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Biography of Catherine the GreatName: Catherine the GreatBirth Date: April 21, 1729 Death Date: 1796 Place of Birth: Stettin, Germany Nationality: Russian Gender: Female Occupations: empress, ruler Catherine the Great The Russian empress Catherine II (1729-1796), known as Catherine the Great, reigned from 1762 to 1796. She expanded the Russian Empire, improved administration, and vigorously pursued the policy of Westernization. Her reputation as an "enlightened despot," however, is not wholly supported by her deeds.Born in the German city of Stettin on April 21, 1729, Catherine was the daughter of Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst and Princess Johanna Elizabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. Her education emphasized the subjects considered proper for one of her station: religion (Lutheranism), history, French, German, and music.When Catherine was 15, she went to Russia at the invitation of Empress Elizabeth to meet--and perhaps marry--the heir to the throne, the Grand Duke Peter, an immature and disagreeable youth of 16. As the Empress had hoped, the two proved amenable to a marriage plan; but Catherine later wrote that she was more attracted to the "Crown of Russia," which Peter would eventually wear, …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…Paul, who had long been given to violent and unpredictable extremes of emotion, was becoming so unsettled and erratic that she doubted his fitness to rule. She considered disclaiming him as heir and naming his oldest son, Alexander, as her successor. But before she was able to alter her original arrangement, she died of a stroke on Nov. 6, 1796. Further Reading The Memoirs of Catherine the Great, edited by Dominique Maroger (trans. 1955), covers her life until 1762. Documents of Catherine the Great, edited by W. F. Reddaway (1931), includes the texts of the "Instruction" and her correspondence with Voltaire. Ian Grey, Catherine the Great: Autocrat and Empress of All Russia (1962), is a thorough and sound biography. Gladys S. Thomson, Catherine the Great and the Expansion of Russia (1947), provides a useful, brief survey of Catherine's reign. Kazimierz Waliszewski, The Romance of an Empress: Catherine II of Russia (1894), is still a fascinating and important work. |