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Catherine the Great

Catherine II[a] (born Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796),[b] most commonly known as Catherine the Great,[c] was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796.[1] She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with a large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and with the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.

For other uses, see Catherine the Great (disambiguation).

Catherine II

9 July 1762 – 17 November 1796
(34 years, 4 months, 8 days)

22 September 1762

5 January 1762 – 9 July 1762

Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst
2 May [O.S. 21 April] 1729
Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia, Holy Roman Empire

17 November [O.S. 6 November] 1796 (aged 67)
Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire

(m. 1745; died 1762)

Catherine II's signature

In her accession to power and her rule of the empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev, and admirals such as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was annexed following victories over the Bar Confederation and the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. With the support of Great Britain, Russia colonised the territories of New Russia along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth—ruled by Catherine's former lover, King Stanisław August Poniatowski—was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.


Many cities and towns were founded on Catherine's orders in the newly conquered lands, most notably Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, Nikolayev, and Sevastopol. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and the economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and of private landowners intensified the exploitation of serf labour. This was one of the chief reasons behind rebellions, including Pugachev's Rebellion of Cossacks, nomads, peoples of the Volga, and peasants.


The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. The construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the empress, changed the face of the country. She is often included in the ranks of the enlightened despots.[d] As a patron of the arts, she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, including the establishment of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe.

Archives[edit]

Empress Catherine's correspondence with Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, (the father of Catherine's daughter-in-law Maria Feodorovna) written between 1768 and 1795, is preserved in the State Archive of Stuttgart (Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart) in Stuttgart, Germany.[159]

Empress Catherine appears as a character in 's unfinished mock-heroic poem Don Juan.

Lord Byron

She was a subject in series in the book Catherine: The Great Journey, Russia, 1743–1745 by Kristiana Gregory.

The Royal Diaries

The Empress is parodied in Offenbach's operetta (1867).[160]

La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein

's silent film Forbidden Paradise (1924) told the story of Catherine's romance with an officer.

Ernst Lubitsch

portrayed Catherine the Great in the film The Scarlet Empress (1934).

Marlene Dietrich

(1934) is a film starring Elisabeth Bergner and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

The Rise of Catherine the Great

Lubitsch remade his 1924 silent film as the sound film (1945), also known as Czarina.

A Royal Scandal

published Catherine Was Great in 1944, starring in it then and in subsequent productions.

Mae West

played a version of Catherine in the farce comedy film Great Catherine (1968).

Jeanne Moreau

The new-wave band EKV (Ekaterina Velika) was named after Catherine.

Yugoslav

The British/Canadian/American TV miniseries (1991), starring Julia Ormond as Catherine and Vanessa Redgrave as Empress Elizabeth, is based on Catherine's early life.

Young Catherine

portrayed Catherine's journey to the throne as a side-plot in the Soviet film "Vivat, Gardes-Marines!!" (1991)

Kristina Orbakaitė

The television film (1995) stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Catherine and Jeanne Moreau as Empress Elizabeth.

Catherine the Great

Actress played the role of the Empress in the 2000 film The Captain's Daughter, based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Pushkin.

Olga Antonova

A teenage clone of Catherine the Great appears a recurring character in the American animated series (2002–2003), voiced by Murray Miller from "Escape to Beer Mountain: A Rope of Sand" until "Changes: The Big Prom: The Sex Romp: The Season Finale", and depicted as dating a clone of Julius Caesar. In the series' 2023 revival, Miller was recast with Dannah Phirman, and depicted as now dating a clone of Genghis Khan.

Clone High

Her rise to power and reign are portrayed in the award-winning television series Ekaterina, which has been extended for a second season in 2017 and a third season in 2019.

Russia-1

The television series Catherine the Great was released in 2015.

Channel One Russia

The song "Catherine the Great" from the album by The Divine Comedy was released as a single on 24 June 2016.

Foreverland

Catherine (portrayed by Meghan Tonjes) is featured in the web series , in the episode "Alexander the Great vs. Ivan the Terrible" (12 July 2016), pitted against the titular characters, as well as Frederick the Great and Pompey the Great.[161]

Epic Rap Battles of History

The television miniseries (2019) stars Helen Mirren.

Catherine the Great

She was portrayed by in the Hulu television series The Great (2020–2023).

Elle Fanning

She appears as a leader of the Russian civilization in games II, III, Revolution, IV and V.

Civilization

Legends of Catherine the Great

Potemkin village

Catherine II and opera

Family tree of Russian monarchs

on In Our Time at the BBC

Catherine the Great

Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine

Some of the code of laws mentioned above, along with other information

at the Wayback Machine (archived 27 March 2004)

Manifesto of the Empress Catherine II, inviting foreign immigration