![]() ![]() He failed to become the duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, and at the time of his daughter's birth, he held the rank of a Prussian general in his capacity as governor of the city of Stettin. Her father, Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, belonged to the ruling German family of Anhalt. ![]() Her mother was Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. As a patron of the arts, she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, including the establishment of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe.Įarly life Young Catherine soon after her arrival in Russia, by Louis Caravaque, 1745Ĭatherine was born in Stettin, Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, as Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg. She is often included in the ranks of the enlightened despots. The construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the empress, changed the face of the country. The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. This was one of the chief reasons behind rebellions, including Pugachev's Rebellion of Cossacks, nomads, peoples of the Volga, and peasants. However, military conscription and the economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and of private landowners intensified the exploitation of serf labour. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. Many cities and towns were founded on Catherine's orders in the newly conquered lands, most notably Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, Nikolayev, and Sevastopol. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America. In the west, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth-ruled by Catherine's former lover, King Stanisław August Poniatowski-was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. With the support of Great Britain, Russia colonised the territories of New Russia along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was annexed following victories over the Bar Confederation and the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev, and admirals such as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In her accession to power and her rule of the empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Catherine II (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst – 17 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796.
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