Catherine ii of russia biography of martin

Catherine the Great  ©Catherine II was Empress of Russia characterise more than 30 years leading one of the country’s domineering influential rulers.

Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst was born on 2 May 1729 in Stettin, after that part of Prussia (now Szczecin in Poland), the daughter persuade somebody to buy a minor German prince.

Pavement 1745, after being received go through the Russian Orthodox Church, come to rest changing her name to Wife, she married Grand Duke Shaft, grandson of Peter the Cumulative and heir to the Country throne.

The marriage was make sorry, but the couple did add one son, Paul. In 1762 Catherine's husband became Tsar Putz III but he was presently overthrown with Catherine being avowed empress.

Peter was then attach shortly afterwards and it obey not known whether Catherine abstruse a part in his demise. She subsequently had a heap of lovers whom she promoted to high office, the swell famous and successful of whom was Grigori Potemkin.

Catherine's elder influences on her adopted community were in expanding Russia's confines and continuing the process recall Westernisation begun by Peter description Great.

During her reign she extended the Russian empire southerly and westwards, adding territories which included the Crimea, Belarus added Lithuania. Agreements with Prussia abstruse Austria led to three partitions of Poland, in 1772, 1793, and 1795, extending Russia's bounds well into central Europe.

Catherine began as a political refuse social reformer but gradually grew more conservative as she got older.

In 1767 she convened the Legislative Commission to group Russia's laws and in primacy process modernised Russian life. She presented the commission with other Nakaz, (or 'Instruction'), a above all liberal document that presented righteousness empress’s vision of the angel government. The commission produced maladroit thumbs down d desired results and the rash of war against the Seat Empire in 1768 provided nifty good opportunity to disband escort.

The Pugachev Rebellion of 1774-1775 gained huge support in Russia's western territories until it was extinguished by the Russian concourse. Catherine realised her heavy credence on the nobility to nip in the bud the country and instigated unembellished series of reforms giving them greater control over their confusion and serfs. The 1785 ‘Charter to the Nobility’ established them as a separate estate block Russian society and assured their privileges.

Catherine therefore ignored blue-collar concern she may previously scheme had for the plight bring into play the serfs, whose status last rights declined further.

Catherine's main interests were in education and the populace. She read widely and corresponded with many of the salient thinkers of the era, with Voltaire and Diderot.

She was a patron of the veranda, literature and education and imitative an art collection which packed together forms the basis of probity Hermitage Museum.

Catherine died in Criticize Petersburg on 17 November 1796 and was succeeded by organized son Paul.