Yekaterina II Alexeyevna was the twelfth Tsar of the Romanov dynasty in Russia and the eighth Emperor of the Russian Empire (reigned from July 9, 1762 to November 6, 1796).
In 1744, she was selected by Russian Empress Elizabeth I as the fianc é e of Peter III, the heir to the throne. In 1745, she married Peter and converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, changing her name to Catherine. In 1762, he ascended the throne after leading the Imperial Guard to launch a coup. She advocated enlightened autocracy. During her rule, Russia expanded to the southwest, obtained parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania on the right bank in the three partition of Poland between Russia and Austria, fought against Türkiye, obtained the coastal areas of the Black Sea and parts of Crimea and Kurland, and attempted to occupy the Heilongjiang basin of China. Her expansion intensified social contradictions in Russia, stirred up dissatisfaction among the laboring masses, and caused a heavy burden on the national economy. It also sparked more than 50 peasant uprisings, including the Pugachev Uprising, as well as the Turhute's return to the east. She also extensively exploited serfs to please the nobility, leading to the peak of Russia's serfdom system, which had a negative impact on the eradication of the chronic disease of serfdom in later generations and hindered the process of the Russian Industrial Revolution. [33]
During Yekaterina's reign, her country was well governed and her achievements were remarkable, making Russia a strong European country at that time. His talent and fame are also well-known both domestically and internationally, becoming a hero in the hearts of Russians who is on par with Peter I. [1] However, she cruelly exploits and squeezes the people, her private life is chaotic, and her seizure of power is bloody. She is autocratic and domineering, refuses to advise and portrays non officials, extravagant and extravagant, and hostile to people's uprisings. She is also seen as a tyrannical tyrant.

Youth period
On April 21, 1729 (May 2 in the Russian calendar), Catherine II was born in Stettin, Prussia (now Polanshcecin). Her father, Christian Augustus, was a member of the Anhalt royal family in the Kingdom of Prussia, having previously ruled the Anhalt Dornberg and Anhalt Zebst regions. During the reign of Friedrich William I, he became a professional soldier and was promoted to the rank of commander of the infantry regiment stationed in Stettin. My mother is Princess Johanna Elizabeth of the Duchy of Holstein Gotop. [31]
When she was baptized, her family named her Sophia Frederica Augusta in memory of her three aunts. But everyone calls her Feixin or Feigesin (orthography), which is a nickname for Sophia. She plays with nearby children on the streets of Stettin all day long. Her studies are handled by a French female governess. [36]
Sophia's father served in the military, was diligent and not very concerned about her family, so she grew up under the control of her mother from a young age. But her mother is naturally harsh and picky, lacks patience in doing things, and finds it difficult to get along with people. She also lives in Paris all year round, so Sophia is not too restricted by her parents from a young age. When no one cares about her, she will also run to the streets to find children of the same age to play with. Sophia has been outgoing, lively, and even mischievous since childhood, with great courage and often causing trouble. Young Sophia, influenced by French Enlightenment thinkers, often wrote letters to Montesquieu and maintained correspondence

Marriage in Russia
In 1742, under the arrangement of King Frederick II of Prussia, the Duchess of Anhalt brought Sophie to Berlin to meet Frederick II. Frederick was satisfied with Princess Sophia and believed that she could become the wife of the Russian Crown Prince. He invited the best French painter to paint a portrait of Princess Sophia and then sent it to St. Petersburg for Queen Elizabeth Petrovna to take a look at.
The Duke of Anhalt's family waited for a full year. During this year, various marriage schemes were repeatedly studied in the Russian court in St. Petersburg, and Sophia August was ultimately chosen.
In January 1744, a messenger from St. Petersburg brought a letter from Queen Elizabeth inviting the Duchess of Anhalt and Princess Sophia to visit Russia, along with a check worth tens of thousands of rubles as expenses for the Duchess and daughter on their journey. [3] The Duchess of Anhalt and Princess Sophia set off in the cold winter of January. They had a bumpy journey, slept outdoors, and even stayed at ordinary farmers several times along the way. Their diet was often rough and cold, and the mother and daughter almost fell ill. After the convoy entered Russia, the conditions immediately improved significantly, and the reception of the Duchess and Princess in various parts of Russia was more thoughtful.
On February 9, 1744, Princess Sophia arrived in Moscow. Queen Elizabeth warmly welcomed the Duchess of Anhalt and her daughter, and Crown Prince Peter, who had already been baptized by Eastern Orthodoxy and given Russian names, also treated Princess Sophia politely.
Sophia quickly understood that the most important condition for her to establish herself in Russia was to become a Russian. For this reason, she requested that Queen Elizabeth find her the best teacher to study Russian and Eastern Orthodox etiquette. Princess Sophia studied Russian diligently, even in the quiet of the night when the attendants around her were already asleep. Sophia was still reading hard while holding a book.

Although it was winter, the room was very hot, and Sophia walked barefoot around the room. But the winter in Russia is much harsher than in Prussia, and she eventually contracted pneumonia, so she fell ill. Sophia had been in a high fever state for more than ten consecutive days, unconscious. Everyone thought she was on her deathbed and had already started arranging the aftermath. The Duchess of Anhalt specially brought a Lutheran priest to offer her a dying prayer, but Princess Sophia requested the priest who taught her Eastern Orthodox etiquette. This matter quickly spread, and the favor of Princess Sophia among the Russian court doubled. After a month, Sophia miraculously recovered from her illness, and thus the marriage between Princess Sophia and Crown Prince Peter was decided. [1]
To convert to the Eastern Orthodox Church
On June 28, 1744, Princess Sophia converted to Eastern Orthodoxy and changed her name to Yekaterina Alexeyevna. The baptism ceremony was Yekaterina's first public event in Russia. She answered questions in Russian, spoke appropriately, and enunciated clearly, once again winning the favor of the court. The next day, Crown Prince Peter was engaged to Catherine.
On August 21, 1745, the Russian court held a grand wedding for the two, and Yekaterina was crowned Grand Duchess. The days after marriage were a gray time for Catherine. Husband Peter doesn't love her at all and is looking for a new partner. They have been married for five years, but in reality, they are separated. Catherine has always been a virgin. Yekaterina spends her days secluded in the deep palace and can only relieve her loneliness by reading. At first, she began reading novels aimlessly, but later stumbled upon Voltaire's works and became interested in political philosophy books. Yekaterina brought thick ten volume volumes of German history, insisting on reading one volume every eight days. She also read through four volumes of philosophical history, as well as a large number of Russian books. After a period of time, Catherine possessed a depth of knowledge that even allowed her to understand Montesquieu's difficult book "The Spirit of Law".

Unfortunate marriage
After five years of marriage, Peter and Catherine had not yet given birth, which greatly angered Queen Elizabeth. The Empress summoned the Crown Prince's palace eunuch and said that Catherine liked to ride horses, which led to infertility. This was the eunuch's fault. The female eunuch knew that there was no necessary connection between riding horses and not getting pregnant, and no one could prohibit the Grand Duchess from riding horses. Moreover, it was well known that the Crown Prince and Grand Duchess each had lovers, so she had to politely explain that there was a "reason" for pregnancy and childbirth, but there was no "reason" between the Crown Prince and Catherine, and she had no choice. Queen Elizabeth exclaimed angrily, "If there is no reason, the empire without an heir is dereliction of duty.". The female eunuch had to follow Queen Elizabeth's orders and privately remind Catherine to give birth to an heir to the empire for Queen Elizabeth no matter what, otherwise her position would not be secure. Catherine suddenly woke up and finally gave birth to a boy named Paul in 1754.
After giving birth to her grandson Paul, Catherine did not prioritize her mother and son, but instead faced even more difficult circumstances. Yekaterina later wrote in her diary that after giving birth to Paul, everyone in the court, led by Queen Elizabeth, surrounded him. As soon as the child was born, she was carried to the Queen's palace, while Yekaterina lay alone on the delivery bed for more than three hours without anyone noticing. Finally, when she woke up, she had to endure the pain and slowly walk back to her own dormitory alone.
In 1758, Catherine became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter named Anna. Peter publicly told people: I don't know how Catherine got pregnant, I don't know whose daughter this is. Peter's attitude towards Catherine has become increasingly rude and impolite.
Yekaterina wrote in her diary that she had carefully considered and only saw three ways out: first, to continue being Peter's wife, and finally to coexist with Peter; The second is to accept adversity and be arrested or deposed by Peter, and sent to a monastery; The third is to take proactive action, take control of one's own destiny. But at that time, her imagination of the future was still very vague, and she was not sure what action to take. Moreover, Queen Elizabeth was alive, and no one was allowed to act rashly.

Yekaterina began to seek support, first receiving the support of Prime Minister Besturev. As a mature and experienced politician, Bestorev immediately set a clear action goal: when the Empress passes away, Catherine must ascend to the throne, otherwise Peter will come to power and no one will have a good outcome. Yekaterina still couldn't imagine vaguely what measures would be taken to ascend to the throne, and she didn't even know if it was necessary. During this period, she was mostly pushed away. Quickly, Bestorev was reported by two loyal ministers to the Empress, Shuvalov and Vorenzov. The results of the interrogation indicate that Yekaterina attempted to use Besturev to achieve her goals, and she also maintained secret communication with Marshal Praksin, who was out of favor and imprisoned. This greatly angered Queen Elizabeth, and as a result, Bestsev was exiled, Ponyatovsky was forced to leave St. Petersburg, and Chernesov and Saltkov also went abroad.
In 1759, her daughter Anna, who had just been born for a few months, passed away prematurely, and Catherine's mother, the Duchess of Anhalt, also passed away in Paris. Catherine's relationship with Crown Prince Peter turned into open hostility. In the spring of the same year, the deputy officer of the Prussian king who was captured in the Battle of Ca'endov was escorted to St. Petersburg. One of the escorting officers was Gregory Orlov, who had little education but was tall and handsome. He was skilled in horseback riding, playing cards, drinking, dancing, and fighting. Therefore, Orlov was highly admired by upper class women in St. Petersburg. All of this naturally did not escape Yekaterina's eyes. With a slight hint to Orlov, he began his fervent pursuit of Yekaterina, often making almost crazy moves to show his love to her.

Seize the throne and ascend to the throne
On January 5, 1762 and December 25, 1761 in the Russian calendar, Queen Elizabeth passed away and Peter succeeded to the throne, known as Peter III.
In April 1762, Catherine gave birth to a boy whose father was Orlov. A few months after the child was born, Peter only heard the news and immediately became furious, ordering the arrest of Catherine. But Peter's deputy hesitated, and in the end, everyone persuaded him to change the order to arrest Catherine temporarily. Afterwards, at the state banquet celebrating the signing of the peace treaty with Prussia, Peter faced many domestic and foreign guests, using vulgar language and publicly insulting Catherine. The relationship between the two is like water and fire. At the same time, the Orlov brothers intensified their collusion activities within the Imperial Guard, secretly forming a group of hundreds of officers, preparing to instigate a coup, overthrow Peter III, and support Catherine's ascension to the throne. [5]
At the end of June 1762, the situation was extremely critical, and a member of the Guard who was involved in planning a coup was arrested, revealing the coup plot. On June 28th, the Yekaterina and Orlov brothers, with the support of Queen Elizabeth's favored courtiers, Razomovsky, Duke Wolkonsky, and Emperor Panning, launched a coup in advance, overthrew Peter III, ascended the throne, and became the eighth emperor of the Russian Empire, as well as the fourth empress in the history of the empire. [6]
From the succession law established by Peter the Great, it can be seen that Catherine's actions were undoubtedly a rebellion and usurpation of the throne, which was untenable in law. Therefore, the first thing Catherine did after ascending the throne was to declare to the world and explain the legitimacy of her acquisition of power. Catherine II knew that she could not explain her actions from a legal perspective, so she wrote articles on both moral and political levels. She signed declarations twice, condemning Peter III's retrograde actions and describing many of his actions as betrayal and crime against Russia at the national level, so launching a coup was a last resort. Yekaterina referred to her coronation as "the choice of the Russian people" in the declaration.
In short, Yekaterina's bloodless coup was planned and promoted by the Imperial Guard and close aides. At the time of the coup, there was no resistance, and after ascending the throne, it was more widely recognized. Therefore, after mastering the imperial power, Yekaterina devoted all her energy to how to enrich the country and strengthen the army.

Policy period
When Catherine took over, Russia was not riddled with problems, but it was also full of crises. In her diary, she wrote, "The treasury is empty, and the military has been without pay for three months. Trade and commerce are increasingly declining, with many hoarding monopolies. The national government is lax, and various military departments are also in debt. The maritime administration is exhausted and almost collapsed. The judiciary is reduced to a state of baht, and the law is only for the strong." In view of this situation, Catherine II proposed a series of governance goals, aimed at emphasizing the restoration of national administrative order, strengthening national machinery, promoting commercial prosperity, increasing treasury revenue, and so on. More importantly, in her governance goals, Yekaterina proposed a new perspective: if Russia wants to gain respect from its own people and neighboring countries, it must become a formidable superpower.
During the coup, a young cavalry officer named Bo Jiangjin showed a more active and outstanding performance, attracting the attention of Catherine. After the successful coup, Yekaterina rewarded all those who participated in the coup and personally changed the cavalry lieutenant rank originally intended for Potemkin to captain on the merit list. From then on, Catherine paid extraordinary attention to Potemkin.
Bo Jiangjin led troops to fight on the front line until 12 years later in 1774, when he received a handwritten letter from Catherine summoning him back to St. Petersburg. Without even thinking, Bo Jiangjin immediately made a report, left the station, and set off to St. Petersburg to meet Catherine. Afterwards, Bo Jiangjin became Catherine's most famous and powerful lover. Bo Jiangjin almost became Yekaterina's right-hand man, and almost all military and state affairs were under the hands of Yekaterina and Bo Jiangjin. Until his death, Potemkin remained the second most important figure in the Russian Empire, and he remained deeply in love with Catherine, with his love remaining strong as ever.

Forced relocation of capital
Between 1762 and 1772, there were no fewer than fifty uprisings in central Russia and the province of Petersburg. The Tsarist government was constantly anticipating that a great storm would follow, with all serfs participating. Catherine II herself was filled with fear: "Almost all factories and church farmers within the empire openly expressed rebellion against the authorities, and landlords and serfs began to unite with them.". [37]
Under the attack of the upcoming peasant uprising led by Pugachev (1773-1775), Queen Catherine II had to relocate the court from Petersburg to Riga to avoid its attack. [37]
Due to the increasing oppression of the peasants by the Russian nobility under Catherine II, Pugachev decided to lead them to rise up in rebellion. On September 17, 1773, Pugachev, along with more than 80 Cossacks, launched an uprising in the Don River area, declaring to grant the people land and freedom, and to distribute the landlord's land and property to the people. It is these slogans that have given this uprising a strong appeal. During the uprising, farmers, exiled soldiers, oppressed people of various ethnic groups, and some workers continued to participate, and the uprising army gradually grew. Due to the lack of heavy firepower weapons, Pugachev decided to abandon the attack on Yayik Castle and instead advance to the military fortress of Orenburg. Along the way, many military strongholds voluntarily surrendered to Pugachev and offered a large number of firearms, greatly increasing the strength of the uprising army. On October 7th, Pugachev led the uprising army to launch an attack on Orenburg, but it remained unbeatable for a long time. So Pugachev changed his strategy and adopted the method of besieging and attacking, starting to besiege Orenburg. During the siege, Pugachev vigorously carried out propaganda work for the uprising, calling on people to participate in the uprising and fight against tyranny. So, the people of all ethnic groups nearby heard the wind and joined the uprising team one after another. The scale of the uprising army skyrocketed and quickly expanded to over 30000 people.

Upon hearing the news, Catherine II was furious and quickly dispatched troops to suppress it. She dispatched three armies in total. The First Route Army was led by Carl Fedorovich Toli and consisted of approximately 20000 soldiers. Carl was arrogant and looked down upon the rebels, thinking they were vulnerable to a single blow, so he didn't take them seriously. On November 7th, Carl's troops arrived at the village of Yuzeyeva. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire echoed and they were ambushed by Pugachev. Carl's army scattered and fled, unable to break down. When the soldiers turned to look for the general, Carl had already left his troops and fled alone. The Second Route Army was led by Colonel Berneshev. When marching to a river, Berneshev took some precautions and, after confirming that there were no ambushes around, ordered the troops to start crossing the river. At this point, the river had already frozen over, and the soldiers walked cautiously on the ice. Halfway through, the rebel army charged down from a nearby hill. Many people surrendered without fighting, raising their hands and standing on the ice. Berneshev himself disguised himself as a coachman, intending to take advantage of the chaos and escape, but was unsuccessful and was executed on the spot. After hearing the news that the other two routes had been defeated, the Third Route Army dared not attack Pugachev anymore, but instead took a detour into Orenburg. [44]
After the failure of the first round of suppression, Catherine II dispatched Metropolitan Bibikov to lead a large army to suppress the rebellion, which had grown to over 50000 people. After defeating some scattered small uprisings, the government army engaged in a fierce battle with the main force of the uprising near the Tajisheva fortress on March 22, 1774, and the uprising ultimately failed. This battle resulted in the loss of over 6000 people and some weapons by the rebel army. On March 24th, another unit of the rebel army was defeated again. On April 1st, the rebel army was defeated again in Samara and several generals were captured. In the same month, Pugachev recruited a large number of uprisings in the Bashkir region, preparing to restart the uprising in May. On May 5th, Pugachev led his troops to occupy the fortress Magnitnaya, and then went up the river to capture Troitsk. On May 21st, the rebel army encountered government forces and suffered heavy damage. Afterwards, the uprising army suffered successive failures and suffered heavy losses. Pugachev was ultimately defeated and captured, and was beheaded in public on January 10, 1775, marking the end of the Pugachev Uprising.

A grand parade
In 1787, Bo Jiangjin organized a grand parade for Yekaterina, which was the most luxurious and extravagant parade in Russian history, with a craziness comparable to that of Emperor Qianlong's visit to Jiangnan. According to the plan, this parade will last for four years and cover a distance of 1600 kilometers. On the road that the Queen will pass by, Bo Jiangjin specially developed new land, cut down hundreds or thousands of trees, and built Bo Jiangjin Village to demonstrate the pseudo happy life of farmers. And Bo Jiangjin Village has also become synonymous with "falsification and facade decoration". [42]
Death due to illness
In 1792, Catherine began to fall ill and her health deteriorated sharply. The death of Potemkin had a great impact on her. In addition, the third partition of Poland and the war against Türkiye had consumed her a lot of energy.
In September 1796, Catherine fell ill and was bedridden. On the early morning of November 6th, Catherine II passed away due to illness. The eldest son Paul succeeded to the throne, known as Paul I.