Sophie of Anhalf-Zerbst was born on May 2, 1729 in the Germany city of Stettin (Szczecin, now Poland). She was born of a minor German prince, into a society that legally separated and isolated its female population. Though society was against her she was recognized by her father for her great ability to learn and remember concepts and ideas. After proving her ideas and abilities, she received a formal education. In 1744, at the age of 14, she married the Grand Duke Peter of Holstein who was heir to the Russian throne . Although Sophie was German she strove to be as Russian as her mother in-law. Sophie not only studied the Russian language, but she also took the name of Catherine II to honour her mother who was also named Catherine. Therefore, to complete her transition from German to Russian, she also converted to the Russian Orthodox Church so that she could be married into the Imperial line.
Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, reigned as Empress of Russia from June 28th 1762 to her death on November 17th 1796 and perhaps one of the most important leaders of the Russian Empire. She became one of the greatest and most influential political leaders of the 18th century by continuing the process of Westernization that “Peter the Great” brought to Russia. As Empress, she played an important role in improving the lives of Russian serfs, restricted the practice of torture, improved education, sophisticated the Russian culture, strengthened the government, made Russia one of the most dominant European countries, and conquered the Mongols and the Caucasus therefore expanding Russian territory. Because of her achievements she was able to set the foundations of “Westernization” for the 19th and 20th centuries, helping to shape and ch...
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...d the World” Biography Online May 28th 2010
“Catherine II of Russia” Fact Index
May 28th 2010
“Historical Myths: The Death of Catherine the Great” About May 29th 2010
Ursula Grosser Dixon “The Reign of Catherine II” Tripod May 30th 2010
Michael Streich “The Pugachev Revolt in Southern Russia The Last Great Peasant Uprising Threatened Catherine the Great” Suite 101 May 30th 2010
“Catherine the Great Empress of Russia” Petersburg-Russia May 31st 2010
With the coinciding of a revolution on the brink of eruption and the impacts of the First World War beginning to take hold of Russia, considered analysis of the factors that may have contributed to the fall of the Romanov Dynasty is imperative, as a combination of several factors were evidently lethal. With the final collapse of the 300 year old Romanov Dynasty in 1917, as well as the fall of Nicholas II, a key reality was apparent; the impact that WWI had on autocratic obliteration was undeniable. However, reflection of Russia’s critical decisions prior to the war is essential in the assessment of the cause of the fall of the Romanov Dynasty. No war is fought without the struggle for resources, and with Russia still rapidly lagging behind in the international industrialisation race by the turn of the 20th century, the stage was set for social unrest and uprising against its already uncoordinated and temporarily displaced government. With inconceivable demands for soldiers, cavalry and warfare paraphernalia, Russia stood little chance in the face of the great powers of World War One.
In 1981, Isabel de Madariaga wrote the landmark book, Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great. This book was the first comprehensive study of Catherine the Great’s reign. It was a very long, thoroughly researched, very dense book about later eighteenth-century in Russia and was meant for scholars. The book I read and am reviewing, Catherine the Great: a Short History, also by de Madariaga, is more than a shortened version of her earlier work; it is a manageable, factual examination of only about 200 pages with maps, illustrations and timelines, and genealogical tables.
(weternize) Catherine the great proceeded to finish what Peter the Great started; she made sure that by the end of her reign Russia was westernized. The enlightenment period had a huge impact in her decision making, by limiting the use of torture
was backward and would need to change in order for it to remain being a
New York, Replika Press Pvt. Ltd. Deutscher, Isaac, Ed 1967. The Unfinished Revolution Russia1917-1967. U.S.A. Oxford University Press. Fitzpatrick, Sheila, Ed 1982.The Russian Revolution.
C. At the age of 14, she delivered an illegitimate child. The following year she was married to Count Ferencz Nadasdy.
Elizabeth I was born in 1533 to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Although she entertained many marriage proposals and flirted incessantly, she never married or had children.
She was born into a family of a long line of royal decedents. She became Queen at the age of twenty four. She was the first women to be on an US commutative coin. Who is this very accomplished person? Queen Isabella. Bold and daring, Queen Isabella accomplished many things in her thirty years of rein as Queen of Castile and Aragon.
The famine in Russia alone led the peasants to become angry and fed up with the Russian government, suggesting a future revolution. Because of the peasants’ unrest, they began to break the law by as stealing food for their families and shouting in the streets. Russia had attempted revolution before, and a fear of an uprising was feared again. Their everyday routi...
Mary Tudor or Queen Mary I of England was infamously known as Bloody Mary. While many believe Bloody Mary was an evil monster, others believe she was a great queen because of her many accomplishments. Mary was actually a good devoted Catholic others still to this day believe she was an evil woman, but with these interesting facts it will be determined that Mary was a good queen.
Queen Elizabeth I was said to be one of the best rulers of England. Unlike rulers before her, she was a Protestant and not a Catholic. She was not stupid though. She did go to church and did everything that Catholics did to prevent getting her head cut off under the rules of her sister Mary. Elizabeth was very young when she came to rule. She was only 17 years old when her sister Mary died and she took over.
Wood, A. (1986). The Russian Revolution. Seminar Studies in History. (2) Longman, p 1-98. ISBSN 0582355591, 9780582355590
The Book Catherine of Aragon written by Garrett Mattingly is about the life of Catherine of Aragon, the princess of Spain during the late 1400’s and early 1500’s. The book begins with Catherine’s life as a small child, before she became Queen. The first section of the book talks of Catherine’s upbringing as a princess and includes details on the duties of her and her siblings. A good example of this is described on page 17 as it shows how Catherine and her sisters had to be educated on their bloodline, heraldry and genealogy as well as dancing, cooking, and horsemanship which were the interests of her class) .
Riasanovsky, Nicholas V., and Mark D. Steinberg. A History of Russia. 7th ed. Oxford: Oxford, 2005. Print.
After their defeat in the Crimean war (1853-1856), Russia’s leaders realized they were falling behind much of Europe in terms of modernisation and industrialisation. Alexander II took control of the empire and made the first steps towards radically improving the country’s infrastructure. Transcontinental railways were built and the government strengthened Russia’s economy by promoting industrialisation with the construction of factory complexes throughout...