Catherine II’s Followers (10)

Catherine II

Born

in Stettin, Pomerania, Germany

May 02, 1729

Died

November 17, 1796

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Catherine the Great, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russia, the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. Her reign, the Catherinian Era, was called Russia's golden age. Russia was revitalized, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.
The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country. A notable example of an enlightened despot, a correspondent of Voltaire and an amateur opera librettist, Catherine presided over th Catherine the Great, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russia, the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. Her reign, the Catherinian Era, was called Russia's golden age. Russia was revitalized, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.
The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country. A notable example of an enlightened despot, a correspondent of Voltaire and an amateur opera librettist, Catherine presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, when the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe, was established.
Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas, and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to increased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief reasons behind several rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev's Rebellion of cossacks and peasants.
She was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, and came to power following a coup d'état and the assassination of her husband, Peter III, at the end of the Seven Years' War.
In both her accession to power and in rule of her empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov, and admirals such as Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was crushed following victories over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish wars, and Russia colonised the vast territories of Novorossiya along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, king Stanisław August Poniatowski, was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russia started to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America. ...more

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Average rating: 3.86 · 585 ratings · 61 reviews · 88 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Memoirs of Catherine the Great by Catherine II, Markus Cruse (Translator), Hilde Hoogenboom (Translator) 3.85 avg rating — 511 ratings — published 1859 — 89 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Selected Letters by Catherine II, Andrew Kahn (Translator), Kelsey Rubin-Detlev (Translator) 4.32 avg rating — 19 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Nakaz of Catherine the Great: Collected Texts. by Catherine II, William E. Butler (Editor), Vladimir A. Tomsinov (Editor) 3.33 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2010 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Catherine the Great's Instruction (Nakaz) to the Legislative Commission, 1767 (Russia under Catherine the Great) by Catherine II, Paul Dukes (Editor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1977 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Catherine the Great by Catherine II, Alexander Herzen (Preface) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ekaterina II i G.A. Potemkin: Lichnai͡a︡ perepiska 1769-1791 (Literaturnye pami͡a︡tniki) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1997	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Katarina II och Gustaf III: En återfunnen brevväxling (Nationalmusei årsbok) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1998	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia: Oh, These Times! and the Siberian Shaman by Catherine II, Lurana Donnels O'Malley liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zapiski imperatritsy Ekateriny II / Записки императрицы Екатерины II 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 1990 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Erinnerungen by Catherine II, Alexander Herzen (Translator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Catherine II (?)

“A great wind is blowing and that either gives you imagination...or a headache.”
― Catherine the Great

20 likes

“I like to praise and reward in a loud voice and to scold in a whisper.”
― Catherine the Great

10 likes

“One cannot always know what children are thinking. Children are hard to understand, especially when careful training has accustomed them to obedience, and experience has made them cautious in their conversation with their teachers. Will you not draw from this the fine maxim that one should not scold children too much, but should make them trustful, so that they will not conceal their stupidities from us?”
― Catherine the Great

tags: children, teaching

8 likes

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Catherine II’s Followers (10)

Catherine II

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