IndexIntroductionRelated ResearchConclusionIntroductionOne of the most interesting, hardworking, and powerful people to grace the pages of history during the eighteenth century was Catherine II, Empress of Russia. Historians have not always been so kind to his memory, and too often we read accounts of his private life, ignoring his many achievements. The stories of her love affairs have been excessively misunderstood and can be traced to a handful of French writers in the years immediately following Catherine's death, when republican France was fighting for its life against a coalition that included Russia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayRelated research21, 1729 in Stettin, then Germany, now Poland. His father, Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst, was a high-ranking officer in the Prussian army and a minor prince among the German principalities. He married the much younger Princess Joanna of Holstein-Gottorp. Years earlier, Joanna's brother, Charles August of Holstein-Gottorp, had gone to Russia to marry Princess Elizabeth Petrovna. However the prince died of smallpox, leaving Elizabeth heartbroken. Elizabeth's sister Anna gave birth to a son named Peter Ulrich, but tragedy struck once again when Anna died of tuberculosis three months after giving birth to Peter. Peter, who eventually became Tsar Peter III, was the only surviving male descendant and potential heir to the throne of Russia after his father's death. In November 1741, Elizabeth ascended the throne with the help of the imperial guards and formally declared her nephew Peter heir to the throne. Peter was now 14 years old and the time had come to find a bride. Elizabeth had always remembered her dead fiancée's family fondly and chose Sophie as her future bride. Empress Elizabeth seemed to have taken an immediate liking to Sophie at an early age. Sophie began to learn the Russian language and studied the Orthodox religion, which obviously pleased the empress. On 28 June Sophie was welcomed into the church with a grand ceremony and consequently changed her name to Catherine. Catherine was now the second highest ranking woman in the country. Shortly thereafter, Peter contracted measles, which began to show all the symptoms of smallpox. Catherine found him a truly pitiful creature, and it was with dismay that she looked forward to her wedding day. The royal court was again in St. Petersburg and, after several postponements, the wedding took place on 21 August 1745 in Kazan Cathedral. It was at that moment that Catherine, who had never felt more isolated, wrote: "I should have loved my new husband, if only he would or could be the least bit lovable. But in the early days of my marriage, I made some cruel reflections about him and I said to myself: if you love this man, you will be the most miserable creature on earth. As for your affection for this gentleman, take care of yourselves, lady." The young couple calmed down, but the marriage was a miserable failure. Catherine was disappointed in her marriage, but decided to stick it out and focus on building a powerful group of allies. Catherine made it a point to read everything she could get her hands on. He discovered satisfaction in the works of Plato and Voltaire. Her interest in the intellect caused an even greater distance between her and Peter. Years passed and still no heir was seen. This obviously irritated the Empress who wanted to secure a powerful dynasty, and could not do so without the presence of a male heir. She thought it was Catherine's fault because she wasn't attracted to her husband. However, it was Peter who did notwas able to produce a son, so Elizabeth permitted an affair between Catherine and a Russian military officer named SergeSaltykov. Catherine finally gave birth to a son, whom the empress named Paul, on September 20, 1754. Peter accepted him as his. Elizabeth took the child to her apartments, where he would remain as long as the Empress lived. This helped to further tear Peter and Catherine's relationship apart. A change came to Catherine after she confronted the Empress about it, and now she didn't trust anyone. He helped Peter with his Holstein affairs and, at the same time, befriended the British ambassador, Sir Charles Hanbury-Williams. Sir Charles arranged secret loans for her from England, as she was always short of funds. The Seven Years' War began in 1756 and Russia and Prussia were on opposite sides. The Seven Years' War ended the friendship with the English ambassador. England was on Prussia's side against Russia and the English ambassador was recalled home to London. Catherine fell in love with an officer of the imperial guard, named Gregory Orlov, whose four other brothers were also guards. They were not of noble birth, but for Catherine they were the embodiment of the Russian army. Peter had formed a close relationship with Elizabeth Vorontsova, the vice-chancellor's niece. On Christmas Day 1761, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna died and the reign of Peter III began. Catherine sincerely mourned the empress. Peter's first official action was to end any hostile relations between Prussia and his Russia. On April 24, 1762, the new tsar signed a treaty with the King of Prussia returning all occupied territories to Prussia. Peter began to adopt many aspects of the Prussian army, such as changing it by imposing brutal new rules. The Russian army began to suffer large losses during the Seven Years' War, partly thanks to Peter. The army began to turn against Peter, and all classes in Russia began to harbor hatred towards Peter. Catherine heard rumors that Peter intended to get rid of her and make Elizabeth Vorontsova his wife. With all that Peter had done to alienate the army, Catherine felt in grave danger. Then some of Catherine's friends plotted to overthrow the new tsar. The main influences behind this plan were Princess Dashkova, the sister of Peter's lover, and all five Orlov brothers. Catherine was waiting to be summoned by Peter to attend the party he had thrown for her name day, when Alexis Orlov walked past the Holstein guards and told Catherine of their plan for a coup. Catherine went to the Ismailovsky regiment seeking their support saying "I have come to you for protection. The Emperor has given orders to arrest me. I fear he intends to kill me." The soldiers believed her and had her support. The procession of carriages reached the Kazan Cathedral, where they found the church filled with clergy, awaiting Catherine's inauguration. Catherine was sworn in as empress and sole autocrat. Peter was with his lover Elizabeth Vorontsova, the Prussian ambassador Baron von Goltz and the chancellor when a secret messenger arrived from St. Petersburg with the news that Catherine had been proclaimed empress. Peter was invited to confront Catherine, however he refused such a confrontation. Peter signed the act of abdication and left the place without a drop of blood being shed. By order of the empress, Peter was taken to a nearby estate in the village of Ropsha and had to be guarded. Six days later he received news that Peter had died after an apparent argument with his guards. However, Peter was murdered by Catherine's lover, Gregory Orlov. Catherine did not attendat the funeral. Not many people in the European courts believed that Catherine would last long. Another German without a drop of Russian blood in his veins, as well as the true heir, the grandson of Peter the Great was murdered. Catherine herself knew how fragile her position was. He retained the statesmen who had been active under Elizabeth and under Peter. He also retained Chancellor Vorontzov. Nikita Panin was in charge of foreign affairs. With his help he formed a larger alliance with Prussia. This alliance was established to stop Austrian and French influence on Russia's borders and to keep Poland and Sweden as weak countries. Catherine conducted much of her foreign policy by letter, writing to her fellow rulers, particularly Frederick of Prussia. When Catherine first met the Senate at the Summer Palace, she was stunned by the reality of the country's financial and social situation. The budget showed a deficit of 17 million rubles, in a country of only 100 million inhabitants. Everywhere people complained of corruption, extortion and injustice. Catherine left the protected world of a civil court and entered an ignorant, disorganized, undisciplined and often diseased Russia. He decided to focus on increasing Russia's wealth, and since Russia was primarily agricultural, he started with the land. On September 22, 1762, in the ancient Assumption Cathedral, in the heart of the Moscow Kremlin, Catherine received her crown. After his return to St. Petersburg, he devoted himself to state affairs, often working tirelessly from early morning until late at night. He decided that the overriding task would be to improve techniques in the agricultural regions, and this was accomplished with the founding of the Free Economic Society. He sent experts to study the soil and propose suitable crops. He gave grants to landowners to learn techniques that were used in England and to purchase machines that were invented there. He encouraged the introduction of modern methods of raising sheep and cattle and promoted horse breeding. He saw that more workers were needed to work in underpopulated areas. Catherine turned to advertisements in foreign, especially German, newspapers, inviting settlers and offering attractive conditions. The response was excellent. He later turned to mining and sent geologists to access minerals from the seemingly barren lands of Russia. He founded the first Mining School in St. Petersburg, complete with an underground mine where trainees could learn the trade under realistic conditions. He also paid particular attention to silver mining. Furs had long been an asset of Russian wealth and she encouraged the trade that existed in Siberia. He decreed that anyone could start a new factory, except in the two capitals, which were overcrowded. A whole host of industries began to emerge: linens, ceramics, leather goods and furniture. Catherine also established textile factories outside the Moscow region, including linen in the Yaroslov area and leather goods and candles in the central Volga region. The total number of factories during his reign increased from 984 to 3161. He turned to England and called Admiral Knowles to build warships and shipyards. With the simple act of abolishing export duties, he achieved remarkable results. Russia's main exports were timber, hemp, flax, rawhide, furs, linen, cloth, and iron. After the signing of the Treaty of Kyakhta in 1768, camel caravans soon began passing to and from Manchuria. Russia exported fur, leather, and linens to China and imported cotton, silk, tobacco, silver, and tea, among other products from China. Already in 1765three-quarters of Empress Elizabeth's debt was repaid, and the budget deficit turned into a surplus. A decree issued by Catherine in 1764 to all governors-general ordered them to take an accurate census, map their provinces, and report on agriculture and trade. They had to build and repair roads and bridges, supervise firefighting, and ensure that orphanages and prisons were properly administered. Catherine now devoted herself to education. There were few schools in Russia. She began transforming a convent in St. Petersburg into a boarding school for girls, the Smolny Institute. He sent for Daniel Dumaresq, who had been his colleague at Oxford, and installed him as a member of the educational committee. In 1786, Catherine issued the Statue to schools throughout Russia. It was said that each district town should establish a minor school with two teachers and each provincial town a major school with six teachers. He did not deal with the founding of universities, as he knew that Russia lacked qualified teachers for such institutions. However, the number of scholarships to study abroad increased. When he looked at public health early in his reign, he found that the need for it was just as great as it was for education. He knew that children were most affected by smallpox. So he brought to St. Petersburg Dr. Thomas Dimsdale, who had published an article on how to cure smallpox. Catherine volunteered to set an example by being the first person to be given this vaccine. Dimsdale said the vaccination was a success and many followed suit. Catherine purchased homes in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where Dr. Dimsdale could run vaccination hospitals. In 1763, Catherine founded Russia's first medical faculty, consisting of a director, a president and eight members. The College was tasked with training Russian doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists to serve in the provinces. Peter the Great had built military hospitals, while Catherine founded civilian hospitals. When he reorganized the provinces in 1775, he decreed that every provincial capital should have a hospital. Each county with a population between 20,000 and 30,000 should have a physician, a surgeon, a surgeon assistant, and a student doctor. Catherine's efforts prompted her nobility to follow her example. Baron von Kleichen founded a 300-bed hospital in St. Petersburg, to which the College added another 250 beds around 1790. These are some of the visible results of Catherine's internal reforms. There would be many more during his long reign, but one can get a sense of his tireless pursuit of improvement. Catherine was also an enthusiastic art collector. He built the imperial art collection from a dozen works to a staggering 3926. He commissioned the construction of palaces and pumped millions of rubble into the creation of the Hermitage, which can still be seen today. He built a theater where artists invited to Russia could perform operas and plays. Catherine herself tried her hand at writing several operas, and some were performed there. Later in life he wrote stories for his grandchildren. He erected new monuments throughout Russia and transformed St. Petersburg into a truly European city with imperial pretensions. His great love for Russia and pride in his country come to mind when we look at this beautiful collection of paintings by the world's greatest masters, acquired not out of personal indulgence, but as an effort to enforce respect for Russia. Throughout this domestic reform, there were issues that took place outside of his empire. In 1768 Turkey and Russia had gone to war; the Turks weresuffering great losses. In 1772, Frederick of Prussia convinced Catherine that a partition of Poland was necessary and she complied. After many decisions it was agreed that Poland would be divided into three regions. Russia, Prussia, and Austria would each conquer one of these regions. In 1773, Yemelian Pugachev led the Cossacks, who were independent tribes of fierce warriors, and others in revolts that spanned much of eastern Russia. The Cossacks fought with the Russians against the Turks to resist the government's attempt to absorb them into the government. These Cossack uprisings showed Catherine how important these people were. In 1775, Catherine granted special privileges to the Cossacks, obtaining their loyal support in return. The Russians had once again been at war with the Turks and were conquering lands at a rapid pace. These clashes made Catherine realize that reforms were necessary for her survival. He began to abandon some of his principles and slipped more and more into the role of an autocrat, while at the same time maintaining the appearance of an enlightened autocrat.ruler. By 1774, the Russian army had made great progress against the Turks and had reached the Black Sea. With the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji, the Turks ceded access to the Black Sea, the Crimean peninsula, and other Turkish waters to the Russians . In 1775, Catherine reorganized the local administration and integrated the Cossa troops into the Russian army. She drafted the Basic Law of 1775, which formed the basis of her domestic policy, which lasted until 1861. By now she was a complete autocrat with viceroys and governors helping her govern the country. In 1787, another Russian-Turkish war broke out. Once again the Russians responded with great force, making great advances southward. By the end of this conflict, Russia had conquered the areas of Georgia and Crimea. In 1793, riots were occurring in Poland and the Polish government was trying to establish a constitutional monarchy. When word of this spread, Catherine sent her Russian forces and the second partition of Poland occurred. Two years later, in 1795, the third partition of Poland occurred due to peasant and serf revolts. Catherine would no longer tolerate Poland; he dissolved Poland into Russia, conquering many of Kiev's lands, something many Russians appreciate. “In 1796 the peasants – private serfs and state peasants – compromised a million private serfs under state control. Catherine began to attack the Orthodox Church, just as Peter the Great had done. Catherine seized its wealth and transformed his prelates and priests were transformed into state employees under his control As the church became increasingly dependent on the state, the clergy declined in large numbers. The government began to close many monasteries; Catherine made the church subservient to the state, however, she granted a law of tolerance to the Old Believers and revoked their double taxation law Catherine wanted to bring the Russian people back to Russia, to attract settlers and improve her image, she granted the freedom of worship to Protestants and Catholics. When his son Paul was old enough, he arranged a marriage to a German princess. Paul's wife died in childbirth, but his son Alexander survived. In 1776 he married Princess Dorothea of ​​Württemberg, who was renamed Maria Federovna. Catherine raised Alexander, just as Elizabeth had raised Paul. The succession of her family line has never been a concern for Catherine. It was her great regret during her long reign that she was unable to abolish serfdom. He realized that with such an act he would alienate the nobility, who depended on the labor of serfs for their own.