Catherine II: A New Law Code: Catherine The Great

1460 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Catherine the great of siena

Catherine II, or more commonly known as Catherine the Great, reigned over Russia with the ideas of Enlightenment. These ideas are best seen in her attempt at a new law code, the Nakaz. From reading the Nakaz, someone can see that Catherine saw the Enlightenment ideas of natural law, freedom, and liberty as the most important. The new law code was created not only to enforce the enlightenment ideas, but also to have a more concise law code for the people of Russia. Catherine argued that a trend towards Enlightenment of government would help connect Russia with the West. The creation of the Nakaz served as a way for Catherine to try and incorporate an enlightened view into her ruling.
Catherine was born in 1729 to a German prince and princess. She moved to Russia well before her husband’s, Peter III, reign. During the time before his reign she learned all about the Russian language and customs, even converting to Orthodoxy. Catherine started her spirited and enlightened reign in 1762. In an effort to help make a more absolute government, Catherine wished to rework Russia’s law code, which had not been changed since 1649. In July of 1767 she brought together the Legislative Commission. This was a body of elected deputies for her to consult with about her Instruction, or Nakaz. The Legislative Commission consisted of nobles, merchants and …show more content…

Catherine also did nothing to further advocate the new law. The Legislative Commission failed at outlining a new code of law and the Nakaz never went outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. This is not a complete failure, but Catherine did intend of the new law code being enforced throughout Russia. The war with the Ottoman Empire also provided an opportunity for the Nakaz to be put on the backburners. Although it never became law, the legislative commission and Nakaz served as a reboot on Russian political

Show More
Related

  • Isabel De Madariaga's Catherine The Great

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    Russia being such a vast country, extending from the borders of Poland to the Pacific Ocean, made the idea of reform seem almost impossible. The changes she made in the areas of education, social services, law and economic policy are detailed throughout. In 1767, Catherine expounded on her vision for Russia’s reform in a long and detailed Instruction. The Instruction expresses her philosophy and beliefs, her hopes and plans. Some historians thought she contradicted herself throughout her Instruction. Catherine believed Russia was, in fact, a part of Europe. The French philosopher Montesquieu, whom Catherine greatly admired, referred to England as a moderate monarchy, which had political liberty as its main principle. He saw Russia as more of an oriental state with despotic, absolute rule. Catherine did not agree with his classification of Russia and she insisted that Russia was an absolute monarchy, not an Asiatic despotism, and could be ruled by administering fundamental laws. The author points out that Catherine’s condemnation of torture, “ The usage of torture is contrary to all dictates of nature and reason: even mankind itself cries out against it, and demands loudly the total abolition of it” shows her true belief in the principles of enlightenment. Catherine’s Statute of 1775 planned to reform many social services, such as the medical and the penal

    Read More

  • Catherine The Great Dbq

    391 Words  | 1 Pages

    They still were going to have an absolute power but it was going to be in a different way. I think that Catherine was really trying to make the monarch look like a better person so that she would be well respected with certain laws or decisions that she would make. The reason behind her enlightened views may not be known, but I feel that she wanted to have more territory to rule over and knew she needed to gain support in order to take over a larger area. Overall, I think Catherine the Great was a wonderful ruler. She knew she was in charge and seemed to try to please everyone. Even though she may not have succeeded in doing that, she did come up with laws such as human torture should be abolished, no man should be looked at as guilty before he has a sentence, and the society should be a fixed order. Knowing what her role was and coming up with laws that benefited the society definitely showed that Catherine II did earn to be called “Catherine the

    Read More

  • How Did Catherine The Great Westernize Russia

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    (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

    Read More

  • Catherine II and Stalin

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    was backward and would need to change in order for it to remain being a

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Great And Catherine The Great

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    She tried to bring about political and social reforms by compiling a document called “Nakaz” which contained advice on how legislature should function and pushed for capital punishment and torture to be outlawed and everyone be declared equal. She focused the early years of her reign on the promotion of administrative efficiency and expansion of educational opportunities. Under Catherine reign, the Assignation Bank started issuing the government paper in 1768, having the Government Issue paper money. Ands lastly, during Catherine made substantial gains in Poland and gave the parts of Poland to Prussia and Austria, while taking the eastern region for herself. Catherine worst blunders were that she did not allow dissenters to build chapels and she suppressed religious dissent after the French revolution. Catherine ruled through corruption, scandal, and her failed attempts at reforms. Lastly, 95% of Russia did not benefit directly from Catherine’s reign, and she did not consider the blood and sweat of the people who help grow the economy during this

    Read More

  • Accomplishments and Failures of Frederick and Catherine the Great

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    Frederick II, the Great was the King of Prussia from 1740-1786, he was the successor of his father Frederick William I (Kishlansky, Geary and O'Brien). Catherine the Great was married to Peter III and the Empress of Russia during the years of 1762-1796 (Kishlansky, Geary and O'Brien). Even though they were both leaders that made lasting changes for their countries they had different methods of ruling, making different contributions along with mistakes. The following paragraphs will give more detail about the accomplishments and failures of both leaders.

    Read More

  • Empress Theodora And Elizabeth I: A Comparative Analysis

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The informational articles “Empress Theodora” by The World Almanac and “Elizabeth I” by Milton Meltzer it talks about two rulers who brought their kingdoms to their highest points. Both Empress Theodora and Elizabeth I impacted their respective kingdoms by making many changes during their reigns that improved conditions for their citizens.

    Read More

  • Enlightened Absolutism In Russia

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Catherine II was motivated by the ideals of enlightened absolutism because she read the works of enlightenment writers and believed that certain reforms would ensure the well-being of her subjects. Catherine’s first major reform involved Russia’s legal system, which was based on the inefficient Code of Laws. Catherine's legal reform was documented to be the ideal government for Russia. The Empress called for a progressive legal system which focused on granting equal protection under law to all persons and emphasizing prevention of criminal acts rather than the imposing of harsh punishment. Catherine also reformed domestic matters after a series of threatening events. For security reasons, she reorganized provincial administration to favor the nobility. Catherine even reformed educational facilities by increasing the number of elementary and secondary schools. She also gave attention to the arts and science, making St. Petersburg one of the most cultural place in Europe during her reign. The reforms that were influenced by enlightened absolutism were appealing to Catherine II because it would bring peace and stability to Russia and its people. This made her favorable among her people, thus making her more

    Read More

  • Catherine The Great Instruction Essay

    1753 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the reign of Peter the Great, Russia was reformed socially and politically. He brought Russia into the international scene and attempted to incorporate European culture into Russian society. Due to his legacy, Catherine the Great idolized Peter and tried to include his image into her reign. Catherine ruled as Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796 and many reforms, including the Instruction, were carried out. Since the Russian legal code remained unchanged from 1649 onward, Catherine decided to create her Instruction in 1767 to deal with various issues surrounding Russian society. One of the issues was the Russian economy, which stood in poor shape during her reign. Therefore, Catherine the Great created The Instruction in order to revise

    Read More

  • Catherine De Medici's Black Legend

    2162 Words  | 5 Pages

    Catherine de Medici’s culpability for the turbulent events in France in 1559-72 remains a topic of some debate. Highly personal protestant pamphleteers associated Catherine with sinister comparisons to the contemporary evil Machiavelli which eventually developed into the ‘Black Legend’. Jean.H. Mariégol consolidates this interpretation, overwhelmingly assuming Catherine’s wickedness; the Queen Mother was deemed to be acting for ‘personal aggrandizement’ without an interest in the monarchy. Neale provides a corrective arguing a ‘dominant maternalism’ drove Catherine’s policies. Sutherland critiques Neale, suggesting he is guilty of using misconceived qualifying phrases from the ‘Black Legend’ stemming from the contemporary pamphlets, instead Sutherland and Heller attempt to disentangle Catherine from the context of the xenophobic Protestant pamphleteers that shaped much of Catherine’s historical analysis thus far, revealing the ‘politique’ whose moderate policies were a force for stability. Knecht is most convincing in his assertion that whilst the ‘Black Legend’ is a misrepresentation of her character and policies, Sutherland goes too far in whitewashing Catherine. Ironically, Catherine as a ‘politique’ aimed for complex policies and yet her role in French politics was over-simplified by contemporaries and arguably even by modern historians contributing to overly polarised interpretations. Instead we should bear in mind the violent pressures Catherine faced in the context of the collapse of monarchical authority and follow the more nuanced interpretation of her role.

    Read More

  • Peter The Great Legacy

    1725 Words  | 4 Pages

    Peter the Great would come to be one of Russia’s most influential and powerful rulers by implementing easily the greatest amount of reforms a Russian ruler has ever attempted and altering the course of Roman history for good. The Tsar’s many reforms brought Russia out of archaic times and into a more Europeanized modern age where not only was the entire structure of government changed but so too were extensive reforms brought onto late 17th century and early 18th century Russia’s industry, commerce, technology, military, and culture among other things. Peter the Great’s legacy brought Russia to the height of her power and is one that has inspired many Russians and historians alike through the centuries since his death.

    Read More

  • How successful was Alexander II’s Edict on Emancipation of the Serfs in modernizing Russia in the years 1861-1881?

    3275 Words  | 7 Pages

    After the crippling defeat in the Crimean War, Alexander II knew that Russia could not be allowed to lag behind the Western world any longer if it was to maintain its independence. The reform of the state had been advisable for a long time, but for Alexander III it was necessary. He knew that before any real changes could be achieved, the main problem had to be solved: the problem of serfdom. However many limits and imperfections his edict of Emancipation carried with it, most importantly it allowed for further modernizing reforms in the legal, government, education and military spheres.

    Read More

  • Peter The Great

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Peter the Great wanted to bring Russia into a new era. He achieved his goal of domestic reformation through Russia's economy, the church, and education. By boosting the industrial, commercial, and agricultural aspects, Peter hoped a richer Russia would invest in their military to increase strength, and therefore increasing Peter's amount of power. Unfortunately, he did not gain as much as he had hoped for, but he did help boost Russia into a period of rapid economic growth ('Peter the Great - domestic reforms' 2). Peter also saw a need for reform in the church. Not only did the church have a large source of wealth that Peter wanted a part of, but it had land, power, and serfs challenging those of the tsar. When the head of the church died in 1700, Peter did not replace him -- rather, he handed the property of the church over to a branch of the government. In turn, subjecting it to Peter's command. In 1721, a regulation was set on the church as it fell entirely under state control. This regulation stated everything the clergy could do and, in a sense, controlled their daily life. The clergy's job was to 'make their congregations totally submissive to the state by convincing them that Peter was all but God-like to ensure the population of Russia's total subordination to the crown' ('Peter the Great - domestic reforms' 1). If Russia had any hopes of becoming a superpower, they could not be fulfilled until the education aspect of society was modernized. Peter knew that proper education for both the soldiers and the officers was vital for a successful military. With this in mind, he set up schools for navigation and maths, artillery and languages, medicine, engeneering, and science ('Peter the Great - domestic reforms' 1).

    Read More

  • Catherine the Great and The Russian Enlightenment

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1762, Catherine the Great was crowned Czarina of Russia. Catherine received Russia from Peter the Great in a transitional state. Although the stubborn country was gravitating towards its old culture, her leaders were pulling her into the new modern Europe, a region undergoing a historical shift known as The Enlightenment. Through Catherine’s journals, we can learn a lot about her methods of ruling Russia. She wrote that her rule by which to govern was “Do good not evil out of love for humanity.” Throughout her reign, Catherine had many accomplishments and was renowned by Enlightenment personalities such as Diderot and Voltaire. Although Catherine The Great did not initiate the Enlightenment in Russia, or complete the process, she played an essential role in helping her resistant country shift from their long-established traditions by implementing reforms that westernized Russia.

    Read More

  • St. Catherine of Siena

    2003 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the early stages of Catherine's life the surfacing modern age was bringing with it social turmoil which spread throughout Europe (Giordani 3). During Catherine's lifetime, according to Mary Ann Sullivan in her essay “St. Catherine of Siena,” the center of Catholic rule fluctuated between Rome and Avignon and contributed to a schism between popes in Italy and France (1). Catherine was born 23rd in a line of 25 children and, according to Sullivan “even at a young age, [she] sensed the troubled society around her and wanted to help” (1). While her parents were not exceptionally religious, St. Catherine's biographer Blessed Raymond of Capua discusses Catherine's early zeal for Catholic practices: “When she was about five she learned the Hail Mary, and repeated it over and over again as often as she could…she was inspired by heaven to address the Blessed Virgin in this way whenever she went up and down stairs, stopping to kneel on each step as she did so” (24). Her devotion to the Virgin Mary would become especially important in a vision she had around this time while walking with her brother to visit one of her sisters.

    Read More

More about Catherine II: A New Law Code: Catherine The Great

Open Document