Catherine II (1729-1796)

Catherine II - wife of Peter III; Russian empress in 1762-1796 She came from a small North German princely family. Born Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst. Received a home education. Intelligent and ambitious, she was brought up in severity, and her natural pride was suppressed in every possible way. In 1744. Catherine II arrived in Russia at the invitation of Elizaveta Petrovna. Having adopted Orthodoxy and received the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna, in 1745. married the Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (Peter Ulrich), later Peter III. In 1754. Catherine II gave birth to a son, the future emperor Paul I. After the accession of Peter III, who was increasingly hostile to her, her position became precarious. Relying on the guards regiments, June 28, 1762. Catherine II made a bloodless coup and became an autocratic empress. Catherine II was a subtle psychologist and an excellent connoisseur of people, she skillfully selected assistants for herself, not being afraid of bright and talented people. That is why Catherine's time was marked by the appearance of a whole galaxy of outstanding statesmen, military leaders, writers, artists, musicians. In dealing with her subjects, Catherine was, as a rule, restrained, patient, tactful. She was an excellent conversationalist, knew how to listen carefully to everyone. By her own admission, she did not have a creative mind, but she was good at picking up any sensible idea and using it for her own purposes. Catherine's foreign policy activities were aimed at the war with Turkey and Poland. As a result of successful military operations, the steppe Black Sea region with the Crimea and the North Caucasus, part of Belarus, Right-Bank Ukraine, Volhynia, Lithuania, Courland were included in Russia. In the southern provinces, more than two hundred new cities were built, the Black Sea Fleet was created. Catherine's reign is called the “Golden Age” of the Russian nobility, which she made her mainstay in domestic and foreign policy.