Catherine the Great
Catherine the GreatCatherine II, or Catherine the Great, empress of Russia (1762-96), did
much to transform Russia into a modern country. Originally named Sophie
Fredericke Augusta, she was born in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland), on May
2, 1729, the daughter of the German prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. At the age of
15 she went to Russia to become the wife of Peter, nephew and heir of
Empress ELIZABETH.
Elizabeth died on Dec. 25, 1761, and Catherine's husband succeeded as
PETER III. The new ruler soon made himself unpopular, especially with
certain army officers. Led by Aleksei ORLOV (whose brother Grigori was
Catherine's lover), the officers staged a coup in June 1762. Peter was
deposed (and subsequentle murdered), and Catherine became absolute ruler of
the largest European empire, whose language she never learned to speak
correctly and without accent.
At the age of 33, Catherine was not only a handsome woman (whose
numerous love affairs dominate the popular accounts of her life), but also
unusually well read and deeply involved in the cultural trends of her age.
She was a tireless worker and knew how to select capable assistants--for
example, Nikita PANIN in foreign affairs, Aleksandr SUVOROV in the
military, and Grigory POTEMKIN in administration. Imbued with the ideas of
the Enlightenment, Catherine aimed at completing the job started by Peter
I--westernizing Russia--but she had different methods. Unlike Peter, she
did not forcibly conscript society into the service of the state, but
rather encouraged individual initiative in pursuit of self-interest. She
succeeded to a degree with the upper classes, but did nothing for the
overwhelming majority of the population--the enserfed peasantry.
To learn the needs of the country and to gain popularity, Catherine in
1767 convoked an assembly of deputies to draft a new code of laws (for
which she wrote the guidelines--the Nakaz, or Instruction). Not much came
of the venture. In 1773, Yemelian PUGACHEV led Cossacks, peasants, and
others in a revolt that engulfed large parts of eastern Russia. The revolt,
ruthlessly crushed by the army in 1775, alerted Catherine to the necessity
for reform. In 1775, she reorganized the local administration, integrated
the Cossacks into the regular army, and put the serfs belonging to the
Russian Orthodox church under the administration of the state. In 1785, she
issued two charters--to the towns...
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