What was catherine the great famous for

A poor student who felt a stronger allegiance to his home country of Prussia than Russia, the heir spent much of his time indulging in various vices—and unsuccessfully working to paint himself as an effective military commander. These differences led both parties to seek intimacy elsewhere, a fact that raised questions, both at the time and in the centuries since, about the paternity of their son, the future Paul I. Catherine herself suggested in her memoirs that Paul was the child of her first lover, Sergei Saltykov.

As Robert K. Far from resigning herself to this fate, Catherine bided her time and watched as Peter alienated key factions at court. Like his wife, Peter was actually Prussian. But whereas she downplayed this background in favor of presenting herself as a Russian patriot, he catered to his home country by abandoning conquests against Prussia and pursuing a military campaign in Denmark that was of little value to Russia. Further compounding these unpopular decisions were his attempted repudiation of his wife in favor of his mistress and his seizure of church lands under the guise of secularization.

I think Catherine realized that her own position and her own life [were] probably under threat, and so she acted. These tensions culminated in a July 9, , coup. Catherine—flanked by Orlov and her growing cadre of supporters—arrived at the Winter Palace to make her official debut as Catherine II, sole ruler of Russia.

By Olivia B. Related Stories. The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. Already a print subscriber? Go here to link your subscription. Need help? Visit our Help Center. Go here to connect your wallet. Others took their lurid storytelling even further, perpetuating a myth that has endured for centuries: that Catherine, whose lustful life was an open secret, had died while engaging in a sex act with an animal, usually believed to be a horse.

Of course, there is no truth to this rumor. Though her enemies would have hoped for a scandalous end, the simple truth is that Catherine suffered a stroke and died quietly in her bed the following day. Catherine had a famously stormy relationship with her eldest son, Paul. Relations between the two grew so bad that Paul was at times convinced his mother was actively plotting his death. While Catherine had no such plans, she did fear that Paul would be an incompetent ruler and looked for alternate options for the succession.

In fact, it is believed that Catherine intended to make this official in late but died before she was able to do so. Paul became czar but soon proved to be just as erratic and unpopular as Catherine had feared.

Five years into his reign, he was assassinated, and his year-old son assumed power as Alexander I. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Her father, Christian August, a prince of this tiny dominion, gained fame for his military career by serving as a general for Frederick William I of Prussia.

Instead, Johanna spent much of her time and energy on Catherine's younger brother, Wilhelm Christian, leaving Catherine to be nurtured by her governess, Babette.

After Wilhelm Christian died at age 12, Johanna came to see her daughter as a means to move up the social ladder and improve her own situation. Johanna had relatives in other royal courts in the region and brought Catherine with her on visits to seek out possible suitors. Catherine, on the other hand, saw marriage as a way to escape from her controlling mother. Catherine was tutored in religious studies by a military chaplain but questioned much of what he taught her.

She also learned three languages: German, French and Russian, the last of which came in handy when Catherine's mother wrangled an invitation to St. Petersburg from Elizabeth of Russia. In , a teenage Catherine traveled with her mother to Russia, to meet with the empress; Elizabeth had once been engaged to Johanna's older brother, who died of smallpox, and she felt a connection to Johanna's family.

She wanted to see if Catherine would be suitable for her heir, Peter. When Catherine became ill, Elizabeth insisted on treatment that included numerous bloodlettings. This created conflict between Johanna and Elizabeth, but Catherine ingratiated herself with the Russian empress after her recovery. Moving forward with her relationship with Grand Duke Peter, Catherine converted to the Russian Orthodox faith, despite her deeply Lutheran father's objections.

Along with her new religion, she also received a new name—Yekaterina, or Catherine. They proved to be anything but a happy couple, however, as Peter was immature and juvenile, preferring to play with toy soldiers and mistresses than to be with his wife.

Catherine II developed her own pastimes, which included reading extensively. After years of not having children, Catherine II finally produced an heir with son Paul, born on September 20, The paternity of the child has been a subject of great debate among scholars, with some claiming that Paul's father was actually Sergei Saltykov, a Russian noble and member of the court, and others pointing to Paul's resemblance to Peter as proof of them being related.

In any case, Catherine had little time with her first-born son; Elizabeth took over raising the child soon after his birth. Catherine later had three other children.

Catherine soon orchestrated a coup that forced Peter to step down after just six months on the throne, and she became empress of Russia on July 9, Along with his strained relations with his wife, Peter had alienated other nobles, officials and the military with his staunch support for Prussia, and angered the Orthodox Church by taking away their lands.

During his brief time in power, Catherine II conspired with her lover, Gregory Orlov, a Russian lieutenant, and other powerful figures to leverage the discontent with Peter and build up support for his removal. By the time Peter ascended to the throne, he was openly cruel to his wife and considering pushing her aside to allow his mistress to rule with him.

A few days after his resignation, he was strangled while in the care of Catherine's co-conspirators at Ropsha, one of Peter's estates. The exact role the empress played in her husband's death is unclear.