Catherine the Great (Catherine II of Russia)

After Peter the Great’s death, Russia faced a long time period full of weak rulers who didn’t have any significant contributions to Russia (Farah). However, after 37 long years, a woman called Sophie Friederike Auguste, Catherine II or Catherine the Great, who had married the czar of Russia 17 years earlier, became the next great ruler of Russia. Catherine, a very intellectual woman, was interested in music and literature, knew German, French, and managed to learn Russian in a short period of time. This intelligent woman, as Russia’s monarch, was a big advantage for the country. During her reign, there was a lot of competition amongst Russia and other countries in Europe for territory. By overcoming a horrible marriage, being a ‘Great’ ruler, and being very intelligent, Catherine II was able to gain the respect of most other monarchs in Europe at the time.

Unlike most monarchs who got to the throne because the crown was passed down to them, Catherine II wasn’t in this position and therefore had to marry in if she wanted to rule. She was willing to do extreme things in order to get heir to the throne, even suffering through a 17 year marriage. This was one of the reasons that other monarch looked up to her, as she was willing to ruin part of her life in order to rule. However, there was also another reason why she wanted to marry and that was to be able to escape her controlling mother for a few years. But instead, she suffered through a hard time with her horrible husband, Peter III. With a childish and not serious man like Peter III, Catherine didn’t enjoy her long marriage at all. In fact, the two never had much physical contact, and therefore Catherine’s children were her lover’s. Catherine and Peter had cheated on each othe...

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... arts and literature to please her people. She was often compared to Peter the Great, as he was the one who had created the Russians, and Catherine put her heart in them. Because of all of these great things Catherine II did for her people, she was highly respected by them, and therefore was named ‘Catherine the Great’. All of her great ruling and experience made her hugely respected by other monarchs.

One of the greatest rulers in Russia’s history, Catherine II, was highly respected by other monarchs during her time period. Over the course of her 34-year long reign, she had gained this respect by her great ruling skills, overcoming her horrible marriage, and by the huge amount of intelligence this female monarch had. With her great achievements, she was not only hugely respected in her own time period, but still today she is remembered with respect and admiration.