Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great was born on May 2, 1729 into the family of Prince Christian Augustus. Her birth name was Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst. Early on, she faced intrigue because of her gender. Doubt had even been cast on her parentage. Some have ventured to say she was not the daughter of Prince Christian Augustus, but of a Russian diplomatist, Betzkoy. She faced many challenges in throughout her life because of her gender. Though she had society stacked against her, her father recognized her academic abilities and granted her access to an education. Sophie (Catherine) was technically German but she worked to be as Russian as her mother-in-law, Elizabeth I. She studied the Russian language, converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, and took the name Catherine. These changes were the final step in being able to marry her husband, which is what led her to royalty.

In 1774, she married Grand Duke Peter of Holstein, the current heir to the Russian throne. In 1754, she gave birth to her son, Paul. It is not, however, certain if Paul is Peter's son, or her alleged lover, Sergey Saltykov. Peter III and Catherine II came into power in 1761 after Elizabeth died. Unfortunately, Catherine was noticing the flaws in the marriage, due to Peter's childishness. The ambitious Catherine saw the possibility of eliminating him and governing Russia herself. Conveniently, Peter was also a horrible leader, as seen in his alienating of the Russian Court, withdrawal from the Prussian war, seizure of Church lands, and disinheriting of Paul. With the help of her alleged lover, Gregory Count Orlov, she had Peter arrested and sign an act of abdication. She had him imprisoned where he shortly died.

Despite her ambitious plans for Russia, she had to focus on maintaining her position because many considered her son the rightful ruler. She also realized the threat of being couped herself. Therefore, she looked to have a positive relationship with the nobility and military while oppressing those who sought to replace her. She recognized Russia's need for peace and appointed Count Nikita Panin, whom she placed in charge of foreign affairs. Her first major reform was a revision of the legal system in a composition called the "Instruction". This was important in Russia as it proposed a system providing equal protection under the law and emphasizes the prevention of crime rather than the punishment.

Catherine the Great lead a successful reign that was made all the more important because she was a women. She was able to continue successful Russian reforms while enlightening Russian society. In one of Russia's most successful periods, she undertook a wide range of internal reforms while also succeeding in two wars against the Ottoman Empire. She also influenced Russia culturally, by commissioning buildings throughout the country and busying herself with enlightened academies, journals, libraries, and writings, including