Catherine the Great (Catherine II)
Empress of Russia, 1762-1796 AD
Silver Rouble, 38 mm., 23.8 grams.
1770 A.D., St. Petersburg mint.
Copper 5 Kopecks, 43 mm, 48.7 grams.
1790 A.D., Anninsk Mint
Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, did much to transform Russia into a modern country. She pursued an energetic foreign policy, enlarging the Russian Empire in both the east and west. Despite pretensions to enlightened ideas, her domestic policies achieved little for the mass of the Russian people, although great cultural advances were made among the nobility.
Originally named Sophie Fredericke Augusta, she was born in Poland to the German prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. At the age of 15 she went to Russia to become the wife of the heir to the throne, the future Peter III. Their marriage was an unhappy one, and Catherine spent much of her time in political intrigue and extra-marital affairs.
Soon upon assuming rule, Peter III made himself unpopular. In 1762 a palace coup overthrew Peter (who was subsequently murdered), and Catherine became absolute ruler of Russia, whose language she never learned to speak correctly and without accent.
At the age of 33, Catherine was not only ruler of the largest European empire, but a handsome woman. Her numerous love affairs dominate the popular accounts of her life.