How many children did Russian Empress Catherine II have? And what were their names?

    It is known from official sources that the great Russian Empress Catherine II had 3 children, two boys and one girl. The eldest Pavel is the son of the Russian Emperor Peter III and the husband of Catherine II, his daughter Anna died in infancy and the youngest illegitimate son Alexei, his father was supposedly Grigory Orlov, the favorite of Catherine II.

    All sources say that Catherine the Great had two sons - Emperor Pavel Petrovich, born in 1754, and Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky, born in 1762, who was an illegitimate son from Grigory Orlov. Very little is said about daughter Anna Petrovna, born in 1757, perhaps because she died while still young.

    History knows three children who were born to Catherine the Second. These were two sons and a daughter. Two children are considered to be from her legal husband, Peter the Third (although there are doubts that he was their father). Their names were Pavel and Anna (the girl lived only two years). One son was supposedly born from Grigory Orlov, his name was Alexey.

    Russian Empress, who was named Ekaterina Alekseevna at one time and was more often called Catherine the Great, and this was in fact a princess in the past and her real name was Sophia Frederika Augusta. Subsequently she became Catherine the Second.

    She had only one legal husband in her entire life and no less than twenty favorites during her life and reign.

    And according to historical data and chronicles, it is known about her four children. And these facts are inherently closer to reliability.

    And that's how it was their names and preserved in history:

    And the story also tells that her legitimate grandchildren subsequently lived and were raised in her palace.

    Until now, the exact number of Catherine the Great’s children is unknown. At the moment, it is indisputably known about her three children:

    1. Emperor Paul I (20.09.175411.03.1801). Father: Ptr III or Sergei Saltykov.
    2. Anna Petrovna (12/20/175719/02/1759). The father is most likely Stanislav Poniatowski, but it is not known for sure.
    3. Alexey Grigorievich Bobrinsky (04/22/1762 07/02/1813). Father: Grigory Orlov.

    The following children are also attributed to Catherine the Great:

    Source: https://ru.wikipedia.org

    Catherine II had three children. Their names were Pavel, Anna and Alexey. Historians argue about paternity. Presumably the father of the first and second children is Peter the Third, but the last child in the family was most likely born from Grigory Orlov.

    Catherine II, famous Russian empress. Wife of Peter III.

    Paul I, who later became the Russian emperor, was the son of Catherine Alekseevna and Peter Fdorovich, although there were rumors at court that the child was allegedly not conceived from Peter, but from Catherine’s favorite, Sergei Vasilyevich Saltykov.

    However, these are just rumors. Here you can see the undoubted similarity between Paul I and Peter III:

    See for yourself:

    Catherine's only daughter, Anna Petrovna, was probably conceived by Stanislav Poniatowski, the future king of Poland, also the Grand Duke of Lithuania. And Peter III knew about their connection, but the daughter was recognized as legitimate.

    Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna died of smallpox as a child. (1757 - 1759)

    The next child is Alexey, whose father is Catherine’s favorite, Count Orlov.

    It is known that Catherine even wanted to marry this favorite and place him on the throne, but Panin’s phrase did not stop her:

    Alexey became Count Bobrinsky.

    Elizaveta Tmkina could also be a possible daughter of Empress Catherine and her favorite, Prince G.A. Potmkin-Tavrichesky.

    The Russian Empress Catherine II officially had three natural children - Pavel III, Anna Petrovna and Alexei Grigorievich. Also, reading the novel The Favorite, you can understand that Catherine the Second had a child with Grigory Potemkin - Elizaveta.

    In general, materials regarding the children of Catherine II are quite contradictory. By analyzing various historical sources, we can draw some conclusions about her children. The name of Catherine the Second's first son was Pavel, who later became Russian Emperor Paul I. He reigned from 1796 to 1801. According to some reports, his father is Ptr III or Sergei Saltykov (exactly, unfortunately, unknown). It is also known that Catherine II suffered from miscarriages.

    The second child was Anna Petrovna, she lived only two years, and her father was Stanislav Poniatovsky, which is also unreliable information. The third child's name was Alexey Grigorievich Bobrinsky. Alexei's father was Grigory Orlov. Well, the last daughter of the famous empress was Elizaveta Grigorievna Tmkina. His father was Grigory Potmkin. Thus, Catherine had four children, all from different fathers.

    Empress of Russia Catherine II(Ekaterina Alekseevna, nee Sophia Frederika Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst) was born on April 21, 1729 in Stettin (Prussia).

    Catherine II had one legal spouse and many lovers, according to some statements more than 20 favorite lovers.

    Family life is shrouded in mystery; there are many versions and assumptions regarding the number of children. Three children are considered more or less reliable in historical sources:

    Paul I, Grand Duke, later Emperor, years of life: 09.20.1754 - 03.11.1801 (Paul’s father was either PtrIII, or Sergei Vasilyevich Saltykov, Serge, chamberlain, handsome.)

    Anna Petrovna, years of life: 12/20/1757 - 02/19/1759 (father Stanislav Poniatovsky)

    Alexey Grigorievich Bobrinsky, years of life: 04/22/1762-07/2/1813 (father Grigory Orlov), there is also a version of another child of Catherine the Great - this

    Elizaveta Grigorievna Tmkina, years of life: 07/13/1775 - date of death is unknown (father Grigory Potmkin), but opponents of this version, taking into account the considerable age (46 years) of the empress, question it and suggest that this is the child of one of the mistresses of the empress's favorite .

The history of the relationship between the Russian Empress Catherine II and men is no less than her state activities. Many of Catherine's favorites were not only lovers, but also major statesmen.

Favoritism and Catherine's childrenII

The development of relationships between the rulers of European countries and the opposite sex in the 17th – 18th centuries created the institution of favoritism. However, you need to distinguish between favorites and lovers. The title of favorite was practically a court one, but was not included in the “table of ranks.” In addition to pleasures and rewards, this brought the need to fulfill certain state duties.

It is believed that Catherine II had 23 lovers, and not every one of them can be called a favorite. Most European sovereigns changed sexual partners much more often. It was they, the Europeans, who created the legend about the depravity of the Russian Empress. On the other hand, you can’t call her chaste either.

It is generally accepted that the future Catherine II, who came to Russia at the invitation of Empress Elizabeth, was married in 1745 to Grand Duke Peter, an impotent man who was not interested in the charms of his young wife. But he was interested in other women and periodically changed them, however, nothing is known about his children from his mistresses.

More is known about the children of the Grand Duchess, and then Empress Catherine II, but there are even more unconfirmed rumors and assumptions:

There are not that many children, especially given that not all of them necessarily belonged to Catherine the Great.

How Catherine diedII

There are several versions of the death (November 17, 1796) of the Great Empress. Their authors never cease to mock the sexual irrepressibility of the empress, as always “not seeing the beam in their own eye.” Some of the versions are simply full of hatred and clearly fabricated, most likely, by revolutionary France, which hates absolutism, or by its other enemies:

  1. The Empress died during sexual intercourse with a stallion raised above her on ropes. Allegedly, it was he who was crushed.
  2. The Empress died while having an affair with a wild boar.
  3. Catherine the Great was killed in the back by a Pole while relieving herself in the toilet.
  4. Catherine, with her own weight, broke a toilet seat in the toilet, which she had made from the throne of the Polish king.

These myths are completely baseless and have nothing to do with the Russian Empress. There is an opinion that unflattering versions of death could have been invented and spread at court by the son who hated the empress, the future Emperor Paul I.

The most reliable versions of death are:

  1. Catherine died on the second day after she suffered a severe heart attack.
  2. The cause of death was a stroke (apoplexy), which found the empress in the restroom. In painful agony, without regaining consciousness for about 3 hours, Empress Catherine died.
  3. Paul organized the murder (or untimely provision of first aid) of the empress. While the empress was in her death throes, her son Paul found and destroyed the will transferring power to his son Alexander.
  4. An additional version of death is the gallbladder ruptured during a fall.

The official and generally accepted version when determining the causes of the empress’s death is a stroke, but what actually happened is not known or has not been conclusively proven.

Empress Catherine II the Great was buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

The personal life and death of people of great importance for the history of the state always gives rise to a lot of speculation and rumors. The corrupted “free” Europe, as soon as it saw the results of European “enlightenment” in Russia, tried to prick, humiliate, and insult the “wild” one. How many favorites and lovers there were, how many children Catherine the Great had are not the most important questions for understanding the essence of her reign. What is more important for history is what the empress did during the day, not at night.

Catherine II is the great Russian empress, whose reign became the most significant period in Russian history. The era of Catherine the Great is marked by the “golden age” of the Russian Empire, whose cultural and political life the queen raised to the European level.

Portrait of Catherine II. Artist Vladimir Borovikovsky / Tretyakov Gallery

The biography of Catherine II is full of light and dark stripes, numerous plans and achievements, as well as a stormy personal life, about which films are made and books are written to this day.

Childhood and youth

Catherine II was born on May 2 (April 21, old style) 1729 in Prussia in the family of the governor of Stettin, Prince of Zerbst and the Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp. Despite the rich pedigree, the princess's family did not have a significant fortune, but this did not stop her parents from providing home education for their daughter. At the same time, the future Russian empress learned English, Italian and French at a high level, mastered dancing and singing, and also gained knowledge about the basics of history, geography and theology.

As a child, the young princess was a playful and curious child with a pronounced “boyish” character. She did not show bright mental abilities and did not demonstrate her talents, but she helped her mother in raising her younger sister Augusta, which suited both parents. In her youth, her mother called Catherine II Fike, which means little Federica.


Catherine II in her youth. Artist Louis Caravaque / Gatchina Palace

At the age of 15, it became known that the Princess of Zerbst had been chosen as a bride for the heir Peter Fedorovich, who later became the Russian Emperor. The princess and her mother were secretly invited to Russia, where they went under the name of the Countesses of Rhinebeck.

The girl immediately began to study Russian history, language and Orthodoxy in order to learn more fully about her new homeland. Soon she converted to Orthodoxy and was named Ekaterina Alekseevna, and the next day she became engaged to Pyotr Fedorovich, who was her second cousin.

Palace coup and ascension to the throne

After the wedding with Peter III, nothing changed in the life of the future Russian empress - she continued to devote herself to self-education, studying philosophy, jurisprudence and the works of world famous authors, since her husband showed no interest in her and openly had fun with other ladies in front of her eyes. After 9 years of marriage, when the relationship between Peter and Catherine finally went wrong, the queen gave birth to an heir to the throne, who was immediately taken away from her and was not allowed to see him.


Paul I, son of Catherine II. Artist Alexander Roslin / easyArt

Then a plan to overthrow her husband from the throne matured in the head of Catherine the Great. She subtly, clearly and prudently organized a palace coup, in which she was helped by the English Ambassador Williams and the Chancellor of the Russian Empire, Count Alexei Bestuzhev.

It soon became clear that both confidants of the future Russian empress had betrayed her. But Catherine did not abandon this plan and found new allies in its implementation. They were the Orlov brothers, adjutant Fyodor Khitrov and sergeant. Foreigners also took part in organizing the palace coup, providing sponsorship to bribe the right people.


Portrait of Catherine II on horseback. Artist Virgilius Eriksen / Peterhof

In 1762, the Empress was ready to take an irrevocable step - she went to St. Petersburg, where the guards units, who by that time were already dissatisfied with the military policy of Emperor Peter III, swore allegiance to her. After this, he abdicated the throne, was taken into custody and soon died under unknown circumstances. 2 months later, on September 22, 1762, Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst was crowned in Moscow and became the Russian Empress Catherine II.

Reign and achievements of Catherine II

From the very first day of her ascension to the throne, the queen clearly outlined her royal tasks and began to implement them. She quickly formulated and carried out reforms in the Russian Empire, which affected all spheres of life of the population. Catherine the Great pursued a policy that took into account the interests of all classes, which won the support of her subjects.


Portrait of Catherine II. Unknown artist / Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts

To pull the Russian Empire out of the financial quagmire, the tsarina carried out secularization and took away the lands of churches, turning them into secular property. This made it possible to pay off the army and replenish the treasury of the empire by 1 million peasant souls. At the same time, she managed to quickly establish trade in Russia, doubling the number of industrial enterprises in the country. Thanks to this, the amount of state revenue increased 4 times, the empire was able to maintain a large army and begin the development of the Urals.

As for Catherine’s domestic policy, today it is called “enlightened absolutism”, because the empress tried to achieve the “common good” for society and the state. The absolutism of Catherine II was marked by the adoption of new legislation, which was adopted on the basis of the “Order of Empress Catherine,” containing 526 articles.


Empress Catherine II. Artist Dmitry Levitsky / Tretyakov Gallery

They spoke about the principles that were to guide the deputies-lawmakers, primarily about the ideas of Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Leron d'Alembert and other educators. The Code of Laws was developed by the Statutory Commission specially convened in 1766.

Due to the fact that the queen’s political activities were still of a “pro-noble” nature, from 1773 to 1775 she was faced with a peasant uprising led by. The peasant war engulfed almost the entire empire, but the state army suppressed the rebellion and arrested Pugachev, who was subsequently beheaded. This was the only decree on the death penalty that the empress issued during her reign.

In 1775, Catherine the Great carried out a territorial division of the empire and expanded Russia into 11 provinces. During her reign, Russia acquired Azov, Crimea, Kuban, as well as parts of Belarus, Poland, Lithuania and the western part of Volyn. Catherine's provincial reform, according to researchers, had a number of significant shortcomings.


Catherine II's departure for falconry. Artist Valentin Serov / State Russian Museum

When forming provinces, the national composition of the population was not taken into account; moreover, its implementation required an increase in budget expenditures. At the same time, elected courts were introduced in the country, which dealt with criminal and civil cases.

In 1785, the Empress organized local government in cities. By decree, Catherine II established a clear set of noble privileges - she freed nobles from paying taxes, compulsory military service, and gave them the right to own lands and peasants. Thanks to the empress, a secondary education system was introduced in Russia, for which special closed schools, institutes for girls, and educational homes were built. In addition, Catherine founded the Russian Academy, which became one of the leading European scientific bases.

During her reign, Catherine paid special attention to the development of agriculture. It was considered a fundamental industry for Russia, which influenced the economic development of the state. The increase in arable land led to an increase in grain exports.


Portrait of Catherine II in Russian attire. Artist Stefano Torelli / State Historical Museum

Under her, for the first time in Russia, bread began to be sold, which the population bought with paper money, also introduced into use by the empress. Also among the valor of the monarch is the introduction of vaccination in Russia, which made it possible to prevent deadly epidemics in the country, thereby maintaining the number of citizens.

During her reign, Catherine the Second survived 6 wars, in which she received the desired trophies in the form of lands. Her foreign policy is considered by many to this day to be immoral and hypocritical. But the woman managed to go down in Russian history as a powerful monarch who became an example of patriotism for future generations of the country, despite the absence of even a drop of Russian blood in her.

Personal life

The personal life of Catherine II is vibrant and arouses interest to this day. Already in her youth, the Empress became committed to “free love,” which turned out to be a consequence of her unsuccessful marriage to Peter III.


National Museum of Sweden

The romance novels of Catherine the Great are marked by a series of scandals, and the list of her favorites contains 23 names, as evidenced by the research of authoritative “Catherine scholars.” The institution of favoritism had a negative impact on the government structure of that time. He contributed to corruption, poor personnel decisions and the decline of morals.

The most famous lovers of the monarch were Alexander Lanskoy, Grigory Potemkin and Platon Zubov, who at the age of 20 became the favorite of 60-year-old Catherine the Great. Researchers do not rule out that the empress’s love affairs were her kind of weapon, with the help of which she carried out her activities on the royal throne.


Tretyakov Gallery

It is known that Catherine the Great had three children - a son from her legal husband Peter III - Pavel Petrovich, Alexey Bobrinsky, born from Orlov, and a daughter Anna Petrovna, who died of illness at the age of one.

The empress devoted the twilight years of her life to caring for her grandchildren and heirs, as she had strained relations with her son Paul. She wanted to transfer power and the crown to her eldest grandson, whom she personally prepared for the royal throne. But her plans were not destined to happen, since her legal heir learned about his mother’s plan and carefully prepared for the fight for the throne. In the future, the empress’s beloved grandson nevertheless ascended the throne, becoming Emperor Alexander I.


Hermitage

Catherine the Great tried to remain unpretentious in everyday life; she was indifferent to fashionable clothes, but was fond of needlework, wood and bone carving. Every day she devoted her afternoon time to her favorite pastime. The Empress herself embroidered, knitted, and once personally made a pattern for a suit for her grandson Alexander. The queen had a literary gift, which she realized in writing plays for the court theater.

Despite the fact that in her youth the Empress converted to Orthodoxy, she was interested in the ideas of Buddhism. Catherine established the position of head of the Lamaist Church of Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia. The ruler was officially recognized as the embodiment of the enlightened being of the Eastern religion - White Tara.

Death

The death of Catherine II occurred according to the new style on November 17, 1796. The Empress died from a severe stroke; she tossed about in agony for 12 hours and, without regaining consciousness, passed away in agony. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The tombstone bears an epitaph written by herself.


Yuri Zlotya

After ascending the throne, Paul I destroyed most of his mother's heritage. In addition, the external debt of the state was discovered, which became a burden on subsequent rulers and was repaid only at the end of the 19th century.

Memory

More than 15 monuments were erected in honor of the empress in St. Petersburg, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Krasnodar and other cities of the Russian Empire. Later, many of the pedestals were lost. Since Catherine contributed to the spread of paper money, her portrait later adorned the 100-ruble banknote during the reign.

The memory of the great empress was repeatedly immortalized in the literary works of Russian and foreign writers - and others.


The image of Catherine the Great is often used in world cinema. Her bright and rich biography is taken as the basis for scenarios, since the great Russian Empress Catherine II had a turbulent life filled with intrigues, conspiracies, love affairs and the struggle for the throne, but at the same time she became a worthy ruler.

Yulia Snigir.

Movies

  • 1934 – “The Loose Empress”
  • 1953 – “Admiral Ushakov”
  • 1986 – “Mikhailo Lomonosov”
  • 1990 – “The Tsar’s Hunt”
  • 1992 – “Dreams about Russia”
  • 2002 – “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”
  • 2015 – “Great”
  • 2018 – “Bloody Lady”

The fate of Catherine the Great's children. If we include Elizaveta Temkina among the empress’s children, then Catherine gave birth to two boys and two girls.

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna - future Empress Catherine II

Empress Catherine the Great is one of the most prominent women in the political history of Russia. Having married Elizabeth's son Peter III, she was not happy in her marriage. However, due to her brilliant mind, healthy ambition, and natural charisma, she managed to organize the overthrow of her unpopular husband, ascend to the throne, and successfully ruled the Russian Empire from 1762 to 1796.

Catherine's weak, lethargic husband was able to become a father only once. In her marriage to Peter III, the nee Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst gave birth to the future Russian Emperor Paul I. Meanwhile, her bright appearance, good education, cheerful disposition and statesmanship gave Catherine not only the opportunity to decide the destinies of the country.

The empress's personal life was turbulent, often scandalous, and the number of favorites exceeded two dozen. The most famous lovers of Catherine were Grigory Orlov, Sergei Saltykov, Grigory Potemkin. The Empress became the mother of three children: the legally recognized Pavel, Anna and the illegitimate son Alexei. However, some historians suggest that Catherine gave birth to another child - Elizabeth. Disputes about this last motherhood of the empress have not subsided to this day.

Children of Catherine the Great, their fate is the subject of close attention of historians. If we include Elizaveta Temkina among the empress’s children, then Catherine gave birth to two boys and two girls.

Paul I

The legitimate heir to the throne, Paul I, was born on September 20, 1754, after ten years of his parents' unhappy, childless marriage. Immediately after birth and the first cry, the newborn was taken by his grandmother, the reigning Empress Elizabeth. In fact, she removed the mother and father of the child from raising her.

There are two versions regarding the secret of the birth of this child. According to the first, Pavel’s biological father was Catherine’s favorite Sergei Saltykov. However, the portrait resemblance between Peter III and Paul I makes this version very weak.

According to another version, the mother of the child was not Catherine at all, but Elizabeth. Proponents of this theory explain the actual separation of a child from his parents by this.

Thematic material:

Pavel received a brilliant upbringing, became fascinated by the idea of ​​knighthood, but was not happy. The first wife, Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt, died in childbirth. In his second marriage to Maria Fedorovna, née Sophia of Württemberg, ten children were born. Relations with the reigning mother were cold and strained due to the complete dissimilarity of ideological positions and mutual dislike.

Paul was crowned at the age of 42 in 1796. Immediately after ascending the throne, he began political reforms, but four years later he was assassinated.

Anna Petrovna

The legally recognized daughter of Catherine the Great was born on December 9, 1757. Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, who had yet to become Peter III, was not her father, although he recognized the girl. The child was named Anna in honor of the sister of the reigning Empress Elizabeth, Anna Petrovna. The child was named, of course, by the grandmother, who again actively intervened in her daughter-in-law’s personal life.

The girl's real father was Stanislav Poniatovsky, who arrived in Russia as an ambassador of Saxony a year before Anna's birth. A few weeks before the birth of his daughter, Poniatowski was expelled from Russia. In the future he became the king of Poland.

Anna Petrovna did not stay long in this world. She lived just over a year and died of smallpox in February 1759.

Alexey Bobrinsky

Catherine's illegitimate son from her favorite Grigory Orlov was born in April 1762. The child was named Alexei and sent to be raised in the family of the Tsar's chamberlain Shkurin. The child was born a few months before the overthrow of Peter III, so for the first time after birth, Catherine saw the baby only a year later. She did not immediately reveal the secret of her birth to her son. The young man was raised with Shkurin’s sons until he was 12 years old, studied with them abroad, and then was sent to the Ground Cadet Corps.

For many years he traveled around Russia and Europe, and in 1788 he settled in Revel. Married Baroness Anna Ungern-Sternberg. After the death of his mother, he was unexpectedly kindly received by Emperor Paul I, to whom Catherine revealed the secret and handed over the relevant documents. The children of Catherine the Great were thus spiritually reunited: Paul officially recognized the existence of his brother.

In 1796, Bobrinsky received the title of count and settled in the Tula province on the estates given to him by his mother. He was interested in sciences (medicine, geography), alchemy, and conducted agricultural experiments.

Died in 1813.

Elizaveta Temkina

A very controversial theory is that in 1775 Catherine the Great gave birth to her second daughter Elizabeth, who received her father’s surname at birth. In those days, illegitimate children of high-born families were named after their parents' surname, cutting off the first syllable. This is how Elizaveta Temkina was born.

There is nothing particularly unusual about this theory. The relationship between Potemkin and Catherine the Great was very strong (there were rumors about their secret marriage), and on the day the baby was born, 46-year-old Catherine was still of childbearing age. Supporters of the theory are also supported by the fact that for several days before and after giving birth, the empress did not appear in public, saying she was ill.

However, skeptics argue that the birth of a healthy child at Catherine’s age was extremely unlikely in those days. In addition, Catherine did not feel any interest or sympathy for the girl.

One way or another, after the death of Count Potemkin, Elizabeth was given her father's estates in the Kherson region. She happily married Ivan Kalageorgi, who was brought up in the palace, next to the son of Paul I, Grand Duke Constantine. The couple had ten children. Elizaveta Temkina died at the ripe old age of 78.

The fates of Catherine's children developed differently. However, they are all shrouded in the great shadow of one of the most brilliant women in the political history of Russia.

Ekaterina Alekseevna Romanova (Catherine II the Great)
Sophia Augusta Frederica, Princess, Duchess of Anhalt-Zerb.
Years of life: 04/21/1729 - 11/6/1796
Russian Empress (1762 – 1796)

Daughter of Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst and Princess Johanna Elisabeth.

Catherine II - biography

Born April 21 (May 2), 1729 in Schettin. Her father, Prince Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerb, served the Prussian king, but his family was considered impoverished. Sophia Augusta's mother was the sister of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden. Other relatives of the mother of the future Empress Catherine ruled Prussia and England. Sofia Augusta, (family nickname - Fike) was the eldest daughter in the family. She was educated at home.

In 1739, 10-year-old Princess Fike was introduced to her future husband, heir to the Russian throne Karl Peter Ulrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, who was the nephew of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich Romanov. The heir to the Russian throne made a negative impression on high Prussian society, showing himself to be ill-mannered and narcissistic.

In 1744, Fike arrived in St. Petersburg secretly, under the name of Countess Reinbeck, at the invitation of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The bride of the future emperor accepted the Orthodox faith and received the name Ekaterina Alekseevna.

Marriage of Catherine the Great

On August 21, 1745, the wedding of Ekaterina Alekseevna and Pyotr Fedorovich took place. A brilliant political marriage turned out to be unsuccessful in terms of relationships. He was more formal. Her husband Peter was interested in playing the violin, military maneuvers and mistresses. During this time, the spouses not only did not become close, but also became complete strangers to each other.
Ekaterina Alekseevna read works on history, jurisprudence, works of various educators, learned the Russian language well, traditions and customs of her new homeland. Surrounded by enemies, not loved by her husband or his relatives, Ekaterina Alekseevna gave birth to a son (the future Emperor Paul I) in 1754, constantly fearing that she might be expelled from Russia. “I had good teachers - a misfortune with solitude,” she would write later. Sincere interest and love for Russia did not go unnoticed and everyone began to respect the wife of the heir to the throne. At the same time, Catherine amazed everyone with her hard work; she could personally brew her own coffee, light the fireplace, and even do her laundry.

Novels of Catherine the Great

Unhappy in her family life, in the early 1750s Ekaterina Alekseevna began an affair with guards officer Sergei Saltykov.

His royal aunt did not like the behavior of Peter III while still in the status of Grand Duke; he actively expressed his Prussian sentiments against Russia. The courtiers notice that Elizabeth favors his son Pavel Petrovich and Catherine more.

The second half of the 1750s was marked for Catherine by an affair with the Polish envoy Stanislav Poniatowski (who later became King Stanislav Augustus).
In 1758, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Anna, who died before she was even two years old.
In the early 1760s, a dizzying, famous romance arose with Prince Orlov, which lasted more than 10 years.

In 1761, Catherine's husband Peter III ascended the Russian throne, and relations between the spouses became hostile. Peter threatens to marry his mistress and send Catherine to a monastery. And Ekaterina Alekseevna decides to carry out a coup d’etat with the help of the guard, the Orlov brothers, K. Razumovsky and her other supporters on June 28, 1762. She is proclaimed empress and sworn allegiance to her. The spouse's attempts to find a compromise fail. As a result, he signs an act of abdication from the throne.

Reforms of Catherine the Great

On September 22, 1762, the coronation of Catherine II took place. And in the same year, the empress gave birth to a son, Alexei, whose father was Grigory Orlov. For obvious reasons, the boy was given the surname Bobrinsky.

The time of her reign was marked by many significant events: in 1762 she supported the idea of ​​I.I. Betsky to create the first Orphanage in Russia. She reorganized the Senate (1763), secularized the lands (1763-64), abolished the hetmanate in Ukraine (1764) and founded the first women's educational institution in the capital at the Smolny Monastery. She headed the Statutory Commission 1767-1769. During her reign, the Peasants' War of 1773-1775 took place. (rebellion of E.I. Pugachev). Issued the Institution for governing the province in 1775, the Charter to the nobility in 1785 and the Charter to the cities in 1785.
Famous historians (M.M. Shcherbatov, I.N. Boltin), writers and poets (G.R. Derzhavin, N.M. Karamzin, D.I. Fonvizin), painters (D.G. Levitsky, F.S. Rokotov), ​​sculptors (F.I. Shubin, E. Falcone). She founded the Academy of Arts, became the founder of the State Hermitage collection, and initiated the creation of the Academy of Russian Literature, of which she made her friend E.R. Dashkova the president.

Under Catherine II Alekseevna as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars of 1768-1774, 1787-1791. Russia finally gained a foothold in the Black Sea; the Northern Black Sea region, the Kuban region, and Crimea were also annexed. In 1783, she accepted Eastern Georgia under Russian citizenship. Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were carried out (1772, 1793, 1795).

She corresponded with Voltaire and other figures of the French Enlightenment. She is the author of many fictional, journalistic, dramatic, and popular science works, and “Notes.”

External Catherine's politics 2 was aimed at strengthening Russia's prestige on the world stage. She achieved her goal, and even Frederick the Great spoke of Russia as a “terrible power” from which, in half a century, “all of Europe will tremble.”

In the last years of her life, the empress lived with concerns about her grandson Alexander, was personally involved in his upbringing and education, and seriously thought about transferring the throne to him, bypassing her son.

Reign of Catherine II

The era of Catherine II is considered the heyday of favoritism. Separated in the early 1770s. with G.G. Orlov, in subsequent years, Empress Catherine replaced a number of favorites (about 15 favorites, among them the talented princes P.A. Rumyantsev, G.A. Potemkin, A.A. Bezborodko). She did not allow them to participate in solving political issues. Catherine lived with her favorites for several years, but parted for a variety of reasons (due to the death of the favorite, his betrayal or unworthy behavior), but no one was disgraced. Everyone was generously awarded ranks, titles, and money.

There is an assumption that Catherine II secretly married Potemkin, with whom she maintained friendly relations until his death.

“Tartuffe in a Skirt and Crown,” nicknamed A.S. Pushkin, Catherine knew how to win people over. She was smart, had political talent, and had a great understanding of people. Outwardly, the ruler was attractive and majestic. She wrote about herself: “Many people say that I work a lot, but it still seems to me that I have done little when I look at what remains to be done.” Such enormous dedication to work was not in vain.

The life of the 67-year-old empress was cut short by a stroke on November 6 (17), 1796 in Tsarskoe Selo. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

In 1778, she composed the following epitaph for herself:

Having ascended to the Russian throne, she wished well
And she strongly wanted to give her subjects Happiness, Freedom and Prosperity.
She easily forgave and did not deprive anyone of their freedom.
She was lenient, didn't make life difficult for herself, and had a cheerful disposition.
She had a republican soul and a kind heart. She had friends.
Work was easy for her, friendship and the arts brought her joy.

Catherine's spouses:

  • Peter III
  • Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin (according to some sources)
  • Pavel I Petrovich
  • Anna Petrovna
  • Alexey Grigorievich Bobrinsky
  • Elizaveta Grigorievna Tyomkina

At the end of the 19th century, the collected works of Catherine II the Great were published in 12 volumes, which included children's moral tales written by the empress, pedagogical teachings, dramatic plays, articles, autobiographical notes, and translations.

In cinema, her image is reflected in the films: “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”, 1961; "Royal Hunt", 1990; “Vivat, midshipmen!”, 1991; “Young Catherine”, 1991; "Russian Revolt", 2000; "Golden Age", 2003; “Catherine the Great”, 2005. Famous actresses played the role of Catherine (Marlene Dietrich, Julia Ormond, Via Artmane, etc.).

Many artists captured the appearance of Catherine II. And works of art clearly reflect the character of the empress herself and the era of her reign (A. S. Pushkin “The Captain’s Daughter”; B. Shaw “The Great Catherine”; V. N. Ivanov “Empress Fike”; V. S. Pikul “The Favorite”, “Pen and Sword”; Boris Akunin “Extracurricular Reading”).

In 1873 monument Catherine II The Great was opened on Alexandrinskaya Square in St. Petersburg. On September 8, 2006, a monument to Catherine II was opened in Krasnodar, on October 27, 2007, monuments to Catherine II Alekseevna were opened in Odessa and Tiraspol. In Sevastopol - May 15, 2008

The reign of Ekaterina Alekseevna is often considered the “golden age” of the Russian Empire. Thanks to her reform activities, she is the only Russian ruler who, like Peter I, was awarded the epithet “Great” in the historical memory of her compatriots.