Introduction
Also known as Catherine II, Catherine the Great was an empress who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. She is the only Russian woman to have ever reigned for this long. Even though she is mostly acknowledged for her matters of the heart rather than her state affairs, Catherine managed to greatly expand her empire to become a recognized force in Europe. Catherine was born as Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst in 1729 to a Prussian Prince. In her teenage years she was unhappily married to a Russian Prince that would later become Emperor Peter III (1). Often regarded to as inept and incompetent, Peter was overthrown from his throne after only six months by with wife with the help of Grigory Orlov, a military office with whom she was having an affair (2). She later had her husband arrested and killed in order to secure her position on the throne. Catherine the Great is often regarded as a socially enlightened ruler due to her exchange of correspondence with Voltaire, a French philosopher. She is also considered a patron of the arts as the Hermitage Museum was opened under her reign. It was also under her rule that the Russians adopted the culture and philosophies of the Western Europeans.
Origin and Background
Sophie Frederike August von Anhalt-Zerbst first arrived to the Russian court after her marriage to Emperor Peter III after which she changed her name to Catherine. Her arrival at the Russian court was viewed with suspicion due to her foreign roots, liberal attitudes and lack of a Russian culture (3). However, she soon adopted the Russian culture and became proficient in forming relationships within the Russian court. Over time, the issue of her birth in a foreign state became less important as she increasingly proved to be mo...
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...2 in the absence of her husband who was away in the Russian capital, St. Petersburg. Shortly after, Peter was arrested, forced to give up his throne before being killed.
Orlov was only one of the many lovers that Catherine would have in her life. She took up the habit of often switching lovers as evidence in a letter she wrote to Prince Grigory Potemkin (10), a military leader with whom she had an affair between 1774-1775. In the letter Catherine states that she hates to stay without love for even an hour (11). Although her relationship with Potemkin was personal, it provided to be very important politically as well. Potemkin was a very capable military leader whose strong military perspective helped Russia in adding to its southern territory by winning over Crimea. His win played a huge role in establishing Russia as a new super power in the European power stage.
One of his many royal patrons was Princess Leonilla of Russia. She was married to Prince Ludwig Adolf Friedrich, and very active in fashionable Parisian circles.
In conclusion, though the goals and outcomes were different in many ways, Louis XIV and Peter the Great both sought to do great things. Louis XIV died unpopular in his country, having had the spotlight on him for years in Europe. He hadn’t made the huge leaps that he had hoped as far as land goes, but he had made small gains of land, and had gained the crown for his grandson, Phillip V of Spain. He also built fortresses around the country and reshaped the French economy. Peter the Great succeeded in modernizing and westernizing Russia. By his death, Russia was considered much more of a leading state in Europe than ever before. He modernized the army, created a navy, and succeeded in centralizing the government.
Catherine the Great one of Russians most notorious leaders never once struggled to give Russia the edge it so hoped for. She considered herself to be an enlightened leader and attempted to rule in that fashion. Her reforms transformed Russia into a strong nation for their time. She’s remembered as the greatest reformers of Russia, she continued to westernize Russia, widened the borders, and strengthened the education system.
On the other hand there were other problems that effected the Romanov dynasty. After Russia’s removal from Poland the Tsar took it upon himself to become the new commander-in-chief, even th...
...he Great would also have her success while she reformed Russian government and the education system. Both had made mistakes, Frederick made an alliance that ultimately spurred the Seven Years War and Catherine advocated for the serfs but at the end of the day did nothing to improve their well-being. In my opinion Frederick was a better ruler because it seemed like he cared more about the people than Catherine did.
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
An avid admirer of Peter the Great, she created her version of Peter the Great’s decrees known as The Grand Instructions in 1768 even though she never really put these ideas into practice. Catherine the Great tightened her control on serfs and peasants through the creation of the Decree of Serfs. This decree stated that serfs and peasants must submit to their landlords in all matters or they face arrest. They were banned from sending petitions complaining about their landlords. This allowed the monarchy to control serfs and peasants in the prevention of any uprising or revolts in the future which also favored the nobles. Ironically, Catherine claimed to believe in “the liberal rhetoric of the Enlightenment” (Catherine 2nd Proposals and Decree on Serfs) however, she evidently ruled Russia with a tight rein. By putting the nobility on such a high pedestal she was ensuring that she had the support and backing of the nobility to maintain her government in Russia. After all, no monarchies in 17th and 18th centuries were secure never without the beloved
Peter redefined the duty of the Russian autocracy by binding together the notion of an autocrat who rules over the populace without any limitations and the notion of the autocrat who reforms society for the benefit of the populace (Whittaker, 1992, p. 78). Catherine wanted to become the enlightened and reforming despot that Peter the Great was, but she also realized the flaws that he possessed that she saw in herself. She criticized Peter for moving the capital to St Petersburg as opposed to moving it elsewhere and Peter’s failure to change the Sobornoye Ulozheniye of 1649 (Rasmussen, 1974, p. 56). However, Catherine was also unsuccessful in changing the Russian legal code as the Legislative Commission was a failure because it had not accomplished its task and she realized that this showed she herself had shortcomings much like Peter did (Rasmussen, 1974, p. 59). Nevertheless, Catherine had a vast amount of respect toward Peter and she used his image to her advantage as a political device. She used his image to overthrow Peter III and gain power over the throne. She realized that this was a necessity because “her claim to power was shaky and she worked to buttress it by projecting the image of a reforming tsar […]” (Whittaker, 1992, p. 92). Catherine did not ascend to the throne by legal right, but she had ascended to it because she had usurped her husband in order to claim power. Therefore, she
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.
One of Russia’s finest leaders was Catherine II. Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great was a leader who used her power to benefit Russia for advancement in the future and to lead Russia to be one of the most successful countries in Europe at that time. Catherine ruled the Russian Empire from 1762 until her death in 1796, she was very focused on the political and foreign advancements of the Russian Empire. Much of what she did during her rule in the late 1700’s has assisted Russia in the advancements that they have made as a country today. Catherine II was good to her people and also cared very much about their rights, she developed laws to assist the people and to further benefit Russia as a nation.
Peter Alexeevich, also known as Peter the Great, is generally acknowledged to be the most outstanding of the Russian czars (Mano, 2010). For 29 years Peter ruled Russia. When Peter first came into unshared power, he felt that Russia was quite medieval compared to the rest of Europe. After his first year in power, he decided to leave Russia to discover what was going on in the western side of Europe. Upon his return, he began incorporating practices he had seen in the rest of Europe into Russia.
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 age of exploration and discovery in Europe was a time of various absolute rulers. An absolute monarch is a ruler who has unlimited power and controls every aspect of life. Many rulers were great examples of absolute monarchs, but none of them even compared to the absolute monarch Peter the Great of Russia. Peter I, more commonly known as Peter the Great, was born June 9, 1672. At ten years of age, Peter took over the throne, but other people helped him make decisions. He was obliged to rule with his mentally challenged half-brother, Ivan (Beck, 609). It wasn’t until after Ivan died that he gained complete control and was the sole ruler of Russia. During his own reign, he was able to change the way Russia operated. He was aware that his country was behind the rest of his world in many things, such as culture and technology. He was determined to change Russia for the better. With his determination and love for Russia, he was able to conquer his ideas and was able to do what he wanted with his nation. His ruling is known as the period of transformation because, thanks to him, he was able to lead Russia in the right direction and modernize it. Peter the Great was an absolute monarch; he changed Russia’s culture, created new cities, and reformed the church.
Catherine of Aragon was born on December 16th, 1485 and died on January 7th, 1536. Catherine was the first born daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Both of her parents later on funded Christopher Columbus’s long voyages to the New World in 1492. At a very, very young age of just 3 years old; Catherine was to be betrothed to Prince Arthur and married him when she turned 16, in the year 1501. Sadly, her husband died 5 months later and she acquired a very important title in her young life; the title of being the very First Woman to be an Ambassador of the Spanish Court in England. Soon after being the ambassador, Catherine was to be married to Arthur’s youngest brother, Henry VIII. Her title then went from being an ambassador, to a Princess, and finally to the highest title; a Queen. Catherine ruled England from 1509-1533 by the side of Henry. Catherine was painfully unaware of the fact that Henry was having an affair with his mistress; and soon to be wife, Anne Boleyn. The reason being for his infidelity was due to the fact that Catherine hadn’t p...
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