![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
CATHERINE THE GREAT (CATHERINE II)(1729-1796) Born: April 21 (May 2), 1729 Szczecin, Pomerania (Prussian Kingdom) Died: November 6 (17), 1796 Tsarskoye Selo, Russia
In June 1762 Catherine took an active part in a coup against her husband Emperor Peter III. He was overthrown and soon killed "in an accident", while Catherine became Russia's autocratic ruler. Throughout her long reign many reforms were undertaken and the territory of Russia was further extended by acquiring the lands of Southern Ukraine and the Crimea. The rights of the Russian nobility were extended, which won Catherine popularity among the Russian social elite. Catherine's love affairs with different officers and politicians were widely publicized, though much of what was published was not true. Nevertheless, most of her lovers were promoted to the highest ranks and some of them proved to be extremely talented people (for instance prince Potiomkin, a very prominent general and politician). Catherine the
Great, being the outsider of the Romanov dynasty,
wanted to establish strong links with earlier
Russian history and the Romanov tzars. She
commissioned an impressive monument to Peter the
Great - the Bronze Horseman. Most experts agree that
the Catherine the Great died in 1796 at the age of 67, having lived longer than any other Romanov monarch. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. |
Copyright © 2001-2005 Moscow Hotels, JSC. All rights reserved. |