Catherine the Great

1729 - 1796

5 Quotes

Biography

Catherine the Great, born in 1729 in Stettin, Prussia, was Empress of Russia from 1762 until her death in 1796. She overthrew her husband, Peter III, in a coup d'état and ruled as an enlightened despot. Catherine expanded the Russian Empire, strengthened its administration, and promoted education and Westernization. She corresponded with Enlightenment thinkers and artists, earning a reputation as a patron of the arts and a political strategist. Her reign is considered a golden age of the Russian Empire.