Catherine is one of the most powerful women to ever rule a kingdom or an empire. Born and baptized as Sophie in 1729, she was the second daughter of a minor German noble family. A meeting with Peter III of Russia allowed her to showcase her intellect and beauty. When Elizabeth, Empress of Russia, sought a bride for her son, she cast her attention to the young Sophie, whose limited prospects and lack of ties to the Kingdom of Prussia, Russia's enemy, made her a decent choice for the young Peter who would eventually become Tsar.
Well educated by tutors and a voracious reader of Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu, Sophie, now baptized Catherine in the Orthodox faith in honor Elizabeth's own mother, was wed to Peter, but either through physical incapacity or lack of interest, the marriage was not consumed for 9 years, to Elizabeth's lasting shame as she sought an heir to ensure the survival of the Romanov family. When Catherine's first child Paul was finally born, Elizabeth took him away and raised him.
Peter and Catherine's marriage was not a happy one, and rumors abounded that Elizabeth would change her will and bypass Peter altogether, nominating instead Paul as the next Tsar. When she died, however, Peter secured the throne and ascended as Peter III. With the risk of being sent home increasing, Catherine watched Peter's mismanagement of the empire and his close contacts with the Prussian King with alarm. When the opportunity presented itself, Catherine overthrew Peter, had him arrested and killed, and took the throne with popular support.
Catherine used her vast knowledge and correspondence with luminaries such as Voltaire and Diderot to reform Russia. She implemented vast changes that improved infrastructures, increased territories, and revamped laws. During her long reign, she also supported cultural expansion, and was responsible for creating the largest European art collection in the world. Unhappy in love, Catherine had many lovers but most disappointed her.
A central figure in European history, Catherine lived through the French and American revolutions, watched the Kingdom of Prussia grow powerful, dismembered Poland, and fought the Turks in several wars that expanded Russia. Upon her death she left Russia a more powerful state. Fans of history will enjoy reading about Catherine's life and how she outmaneuvered men at every corner, securing for herself a place in history!
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