CATHARINE II., THE GREAT 1729-96). Empress Of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She was born at Stettin, May 2. 1729. the daughter of the Prince of Anhait-Zerbst, and was baptized a Lutheran under the name Sophia Augusta. She was chosen by the Empress Elizabeth (q.v.) of Russia for the wife of her nephew. Peter of Ilolstein-Gottorp. heir to the Russian throne, and was rebaptized into the Greek Church by the name of Catharine. She was married in 1745. Thrown at the age of sixteen into the intrigues of the coarse and immoral Russian Court, Catharine adapted herself with singular readiness to her surroundings. Indifference to her husband soon became contempt and hatred. While Peter alien ated the Russians by his obstinate admiration of all things German, Catharine became a Rus sian of the Russians, and, anticipating the great part she was later to play. attached to herself a strong party, through her tact and matchless influence over men. Peter openly maintained a mistress, subjecting his wife to constant indig nities, and Catharine's relations were equally notorious, at first with Count Soltikott, and afterwards with Count Stanislas Poniatowski. The Empress Elizabeth died in 1762 and Peter became Emperor. He now threatened to divorce Catharine, to declare her son Paul illegitimate, and to marry his mistress, the Princess Voron tsolf. Catharine. assisted by the orloffs, the Princess Dashkoff (q.v.), and others who had long formed about her a coterie of conspirators. headed a rising of the troops in Saint Peters burg. and, aided by the dilatoriness and weak ness of Peter, and his unpopularity, secured all the instruments of power, and was declared Em press of Russia. Peter was seized and impris oned. and was probably strangled by Gregory Orloff, Catharine's favorite at the time (July, 1762). As Empress, Catharine gave close per sonal attention to the work of government, and by liberal expenditure and the patronage of let ters and art made her Court one of the most brilliant in Europe. It has been said that she found Saint Petersburg a village of hovels and left it a city of brick and marble. Regarded at first as a usurper by the European governments, she compelled their recognition by the vigor of her policy. In 1780 she announced the principle
of armed neutrality as an offset to the Brit ish treatment of neutrals, and, by securing the adhesion of other States, fixed in international law the principle of 'free ships, free goods.' See NTERNATION AL LAW.
The gross immorality of her private life was as notable as her administrative energy. Russia borrowed what culture it had from France. but at the same time the immoral life of the French Court was reduced to a system in Russia. The rule of all the Empresses after Peter the Great was notorious for the influence possessed by favorites, but Catharine's wholesale methods are cdmost unique in history. She had a succession of recognized lovers. beginning with the brutal and domineering II regory IIrlolf, who main tained his place until lie dared to aspire to marriage with his royal mistress. After him came Vysocki. Vassilshikoff, Alexis Orloff, and then the most powerful of them all, Gregory mqvinkin (q.v.). Potemkin was banished from the Court fur the same presumption that led to ;regory OrloIrs fall; but he was made practically Vice-Emperor fur southern 1Zussia, and contin ued to play an important part in the govern ment. retaining Catharine's affection to the day of his death. These men had all possessed some force and power, and had supported Catharine in the administration; but Potemkin was fol lowed by a series of favorites who were little more than the temporary lovers of the Empress. Soon after her seizure of the throne Catharine secured the election of her early lover, Ponia towski, to the Polish throne, and later. in al liance with Prussia and Austria, took advantage of the dissensions among the Poles to bring about the three partitions of Poland (1772, 1793. and 1795). This was only one of the steps which enabled Catharine to accomplish one of her chief ambitions—to bring Russia into direct contact with the Western world. She was in deed the truest heir to the policy of Peter the Great, in it' good and its evil. The war with Turkey (170S-1774) impressed Europe with the power of Russia. and brought increase of terri tory. the Crimea, etc., and the free navigation of the Black and Mediterranean seas.