Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia during the late 1700s. Her full name was Catherine II. She was born in 1729 in Stettin, a city then in Prussia and now in Poland. She was not born Russian. She became Empress after marrying into the Russian royal family. Catherine ruled Russia for more than 30 years, from 1762 until her death in 1796.

Catherine was born into a small German noble family. A noble is a person from a family with special social rank. When she was a teenager, she was brought to Russia to marry the future emperor, Peter III. She learned the Russian language and customs. After Peter became emperor, his rule was short. In 1762, he was removed from power, and Catherine became Empress. An empress is a female ruler of an empire.

As ruler, Catherine worked to strengthen the government. Government is the system used to rule a country. She organized laws and supported education. She believed that rulers should understand ideas and knowledge. Catherine read many books and wrote letters to thinkers such as Voltaire and Denis Diderot. These writers were part of the Enlightenment, a period when people discussed reason, science, and society.

Catherine also expanded the size of the Russian Empire. An empire is a group of lands ruled by one leader. During her reign, Russia gained new territory in Eastern Europe and near the Black Sea. These lands increased Russia’s access to trade routes and resources. Expansion means making a country larger by adding land.

Catherine worked with nobles to manage the country. At the same time, many peasants had difficult lives. A peasant is a farmer with little land or wealth. One major uprising during her reign was led by Yemelyan Pugachev. An uprising is an attempt to rise against authority. The revolt was put down by the government.

Catherine the Great died in 1796 in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia at the time. She was succeeded by her son, Paul I. Catherine is remembered as a long-ruling empress who expanded Russia and supported education and culture while maintaining strong control over the empire.