Catherine the Great Study guide

father

Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. Military man or general for Frederick William I of Prussia. Lutheran

2nd child

(1757) Anna Petrovna, who was possibly a child of Catherine and Stanisław Poniatowski and died at age two. Grand Duchess of Russia

3rd child

(1762): Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky, died in 1813. Child of one of her lovers

4th child

(1775): Elizabeth Grigoryevna Temkina, died in 1854

Died from what

stroke

achievements

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. -Carried on the work of her first Husband, Peter. She led the revolution that followed the lead of western Europe

Marriage

And a few months after her husband inherited the throne, she joined a revolt against him led by one of her lovers. Her husband, Peter III, conveniently died in prison in mid-July 1662, and in November Sophie was crowned in an elaborate ceremony in Moscow and became Catherine II.

date born

April 21, 1729

enlightened ruler

As an enlightened ruler, he believed in religious tolerance, the king's subjection to the state laws and his role as public servant.

real name

Catherine Alexeievna Romanov (Russian) Was Sophie Friederike Auguste before she married a Russian prince (Emperor Peter III)

1st son

(1754) Paul was born on September 20, 1754, but Catherine's mother raised him soon after his birth. Paul later married and had a child.

facts about gov

Failing at reform that benefited common people, Catherine sought distraction for her subjects in the grandeur of imperial expansion. She sought to expand Russian rule to the Black Sea and to Constantinople, to return Christianity there and to free Moldavia and Walachia from the Ottoman Turks. Already she had expanded her influence in Poland, with the support of her new ally Frederick the Great. After Augustus III of Saxony and Poland had died (in 1763), she installed as king of Poland one of her lovers, Stanislaus Poniatowski, who became Stanislaus II. Catherine believed that his lack of qualifications for that honor would make him all the more grateful for his appointment and therefore more subservient.

Catherine's heritage

From House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (by marriage) and Ascania (by birth)

place of home

German city of Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland)

navy

In 1768, Catherine's army pushed southwest from the Dnieper River into the Balkans. They scored victories and called on Christians under Ottoman rule to rebel. Another Russian force invaded and captured the Crimea. A Russian fleet sailed from the Baltic Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar and into Ottoman waters in the Aegean Sea where, on July 6, 1770, near the island of Chios, they sank the Ottoman navy.

significant events

In the Spirit of Enlightenment, Catherine undertook her first major reform of Russia's legal system. It was based on the antiquated, inequitable, and inefficient Code of Laws from 1649. For more than two years, she worked on the composition of the "Instruction" ( a document to guide those to whom she would entrust the work of reforming the legal system. It proposed a system providing equal protection under law for all persons and emphasized prevention of criminal acts rather than harsh punishment for them. -June 1767 the Legislative Commission revised the old laws in accordance with the "Instruction," but over a year, the made no progress and so the meeting was suspended at the end of 1768.

date died

November 6, 1796

mother

Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. She had little interest in Catherine because she spent so much time on her younger brother who eventually died at 12. Catherine was nurtured by governess Babette.

wars participated in

Russo- Turkish war (2), Swedish war Rugaachev's Rebellion Polish- Russian war of 1792 Bar Confederation Battle of Chesma Persian Expedition of 1796

where did I die

Saint Petersburg, Russia

facts about her name

She exchanged many letters with famous writer, Denis Diderot, who eventually gave her the name 'Catherine the Great." -Wanted to have the reputation of being an "enlightened" ruler than an actual one.

facts about church

She exercised her authority over the Eastern Orthodox Church - which owned one-third of Russia's agricultural land and one-third of its serfs. Catherine confiscated much of its lands and left the church's clergy as the state paid functionaries. -Catherine started out by giving the church back all its land and power, but then soon realized her mistake and took it back. She believed that the wealth of the church belonged to the state. She ended up making the church part of the state and all of its holdings, including more than one million serfs, became state property and subject to taxes. She also split Poland into three, giving some of the lands to Prussia and Austria, while saving some for herself.

Why is this person considered to be one of the most influential people that have ever lived?:

She helped set the foundations for the Russian "Westernization" in the 19th and 20th centuries. - Challenged the social norm and also set precedents for women in influential positions. -consolidated power from the serfs and feudal lords by continuing the political reforms started by Peter the Great. -imported many great works of literature, art, and print from the Western European nations. -Education and law codes further developed under her reign. At the end of her thirty four year reign from 1762 to 1796, Catherine had catapulted Russia into the world scene as a dominant world empire. -Her goal was to rationalize and reform the administration of the Russian Empire.

territory gained

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.

facts about army

The Russian fleet was unable to do more for the Russian effort following this victory. The war on land was bogged down, and the Christians in Ottoman lands had failed to join the Russians. Austria was concerned about Russian expansion into the Balkans. To allay the hostility of the Habsburgs, Frederick the Great organized an agreement with Joseph II of Austria in 1772 that involved Catherine's Russia. The three heads of state were to acquire Polish territory. It was to become known as the First Partition of Poland. With this agreement the Habsburgs extended their rule into Galacia, Prussia received land between Pomerania and East Prussia (not including Danzig) and Russia expanded to the W. Dvina River (near the port city of Riga) and to the Dnieper River, halfway to the city of Minsk, adding 1.3 million subjects to Catherine's rule.

brother

Wilhelm Christian, died at age 12

reign

longest female Russian ruler -Overshadowed by her affair with Grigory Orlov (military officer) -Exchanged correspondence with the French philosopher Voltaire. -One of the most prosperous periods for Russia , Catherine undertook a wide range of internal political reforms, and waged two successful wars against the Ottoman Empire and extend the borders of Russia . -She opposed educating common people, believing that if they were educated they would stop obeying. -Catherine was facing a peasant uprising that had begun among Cossacks in the Ural River region, led by Emelian Pugachev. The rising spread to serfs, miners in the Urals, factory workers, Bashkirs, Tatars and other minorities within Russia, and it had spread to those Christians called Old Believers. After settling with the Ottomans, Catherine sent troops released from the war against the peasant revolt. Landlords, government officials and army officers eagerly supported Catherine, and Catherine's army easily defeated the uncoordinated rebel armies. The rebel Cossack leader, Pugachev, was brought to Moscow in chains and executed in public in an especially cruel fashion.

date married

she and the young Grand Duke were married in 1745. At age 14 she was chosen to be the wife of Karl Ulrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, grandson of Peter the Great and heir to the throne of Russia as the grand duke Peter. converted the Russian Orthodox Church in order to be married into the imperial line. In 1744 Catherine arrived in Russia, assumed the title of Grand Duchess Catherine Alekseyevna, and married her young cousin the following year