The sovereign's reputation in the guard suffered especially badly. Supporters of the coup, which was “ripening” even before his ascension to the throne, also accused Peter III of ignorance, dementia, dislike for Russia, and complete inability to rule. Against his background, the 33-year-old intelligent, well-read, pious and benevolent wife looked advantageous. She eventually led the coup on July 9, 1762, taking the oath of the guards units in the absence of her husband. Peter III, seeing the hopelessness of resistance, abdicated the throne the next day, was taken into custody and died under unclear circumstances (presumably poisoned). Ekaterina Alekseevna ascended the throne as reigning empress with the name Catherine II. To justify her own (and not the seven-year-old heir Paul’s) rights to the throne, Catherine referred to “the desire of all Our loyal subjects, obvious and unfeigned.” According to Vasily Klyuchevsky, “Catherine made a double takeover: she took power from her husband and did not transfer it to her son, the natural heir of his father.”

The first important step of the new ruler was the reform of the Senate, which was divided into six departments. At the same time, the general powers of the Senate were reduced - in particular, it lost legislative initiative and became just a body for monitoring the activities of the state apparatus and the highest court. Thus, the center of legislative activity moved directly to Catherine and her cabinet with secretaries of state, which can be considered the beginning of the transition to the policy of absolutism. The Legislative Commission, which was convened, whose task was to systematize the laws, existed for a year and a half, after which it was dissolved under the far-fetched pretext of the need for deputies to go to war with the Ottoman Empire.

Catherine considered the crown of her legislative activity to be the “Charter on the rights, liberties and advantages of the noble nobility” and the “Charter of Grant to Cities,” published in 1785. Both charters finally secured pre-existing rights and privileges for the upper classes and introduced a number of new ones. Thus, the nobility was freed from the quartering of military units and commands, from corporal punishment (as were, according to the second document, merchants of the 1st and 2nd guilds and eminent citizens), received the right of ownership of the bowels of the earth and the right to have their own class institutions. According to historian Nikolai Pavlenko, “in the history of Russia the nobility has never been blessed with such diverse privileges as under Catherine II.”

A parallel process naturally became the ongoing enslavement of peasants, who were called “slaves” not only by later historians and foreign contemporaries, but also by happy owners, as well as the empress herself. Decrees that worsened their situation were adopted throughout the reign of Catherine; Thus, since 1763, the maintenance of military commands sent to suppress peasant uprisings was entrusted to the peasants themselves; two years later, the owners were given the right to send a peasant for disobedience not only to exile, but also to hard labor for an arbitrary term. To prevent the system from causing unwanted disruptions, after another two years the peasants were forbidden to complain about their master.

Such “pressure” could not pass without leaving a trace - a series of uprisings of varying scales followed. The plague epidemic caused the Plague Riot in Moscow in 1771. The uprising, which became one of the largest in the 18th century, was nevertheless suppressed by troops under the command of Grigory Orlov extremely quickly - in just three days. Events unfolded completely differently two years later in the Urals.

Here, the Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev, who declared himself Peter III (he was not the first, but the most successful of those who posed as the miraculously escaped emperor), managed to gather under his banner representatives of a variety of social and ethnic groups, each of which had its own reasons for dissatisfaction. The core of the army was the Cossacks, dissatisfied with the loss of privileges, who were quickly supported by workers (mostly assigned peasants, who, due to their obligation to work at the factory, did not have time for their own farming), peasants and ethnic minorities (Bashkirs, Kazakhs and others). A full-scale civil war lasted until 1775, becoming the largest confrontation of its kind from 1612 until the revolution. One of the consequences of the hardly suppressed uprising was some relaxation in relation to the Cossacks and (it became easier for them to obtain nobility), the peoples of the region (Tatar and Bashkir princes and Murzas were equal) in rights and liberties to the Russian nobility) and workers (limitation of the working day, increase payment). In addition, the uprising became one of the pretexts for the liquidation of the Zaporozhye Sich. The situation of the peasants did not change at all.

A more important consequence of the uprising, however, was the disaggregation of the provinces - 23 provinces were transformed into 53 governorships, each of which was divided into 10-12 districts. Since there were clearly not enough district centers, Catherine II renamed many large rural settlements to cities; In total, 216 cities appeared in Russia (including the construction of new ones). The provincial division introduced by Catherine remained until 1917.

The main directions of foreign policy during Catherine's reign were Polish and Turkish. Under her, three divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place - (1772, 1773 and 1795) between Russia, Austria and Prussia; The result was significant territorial acquisitions by Russia. In 1794, an attempt was made to resist the "tripartite annexation", but the uprising led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko was crushed by the troops of Alexander Suvorov, and soon after the third partition, as a result of the three-power conference on the fall of the Polish state, it lost its sovereignty.

The result of the first “Catherine” Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 (declared by the Ottoman Empire) was the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty, according to which the Crimean Khanate received formal independence (de facto becoming a vassal of Russia), and Russia received a solid indemnity and the northern coast of the Black Sea .

In 1787, Türkiye tried to regain what was lost. The consequence was the brilliant victories of Rumyantsev, Orlov-Chesmensky, Suvorov, Potemkin, Ushakov and - ultimately - the Yassy Peace Treaty of 1791, which assigned Crimea and Ochakov to Russia and pushed the border between the two empires to the Dniester. In general, as a result of two wars, the Northern Black Sea region, Crimea, and the Kuban region went to Russia; The empire's authority on the world stage grew enormously. Another important result of the war was the Treaty of Georgievsk, which established a Russian protectorate over Georgia. According to many historians, these conquests are the main achievement of the reign of Catherine II.

The reign of Catherine II is often called the time of “enlightened absolutism.” The Empress was indeed well acquainted with the ideas of the European Enlightenment and its bearers - her personal acquaintance with Diderot became textbook. A significant impetus was given to education: the Public Library, the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens and the Novodevichy Institute for the education of bourgeois maidens, and pedagogical schools were founded in both capitals. A network of city schools based on a class-lesson system was created. The Academy of Sciences under Catherine became one of the leading European scientific institutions.

Catherine herself was engaged in literary activities - among her works are translations, fables, fairy tales, comedies, essays, librettos for five operas; participated in the weekly satirical magazine “All sorts of things,” published since 1769, and considered herself a patron of the arts. True, researchers note that the empress’s favor extended to a much greater extent to foreign authors, although it was during her reign that the glory of Denis Fonvizin and Gavrila Derzhavin flourished. Her attitude towards other remarkable literary contemporaries was completely different.

The most affected of them were Alexander Radishchev and Nikolai Novikov. Although in “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” there are no calls for the elimination of serfdom, much less the overthrow of the existing system, the author was sentenced to death by quartering (after pardon, replaced by a 10-year exile to Tobolsk) - because his book is “filled with harmful speculation that destroys public peace, detracts from the respect due to authority...” Novikov’s magazine “Truten”, which allowed itself to write about the arbitrariness of landowners towards peasants, endemic corruption and other ills of society, was closed. Taught by bitter experience, the publisher in the new magazine “Zhivopiets” tried to avoid sensitive social topics, but he too suffered the same fate. Finally, although the study of books published by Novikov, specially “ordered” by Catherine, did not reveal anything “harmful” in them, in 1785, by personal decree of the Empress, the publisher was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress, from where only Paul I released him.

The empress, who ruled Russia controversially for 34 years, died on November 17, 1796 from a cerebral hemorrhage in the Winter Palace. She was buried in the tomb of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

What is she famous for?

“Tsar Baba” (in her own words), under which the Russian Empire acquired the status of a great power, the first in terms of population in Europe. During her era, the country made extremely important territorial acquisitions (expansion of a similar scale would occur only during the reign of Alexander II), the amount of state revenues quadrupled, and the army was doubled. The name of the “golden age” was firmly attached to Catherine’s reign (although this is true mainly in relation to the nobility).

What you need to know

One of the most striking - and invariably arousing the widest interest - signs of Catherine's time was favoritism. Repeated attempts were made to count the number of “persons especially close to the Empress.” The most famous of them were Sergei Saltykov (according to some assumptions, the father of Paul I), who became the king of Poland, Stanislav Poniatovsky, after his connection with Catherine (and, apparently, partly as a result of it). According to some sources, Catherine was secretly married to the latter. The Empress had two sons: Paul I and (from Grigory Orlov) Alexei Bobrinsky; daughter Anna died in infancy.

Catherine’s personal life is surrounded by many “scandals, intrigues and investigations.” There is no doubt that her favorites received undeserved rewards that had a solid material and/or career equivalent: for example, Field Marshal Rumyantsev was removed from command of the army to please Potemkin, who envied him, despite his undeniable military merits. The morals that reigned at court, generally “looking at faces” and not at merit, set a bad example locally: corruption became one of the integral features of the reign of Catherine II.

Direct speech

About the state:“In Russia everything is secret, but there are no secrets.”

About serfs:“There are no slaves in Russia. The serf peasants in Russia are independent in spirit, although they feel coerced in their bodies.”

On the welfare of the people:“Our taxes are so light that there is not a man in Russia who does not have a chicken whenever he wants one, and for some time now they have preferred turkeys to chickens.”

About the welfare of the people -II (1770 - the year of the hunger riots):“In Russia everything is going on as usual: there are provinces where they hardly know that we have been at war for two years. There is no shortage of anything anywhere: they sing thanksgiving prayers, dance and have fun.”

About the sad fate of the ruler (addressing Denis Diderot):“You write on paper that will endure anything, but I, poor empress, write on human skin, so sensitive and painful.”

About the passion for literature and lawmaking:“I cannot see a clean pen without immediately wanting to dip it into ink.”

About myself (prepared autoepitaph):“Here lies Catherine the Second. She arrived in Russia in 1744 to marry Peter III. At the age of fourteen, she made a threefold decision: to please her husband, Elizabeth and the people. She left no stone unturned to achieve success in this regard. Eighteen years of boredom and loneliness prompted her to read many books. Having ascended the Russian throne, she made every effort to give her subjects happiness, freedom and material well-being. She easily forgave and did not hate anyone. She was forgiving, loved life, had a cheerful disposition, was a true Republican in her convictions and had a kind heart. She had friends. The work was easy for her. She liked social entertainment and the arts."

Belgian Prince Charles Joseph de Ligne about Catherine's reign:“Ekaterina collected the unfinished fragments and unfinished parts that remained in Peter’s workshop. Having supplemented them, she built a building and now, through hidden springs, sets in motion the gigantic composition, that is, Russia. She gave her device, strength and strength. This structure, strength and strength will flourish hour by hour more and more if Catherine’s successors follow in her footsteps.”

Alexander Pushkin about the reign of Catherine:“The reign of Catherine II had a new and strong influence on the political and moral state of Russia. Enthroned by the conspiracy of several rebels, she enriched them at the expense of the people and humiliated our restless nobility. If to reign means to know the weakness of the human soul and to use it, then in this regard Catherine deserves the surprise of posterity. Her splendor dazzled, her friendliness attracted, her generosity attracted. The very voluptuousness of this cunning woman asserted her dominion. Producing a weak murmur among the people, accustomed to respecting the vices of their rulers, it aroused vile competition in the highest states, for no intelligence, no merit, no talent was needed to achieve second place in the state.”

Friedrich Engels about Catherine's era:“The court of Catherine II turned into the capital of the then enlightened people, especially the French; She managed to mislead public opinion so much that Voltaire and many others praised the “northern Semiramis” and proclaimed Russia the most progressive country in the world, the fatherland of liberal principles, the champion of religious tolerance.”

Vasily Klyuchevsky about the nobleman of Catherine’s era:“... He was a very strange phenomenon: the manners, habits, concepts, feelings he had acquired, the very language in which he thought - everything was foreign, everything was imported, and at home he had no living organic connections with those around him, no serious business ... in the West, abroad, they saw him as a Tatar in disguise, and in Russia they looked at him as a Frenchman who had accidentally been born in Russia.”

8 facts about CatherineII

• The system of public administration under Catherine II was reformed for the first time since the time of Peter I
• It was under Catherine II that serfdom was introduced in Little Russia and Novorossia
• The first few meetings of the Statutory Commission were devoted only to how to name the Empress in gratitude for her initiative in convening the department; then the title “Catherine the Great” appeared
• Catherine was awarded the Russian Orders of St. Catherine, St. Andrew the First-Called, St. George and St. Vladimir, the Swedish Order of the Seraphim, and the Prussian Orders of the Black and White Eagle
• Using materials prepared on Catherine’s instructions, Voltaire wrote a history of Peter I, which was skeptically accepted by his contemporaries
• Catherine sniffed tobacco - but, in order not to poison her subjects with the smell, she took a pinch with her left hand
• The total number of Catherine's favorites, according to authoritative estimates, is 23 people
• Among the actresses who played the empress in the movies are Pola Negri, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Marina Vladi,

Materials about CatherineII

Portrait of Catherine II, F. S. Rokotov

• Years of life: May 2 (April 21), 1729 – November 17 (6), 1796
• Years of reign: July 9 (June 28), 1762 – November 17 (6), 1796
• Father and mother: Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst and Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp.
• Spouse: .
• Children: Pavel (Paul I), Anna, Alexey Grigorievich Bobrinsky.

Catherine II ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. She was born on April 21 (May 2 according to the new calendar) 1729 in Prussia in the city of Stettin (currently called Szczecin and part of Poland).

Catherine II Alekseevna: childhood and early years

At birth she was called Sophia Frederika August of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her father was Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the service of the King of Prussia. And his mother, Johanna Elisabeth, was a cousin of Peter III.

Sofia was home-schooled, she was taught dance, foreign languages, history, geography, theology, etc. Since childhood, she was distinguished by perseverance, curiosity, independence and loved outdoor and active games. From an early age, Ekaterina had a strong character.

Catherine II in Russia

In 1744, Elizaveta Petrovna invited Sofia and her mother to Russia. Sofia immediately began to diligently study the language, traditions and customs of her new homeland. She even studied at night. On June 28, Sofia converted to Christianity and received a new name - Ekaterina Alekseevna.

From the very beginning, the marriage of Catherine and Peter was not successful. At first, he was not at all interested in his wife, he even said that he had another one. Catherine continued to actively engage in self-education: she studied the works of French enlighteners, jurisprudence, economics and history. Obviously, all this significantly influenced Catherine’s worldview and her policies: she was a supporter of the ideas of the Enlightenment. She also paid great attention to studying the traditions and customs of the Russian people. Catherine's pastimes included hunting, dancing and horseback riding.

The lack of relationship between the spouses led to the fact that Catherine had lovers. At the beginning of 1750, she started an affair with guard officer S.V. Saltykov. But despite the cold relationship between the spouses and their infidelity, Empress Elizabeth was unhappy with the lack of heirs.

Catherine had two unsuccessful pregnancies, but on September 20, 1754, she gave birth to a son, Pavel. There was an opinion that his real father was Saltykov, but evidence of these rumors was not presented. After the birth of the heir, Empress Elizabeth ordered him to be taken away immediately; his mother was not allowed to raise him. Catherine first saw Pavel only when he was already more than a month old.

After these events, the relationship between Peter and Catherine completely deteriorated, and he stopped hiding his mistresses. Catherine had a new affair with Stanislaw Poniatowski, who later became King of Poland.

On December 9, 1757, Anna was born, Catherine’s second child. Peter was unhappy because... suspected that he was not the father. The girl did not live long - only two years.

During this period, Catherine II's position became quite precarious. It was caused not only by the lack of marital relations, but also by the fact that Catherine corresponded with her close friend, the English Ambassador Williams. He repeatedly provided her with loans in exchange for information regarding political issues. Catherine promised him that in the future she would conclude a friendly alliance between Russia and England.

Elizaveta Petrovna was ill, and Catherine was preparing a conspiracy against her husband so that she would get the throne and not him. Catherine's supporters were Apraksin and Bestuzhev. But Elizabeth found out about this betrayal and arrested them; later Catherine had to look for new allies, who became Orlov G.G., Panin N.I., Dashkova E.R., Razumovsky K.G. etc.

She died on December 25, 1761, and Peter III ascended the throne. His relationship with his wife deteriorated even further: he began to live with his mistress Elizaveta Vorontsova, and settled his wife on the other side of the Winter Palace. During these events, Catherine had a love relationship with Grigory Orlov, with whom she gave birth to a son, Alexei Bobrinsky, in 1762. Of course, she had to hide the pregnancy, and the birth also took place secretly, since at that moment she hardly saw her husband.

Peter's actions in both foreign and domestic policy caused discontent. He concluded an agreement with Prussia and returned part of the lands to it, despite the fact that Russia won a number of battles in the Seven Years' War. In addition, he planned to move against Denmark together with Prussia. In addition, Peter III was going to abolish church landholdings, making them secular property, and change church rituals. In parallel with this, Catherine’s supporters won over the officers to their side.

Peter's actions led to the fact that he was considered unworthy to rule the state; he looked ignorant and disrespectful of tradition; Catherine, who planned to stage a coup, looked favorably against his background.

The reign of Catherine II. The essence of politics

On June 28, 1762, Catherine arrived in St. Petersburg, where the Izmailovsky regiments swore allegiance to her. At this time, Peter III was in Oranienbaum. Upon learning of the coup, he proposed negotiations, which were immediately rejected, so he was forced to abdicate. Catherine II became the head of state. But Peter did not give up trying to regain the throne; on July 17, 1762, he died.

Catherine, having become empress, issued a manifesto in which she justified the overthrow of Peter due to the conclusion of peace with Prussia and an attempt to carry out church reform. Peter's son Paul should become emperor, but the justification for Catherine's transition to power was the desire of the entire Russian people.

The reign of Catherine II is called the “golden age” of the Russian Empire. She knew how to select assistants well and was not afraid to surround herself with bright people; it was during her reign that many famous statesmen and creative people appeared.

In her politics, Catherine acted smoothly; she carried out a reform of the Senate, converted church lands into secular property, and made changes to the administrative and judicial spheres.

She believed it was important to educate the people she managed. It was during the reign of Catherine II that new educational institutions were opened, for the first time special for women, free printing houses were created, the Hermitage and the Public Library were opened. She loved writing, and during her life she wrote quite a few comedies, fairy tales, fables, and even librettos for operas.

Catherine II was categorically against serfdom, but she did not dare to abolish it, because... She understood that as a result she would lose the support of the nobility, and perhaps another coup would occur. In addition, the peasants were not educated and were not yet ready to live freely.

As for foreign policy, Catherine believed, as well as, that it was necessary to take an active position and act. First of all, she broke the agreement with Prussia, which was concluded by Peter III. Catherine II ensured that her protege Stanislav August Poniatowski took the Polish throne. Austria and Prussia offered Russia to divide the lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; in case of disagreement, they threatened war. As a result, after three partitions, Russia received part of Belarus, Lithuanian provinces and Ukrainian lands.

From 1768 to 1792 there were Russian-Turkish wars, the result of which was the expansion of Russian territory at the expense of the lands of the Crimea, the North Caucasus and the Black Sea region. Relations with both Sweden and Prussia also normalized.

Catherine’s romances with each were short-lived: she lived with them for several years, after which she broke up. But she did not disgrace any of them; she rewarded them all with titles, good positions and money. It was under Catherine II that favoritism reached its peak.

Death of Catherine II

November 17 (November 6 according to the old calendar) Catherine II died. She was buried together with her husband Peter III (his ashes were transferred from the Winter Palace) in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

After the shameful reign of Emperor Peter 3, the Russian throne was taken by Empress Catherine 2 the Great. Her reign lasted 34 (thirty-four) years, during which Russia managed to restore order within the country and strengthen the position of the fatherland in the international arena.

The reign of Catherine 2 began in 1762. From the moment she came to power, the young empress was distinguished by her intelligence and desire to do everything possible to bring order to the country after long palace coups. For these purposes, Empress Catherine 2 the Great carried out the so-called policy of enlightened absolutism in the country. The essence of this policy was to educate the country, give peasants minimal rights, promote the opening of new enterprises, annex church lands to state lands, and much more. In 1767, the Empress gathered in the Kremlin the Legislative Commission, which was supposed to develop a new, fair set of laws for the country.

While dealing with the internal affairs of the state, Catherine 2 had to constantly look back at her neighbors. In 1768, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia. Each side pursued different goals in this war. The Russians entered the war hoping to secure access to the Black Sea. The Ottoman Empire hoped to expand the borders of its possessions at the expense of the Russian Black Sea lands. The first years of the war did not bring success to either side. However, in 1770, General Rumyantsev defeated the Turkish army at the Larga River. In 1772, the young commander Suvorov A.V. was involved in the war, transferred to the Turkish front from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The commander immediately, in 1773, captured the important fortress of Turtukai and crossed the Danube. As a result, the Turks offered peace, signed in 1774 at Kuçyur-Kaynarci. Under this treaty, Russia received the territory between southern But and the Dnieper, as well as the fortresses of Yenikale and Kerch.

Empress Catherine II the Great was in a hurry to end the war with the Turks, since by 1773 popular unrest began to arise for the first time in the south of the country. These unrest resulted in a peasant war led by E. Pugachev. Pugachev, posing as the miraculously saved Peter 3, raised the peasants to war with the empress. Russia has never known such bloody uprisings. It was completed only in 1775. Pugachev was quartered.

In the period from 1787 to 1791, Russia was again forced to fight. This time we had to fight on two fronts: in the south with the Turks, in the north with the Swedes. The Turkish company became the benefit of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. The Russian commander glorified himself by winning great victories for Russia. In this war, under the command of Suvorov, his student, Kutuzov M.I., began to win his first victories. The war with Sweden was not as fierce as with Turkey. The main events took place in Finland. The decisive battle took place at the Vyborg naval battle in June 1790. The Swedes were defeated. A peace treaty was signed, preserving the existing borders of the state. On the Turkish front, Potemkin and Suvorov won one victory after another. As a result, Türkiye was again forced to ask for peace. As a result of which, in 1791, the Dniester River became the border between Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

Empress Catherine the Great did not forget about the western borders of the state. Together with Austria and Prussia, Russia took part in three sections of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. As a result of these divisions, Poland ceased to exist, and Russia regained most of the original Russian lands.

Daughter of Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst and Princess Johanna Elisabeth.

Born April 21 (May 2), 1729 in Schettin. Her father, Prince Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerb, served the Prussian king, but his family was considered impoverished. Sophia Augusta's mother was the sister of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden. Other relatives of the mother of the future Empress Catherine ruled Prussia and England. Sofia Augusta, (family nickname - Fike) was the eldest daughter in the family. She was educated at home.

In 1739, 10-year-old Princess Fike was introduced to her future husband, heir to the Russian throne Karl Peter Ulrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, who was the nephew of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich Romanov. The heir to the Russian throne made a negative impression on high Prussian society, showing himself to be ill-mannered and narcissistic.

In 1778, she composed the following epitaph for herself:

Having ascended to the Russian throne, she wished well

And she strongly wanted to give her subjects Happiness, Freedom and Prosperity.

She easily forgave and did not deprive anyone of their freedom.

She was lenient, didn't make life difficult for herself, and had a cheerful disposition.

She had a republican soul and a kind heart. She had friends.

Work was easy for her, friendship and the arts brought her joy.

Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin (according to some sources)

Anna Petrovna

Alexey Grigorievich Bobrinsky

Elizaveta Grigorievna Tyomkina

At the end of the 19th century, a collection of works was published Catherine II in 12 volumes, which included children's moral tales written by the empress, pedagogical teachings, dramatic plays, articles, autobiographical notes, translations.

The reign of Ekaterina Alekseevna is often considered the “golden age” of the Russian Empire. Thanks to her reform activities, she is the only Russian ruler who, like Peter I, was awarded the epithet “Great” in the historical memory of her compatriots.

A foreigner by birth, she sincerely loved Russia and cared about the welfare of her subjects. Having taken the throne through a palace coup, the wife of Peter III tried to implement the best ideas of the European Enlightenment into the life of Russian society. At the same time, Catherine opposed the outbreak of the Great French Revolution (1789-1799), outraged by the execution of the French king Louis XVI of Bourbon (January 21, 1793) and predetermining Russia's participation in the anti-French coalition of European states at the beginning of the 19th century.

Catherine II Alekseevna (nee Sophia Augusta Frederica, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst) was born on May 2, 1729 in the German city of Stettin (modern territory of Poland), and died on November 17, 1796 in St. Petersburg.

The daughter of Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the Prussian service, and Princess Johanna Elisabeth (née Princess Holstein-Gottorp), she was related to the royal houses of Sweden, Prussia and England. She received a home education, the course of which, in addition to dance and foreign languages, also included the basics of history, geography and theology.

In 1744, she and her mother were invited to Russia by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, and baptized according to Orthodox custom under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna. Soon her engagement to Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (future Emperor Peter III) was announced, and in 1745 they got married.

Catherine understood that the court loved Elizabeth, did not accept many of the oddities of the heir to the throne, and, perhaps, after Elizabeth’s death, it was she who, with the support of the court, would ascend to the Russian throne. Catherine studied the works of figures of the French Enlightenment, as well as jurisprudence, which had a significant impact on her worldview. In addition, she made as much effort as possible to study, and perhaps understand, the history and traditions of the Russian state. Because of her desire to know everything Russian, Catherine won the love of not only the court, but also the whole of St. Petersburg.

After the death of Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine’s relationship with her husband, never distinguished by warmth and understanding, continued to deteriorate, taking on clearly hostile forms. Fearing arrest, Ekaterina, with the support of the Orlov brothers, N.I. Panina, K.G. Razumovsky, E.R. Dashkova, on the night of June 28, 1762, when the emperor was in Oranienbaum, carried out a palace coup. Peter III was exiled to Ropsha, where he soon died under mysterious circumstances.

Having begun her reign, Catherine tried to implement the ideas of the Enlightenment and organize the state in accordance with the ideals of this most powerful European intellectual movement. Almost from the first days of her reign, she has been actively involved in government affairs, proposing reforms that are significant for society. On her initiative, a reform of the Senate was carried out in 1763, which significantly increased the efficiency of its work. Wanting to strengthen the dependence of the church on the state, and to provide additional land resources to the nobility supporting the policy of reforming society, Catherine carried out the secularization of church lands (1754). The unification of administration of the territories of the Russian Empire began, and the hetmanate in Ukraine was abolished.

A champion of Enlightenment, Catherine creates a number of new educational institutions, including for women (Smolny Institute, Catherine School).

In 1767, the Empress convened a commission, which included representatives of all segments of the population, including peasants (except serfs), to compose a new code - a code of laws. To guide the work of the Legislative Commission, Catherine wrote “The Mandate,” the text of which was based on the writings of educational authors. This document, in essence, was the liberal program of her reign.

After the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. and the suppression of the uprising under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev, a new stage of Catherine’s reforms began, when the empress independently developed the most important legislative acts and, taking advantage of the unlimited power of her power, put them into practice.

In 1775, a manifesto was issued that allowed the free opening of any industrial enterprises. In the same year, a provincial reform was carried out, which introduced a new administrative-territorial division of the country, which remained until 1917. In 1785, Catherine issued letters of grant to the nobility and cities.

In the foreign policy arena, Catherine II continued to pursue an offensive policy in all directions - northern, western and southern. The results of foreign policy can be called the strengthening of Russia's influence on European affairs, three sections of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, strengthening of positions in the Baltic states, annexation of Crimea, Georgia, participation in countering the forces of revolutionary France.

The contribution of Catherine II to Russian history is so significant that her memory is preserved in many works of our culture.