On this day in history, a “Great” left the world.
Born in 1729 in modern-day Poland, Catherine II was a minor German princess. She was primed and eventually married Peter III, the heir to the Russian Empire.
Her marriage to Peter III was deeply unhappy from the get-go, primarily due to Peter’s obsession with anything but the Russian people. Catherine, being naturally intelligent and ambitious, resolved to do what her husband would not– lead the nation.
She worked herself to the bone learning Russian, court customs, and cultivating the respect and loyalty of major political and military figures. By the time Peter ascended the throne in 1762, Catherine was already known to be more of a ruler than her husband, a fact that would eventually culminate in an official coup staged against him. The list of grievances against Peter was extensive: withdrawing from the Seven Years’ War, secularizing church lands, and even speaking casually of divorcing Catherine in favor of his mistress.
Using her influence, Catherine seized the opportunity given by Peter’s absence from St. Petersburg to have her allies proclaim her Empress of Russia, where clergy, guardsmen, and the common people summarily wrote off Peter III.
Upon his return, Catherine forced Peter to abdicate the throne officially, and, powerless, he surrendered. Soon after, Peter III was found dead while in custody, with the leading theory being that he was assassinated at Catherine’s order. Under her rule, Catherine ushered in a Golden Age for Russia, where countless renovations and additions were made to the nation, as well as finally brought Russia back into the running as one of the world’s leading powers.
At the age of 67, Catherine suffered a stroke and passed away in the night, ending the life of an individual who truly deserves her title: Catherine the Great.
