She was second only to Peter I in the minds of Russians; she led Russia to become the number one European power at the time; she was the only empress in Russian history to be called the "Emperor"; she was catherine the Great, the eighth emperor of the Russian Empire.
On 2 May 1729, in the home of a fallen nobleman in the Kingdom of Prussia, a baby girl was born, and her parents named her Sophia Augustus, who would later be Catherine II.
Because his father served in the army for many years, he neglected to take care of the family. So Sophia followed her mother to live in Paris for many years. From an early age, Sophia has a cheerful personality and is bold and mischievous, often taking advantage of the fact that her family is not paying attention to run to the street to play with children of the same age. He even became acquainted with Montesquieu and corresponded with him frequently.
In 1742, her mother took Sophia to Berlin to meet the King of Prussia. The King of Prussia saw the 13-year-old Sophia as young and beautiful, and thought it was very appropriate for her to become the wife of the Crown Prince of Russia, so he sent the portrait of Sophia to St. Petersburg for the Russian Empress Elizabeth to see.
In January 1744, the Empress of Russia, after much deliberation, agreed to the affair. A messenger was sent to invite Sophia and her mother to Russia. Although the journey was long and bumpy, Sophia's mother and daughter were invited to go.
In February 1744, Sophia's mother and daughter arrived in Moscow. Empress Elizabeth welcomed them warmly, and Crown Prince Peter was also very fond of Sophia.
In order to be able to integrate into Russia as soon as possible and become a real Russian. Sophia asked Empress Elizabeth to find a teacher for her to learn Russian and etiquette. Sophia is diligent and hardworking, and her progress is rapid.
Due to unaccustomed lifestyles and climate, Sophia soon developed pneumonia. Sophia's condition was so severe that it was even at the end of her life. In desperation, Sophia's mother wanted to find a priest for her to pray on her deathbed, but Sophia insisted that the teacher who taught her etiquette be found. This incident won her a lot of favors inside and outside the Russian court. Soon, Sophia's condition miraculously recovered.
In June 1744, Sophia changed her name to Catherine Alexeyevna. A grand wedding ceremony was held with Peter shortly thereafter.
However, after marriage, Catherine did not usher in a happy married life. Instead, it showed him that Peter didn't love her at all. Lonely and lonely, Catherine spent her days by reading all day. He gradually became interested in governing the country and philosophical books. Over time, the depth and breadth of knowledge Catherine acquired from the book increased dramatically.
In the blink of an eye, Peter and Catherine had been married for five years, but the two had no heirs, and Empress Elizabeth was very annoyed by this. The head of the maid of staff kindly reminded Catherine that if she continued in the long run, Catherine's position could be abolished. So Catherine took the initiative to make overtures to Peter and gave birth to a boy in 1754. However, Catherine's situation did not improve when she gave birth to an heir.
In 1758, Catherine gave birth to another daughter. Peter, however, was very angry about this, because he knew that this daughter was not his own.
In December 1761, Empress Elizabeth died and Peter succeeded to the throne as Peter III.
In April 1762, Catherine gave birth to another boy. But the father of this child is not Peter. Sooner or later, this matter would be known to Peter, so, with the help of the Guards, Catherine overthrew Peter III and successfully ascended the throne.
In 1764, Catherine used diplomatic means to ally with Prussia, England, and Denmark to isolate Sweden. Subsequently, Catherine launched an offensive against Poland and frequently provoked trouble on the Polish-Turkish border.
In October 1768, Turkey declared war on Russia. The Russo-Turkish War officially broke out. After Russia invaded two principalities in the Danube Valley, Prussia and Austria were not pleased, and the two countries decided to take military action. In order to avoid conflict with Prussia and Austria, Catherine decided to divide Poland with the two countries.
In 1772, the three countries partitioned Poland for the first time. As the Russians began a large-scale attack on Turkey, as the war progressed, the Russians quickly occupied the Sea of Azov, Crimea, and took control of the Black Sea. Just as the Russian army was marching in high spirits, it was at this time that the Pugachev Uprising broke out in Russia. Although a major victory was achieved, Catherine's ultimate goal was not achieved, but in order to quell the civil unrest, Catherine II had to end the war as soon as possible.
Thus, in July 1776, the two sides signed the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kenagy. The First Russo-Turkish War came to an end.
In 1783, Catherine II placed Crimea under the control of the Russian government. In 1785, Russia set up a military fortress on the Black Sea. A series of Russian actions finally angered Turkey, and Turkey declared war on Russia again.
As a result, Catherine signed the Russian-Austrian Union with Austria. Thus, in 1788, Austria also declared war on Turkey. In order to resist the Russian army, Turkey also called the ally Sweden to declare war on Russia. In order to avoid being attacked on the back, Catherine had Denmark join the war against the Swedish army.
In 1790, the Russian army took control of moldova and the Izmail fortress, and at the same time took control of the sea in the Black Sea, and the Russian army completely defeated Turkey. With the outbreak of the French Revolution, Sweden also announced its withdrawal from the war. At this point, the Second Russo-Turkish War ended with a comprehensive victory of the Russian army.
In January 1792, Russia and Turkey signed the Treaty of Iasi. Russia acquired permanent possession of Crimea and vast areas on the northern shore of the Black Sea from Turkey.
From 1793 to 1794, Catherine, together with Prussia and Austria, divided Poland twice, and Russia gained a large amount of land from it.
In the early morning of November 6, 1796, Catherine died of a long-term bed at the age of 67.
During Catherine's reign, a series of military campaigns were carried out against Sweden, Poland, and Turkey, all of which were victorious. It also seized large territories from Turkey and Poland, and the territory of the Russian Empire expanded to the south and west. This is why the period of her reign has been evaluated by posterity as the golden age of Russia.
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