Sophia Frederika-Augusta, later known as Catherine, was born on May 2, 1729 in the Baltic seaport town of Stettin, then part of German Pomerania. She was born into the Anhalt- Zerbst family, one of the poorest and most obscure of all the German princely families. Her father, Christian Augusta, did not become the reigning prince of Zerbst until Catherine was thirteen years old. In 1743, at the age of fifteen, Catherine's mother, Johanna, found her a husband. She was to marry Grand Duke Peter III of Holstein, he was sixteen. When Catherine met her husband she thought that he was weak, egotistical, unbalanced, ineffective and entirely Lutheran and German in his attitude. Catherine decided to convert to Russian Orthodoxy after a year of instruction and education from the Russian court. She was married in 1745 and became Grand Duchess Catherine of Russia. Catherine's life as a Grand Duchess from 1745 to 1762 was very difficult. Their marriage was never on good terms. Catherine thought that she would have to make her own way and find her place within the Russian court. She learned how to speak Russian to convince the court of her good will. She studied rituals of Orthodoxy and was careful to show respect for her new religion. Catherine occupied herself reading everything she could find. She particularly enjoyed the works of Plato and Voltaire. Her interest in intellectual things caused even greater distance between Peter and herself. Many years passed and there was still no heir to the throne. The Empress Elizabeth of Russia, Peter III's aunt, was irritated because she wanted to secure a powerful dynasty and couldn't accomplish this without the presence of a male heir. She thought it was Catherine's fault because she wasn't attracted to her husband. However, it was Peter that was not able to produce a male son, so Elizabeth permitted an affair between Catherine and a Russian military officer named Serge Saltykov. Catherine finally gave birth to a son, whom the Empress named Paul, on September 20, 1754. Peter accepted him as his own. Immediately after Paul's birth Elizabeth took him to her apartments and raised him as her own. This caused Peter and Catherine's relationship to drift further apart. On Christmas day 1761, the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna died and the reign of Tsar Peter
Isabel de Madariaga was considered an expert on Russian history, she was Professor Emeritus of Slavonic Studies at the University of London. Catherine the Great: a Short
Peter preferred to live comfortably, and didn’t have a need for extravagance as much as Louis XIV did. But that didn’t mean he didn’t think big. Peter’s main goals were to modernize Russia, and to make it a major European power—a force to be reckoned with—and also to gain control of the church. He tried to achieve these in many different ways. One way he attempted to make Russia more powerful was by westernizing the country. He traveled all over Western Europe, learning about the culture, more modern practices and way of ...
The conflict Catherine faces is Person versus self. “Little Bird, in the world to come, you will not be asked ‘why were you not George?’ or ‘why were you not Perkin?’ but ‘why were you not Catherine?’ ” (Cushman 17). It is depicted that Catherine tried to be everyone else but not herself. Hence, Catherine’s conflict is internal because she must change her conceptions. Catherine must accept who she is. Catherine’s conflict is resolved in the resolution. Catherine understands the Jewish woman’s advice. “And it came to my mind that I cannot run away. I am who I am wherever I am” (Cushman 202). Catherine understands she cannot be like Perkin or George, and she will not be asked if why she was not like Perkin or George. However, Catherine will be asked why she did not act like herself, and why she was not
(education) From the start of Catherine reign, she was enchanted by the thought of the enlightened period. This had an emissive impact on the public-school system, which was corrupt at the time. Up until Catherine's reign the Russian schools only taught, but she wanted the students to be nurtured; not in the science or arithmetic, but to be upbrought by the arts and literature.
Peter the Great, was, as his name implies, “great”. He made many accomplishments during his lifetime including expanding Russia’s land, heightening their military, and improving the Russian’s ways of life overall. He assisted with most of the reform in Russia, helped them defeat other countries, and formulated one of the strongest armies in Europe.
the name she took in her adopted country, France. Born in Poland in 1867, she
Peter the Great was trying ultimately to make the Russian Empire more Europeanized or Westernized. He wanted to protect and enhance the vulnerable Russian Empire. Peter the Great saw that other European countries are colonizing in other regions like the New World, Asia, and Africa. Peter saw this as a threat and didn’t want for the Europeans to conquer Russia. Through decrees to shave and provisions on dress, he was trying to make them European. He also wanted to make military and economic reforms that could help the empire itself. If they built factories, they didn’t need to get supplies from Europe.
Catherine of Siena was born in Italy in 1347 at a time when political and religious changes were affecting the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Dedicating her life to the Holy Spirit from a very young age, Catherine pursued a life of purity and simplicity that served as a background to her great literary work, The Dialogue of the Divine Providence . Her work focuses on the importance of prayer and its transcendent power in human life.
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
...he trial that took her to death. She never gave up her faith and remained loyal to her country.
young she would be able to rule the country through him. Edward II sent his son and
age eleven year. She was then sent to Amsterdam by a program in the aid of
gave in to his feelings by marrying her in spite of her and her family's
Things came to a close when Anne became pregnant in 1533. Anne was possibly the person who gave the king the new ideas for religious reform. Henry knowing he had to act fast rejected the decision of the Pope in England and had Thomas Crammer, the archbishop of Canterbury, grant the annulment. Catherine was to renounce the title of Queen and would be known as the Princess Dowager of Wales, something she refused to acknowledge through to the end of her life. Catherine and her daughter were separated and she was forced to leave court.
The future Queen of France was born on All Souls' Day, 2nd November, 1755, in Vienna as the youngest daughter of Maria Theresa and the Emperor Franz Stephan. She was baptized under the names Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna. A glorious future seemed to await the little Archduchess. Not only would she grow up in the bosom of a large and affectionate family, but from the very beginning her mother intended to marry her youngest daughter to the glittering Crown of France. The traditional marriage politics of the Habsburgs would secure her beloved daughter a brilliant position and help guarantee the peace and stability of Europe at the same time.