Catherine II: Russia’s Empress
A look into the life and times of one of Russia's most colorful enlightened despots.
Catherine The Great is often referred to as the epitome of the "enlightened despot." Indeed she had more than thirty years to get it right, as she reigned as Empress of Russia from 1762 until her death in 1796. Her arranged marriage to the grandson of Peter the Great was meant to strengthen the friendship between Prussia and Russia and to weaken the influence on Austria. They were both very unhappy in this faithless union, which lasted for almost seventeen years until Peter's mysteriously "accidental" death. It was assumed at the time that Catherine ordered his murder, but it will never be known for sure. It is known that she did dispose of other potential threats to her throne, namely, Ivan VI and Princess Tarakanova.
Catherine was determined to wear the crown at all costs. In her memoirs she vowed to do whatever needed to be done to achieve this goal. It is said that she was so zealous about learning the Russian language that she rose at night and walked about her bedroom barefoot repeating her lessons. In March of 1744, this resulted in a severe attack of pneumonia.
Catherine The Great did much for extending both Russia's reputation and borders. She considered herself a "philosopher on the throne" and adamantly desired for Europe to perceive her as a civilized and enlightened monarch. She was a patron of the arts, literature and education, but she was also quite the tyrant in her homeland. Despite her proclamations in support of freedom, she did more to bond the Russian serf to his land and his lord than any sovereign to follow.
An amazing and colorful queen, her legacy is forever shrouded in tales of sexual extremes and aberrations. But who was this fascinating woman?
Read on for her life story, be whatever it may.
