One claimed that she died on her toilet seat, which broke under her. It opened in Saint Petersburg and Moscow in 1769. Catherine The Great's Death: Horse Or No Horse? - Knowledge Snacks Poland ceased to exist as an independent nation[130] until its post-WWI reconstitution. Her mother's opposition to this practice brought her the empress's disfavour. I am no connoisseur, but I am a great art lover. Four years later, in 1766, she endeavoured to embody in legislation the principles of Enlightenment she learned from studying the French philosophers. The official cause of death was a stroke but was possibly an assassination. She placed strictures on Catholics (ukaz of 23 February 1769), mainly Polish, and attempted to assert and extend state control over them in the wake of the partitions of Poland. So far, she's the woman who's ruled Russia the longest 34 years on the throne. [7] For the smaller German princely families, an advantageous marriage was one of the best means of advancing their interests, and the young Sophie was groomed throughout her childhood to be the wife of some powerful ruler in order to improve the position of the reigning house of Anhalt. Ivan VI was assassinated during an attempt to free him as part of a failed coup. She found that piecemeal reform worked poorly because there was no overall view of a comprehensive state budget. (Lord Byron's Don Juan, around the age of twenty-two, becomes her lover after the siege of Ismail (1790), in a fiction written only about twenty-five years after Catherine's death in 1796. [118][119], Religious education was reviewed strictly. She called together at Moscow a Grand Commission almost a consultative parliament composed of 652 members of all classes (officials, nobles, burghers, and peasants) and of various nationalities. Peter was her second cousin. [41], Being afraid of the May Constitution of Poland (1791) that might lead to a resurgence in the power of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth and the growing democratic movements inside the Commonwealth might become a threat to the European monarchies, Catherine decided to refrain from her planned intervention into France and to intervene in Poland instead. He later became the de facto absolute ruler of New Russia, governing its colonisation. Catherine held western European philosophies and culture close to her heart, and she wanted to surround herself with like-minded people within Russia. "Catherine II and the Socio-Economic Origins of the Jewish Question in Russia", This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:56. Historians have argued that the horse myth represents how her enemies wished to paint her rule and her ascension to the throne as unnatural. Following the war and the defeat of Pugachev, Catherine laid the obligation to establish schools at the guberniya a provincial subdivision of the Russian empire ruled by a governor on the Boards of Social Welfare set up with the participation of elected representatives from the three free estates.[97]. In the second partition, in 1793, Russia received the most land, from west of Minsk almost to Kiev and down the river Dnieper, leaving some spaces of steppe down south in front of Ochakov, on the Black Sea. In 1785, Catherine conferred on the nobility the Charter to the Nobility, increasing the power of the landed oligarchs. Money was needed for wars and necessitated the junking the old financial institutions. Running and games were forbidden, and the building was kept particularly cold because too much warmth was believed to be harmful to the developing body, as was excessive play. Cookie Settings, Photo illustration by Meilan Solly / Photos via Hulu and Getty Images, Photo by Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty Images, Ad Meskens via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0, Godot13 via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0. The Manifesto of 1763 begins with Catherine's title: We, Catherine the second, by the Grace of God, Empress and Autocrat of all the Russians at Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Tsarina of Kasan, Tsarina of Astrachan, Tsarina of Siberia, Lady of Pleskow and Grand Duchess of Smolensko, Duchess of Estonia and Livland, Carelial, Tver, Yugoria, Permia, Viatka and Bulgaria and others; Lady and Grand Duchess of Novgorod in the Netherland of Chernigov, Resan, Rostov, Yaroslav, Beloosrial, Udoria, Obdoria, Condinia, and Ruler of the entire North region and Lady of the Yurish, of the Cartalinian and Grusinian tsars and the Cabardinian land, of the Cherkessian and Gorsian princes and the lady of the manor and sovereign of many others. Catherine the Great. [96] However, Catherine continued to investigate the pedagogical principles and practice of other countries and made many other educational reforms, including an overhaul of the Cadet Corps in 1766. (Former Empress of Russia (1725 - 1727)) Catherine I of Russia was the Empress of Russia from 1724 until her death. The objective was to strengthen the friendship between Prussia and Russia, to weaken the influence of Austria, and to overthrow the chancellor Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin, a known partisan of the Austrian alliance on whom Russian Empress Elizabeth relied. [43], In the Far East, Russians became active in fur trapping in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands. The empress played a direct role in many of these initiatives. Though Hartley acknowledges that serfdom is a scar on Russia, she emphasizes the practical obstacles the empress faced in enacting such a far-reaching reform, adding, Where [Catherine] could do things, she did do things., Serfdom endured long beyond Catherines reign, only ending in 1861 with Alexander IIs Emancipation Manifesto. Catherine did indeed like horses, so much so that a portrait was painted of her on horseback. [78] Catherine expressed some frustration with the economists she read for what she regarded as their impractical theories, writing in the margin of one of Necker's books that if it was possible to solve all of the state's economic problems in one day, she would have done so a long time ago. The leading economists of her day, such as Arthur Young and Jacques Necker, became foreign members of the Free Economic Society, established on her suggestion in Saint Petersburg in 1765. A portrait of Catherine the Great by Fedor Rokotov, 1763. She also promoted westernization and modernization for her country, though it was within the context of maintaining . Elite acceptance of a female ruler was more of an issue in Western Europe than in Russia. A great dreamer, he was avid for territories to conquer and provinces to populate; an experienced diplomat with a knowledge of Russia that Catherine had not yet acquired and as audacious as Catherine was methodical, Potemkin was treated as an equal by the empress up to the time of his death in 1791. Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp (24 October 1712 - 30 May 1760) was a member of the German House of Holstein-Gottorp, a princess consort of Anhalt-Zerbst by marriage, and the regent of Anhalt-Zerbst from 1747 to 1752 on behalf of her minor son, Frederick Augustus.She is best known as the mother of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. Catherine promised more serfs of all religions, as well as amnesty for convicts, if Muslims chose to convert to Orthodoxy. Yet shed done an enormous amount of amazing things, had been a kid whod come to a country that wasnt her own and taken it over.. [90] However, no action was taken on any recommendations put forth by the commission due to the calling of the Legislative Commission. A new Hulu series titled The Great takes its cue from the little-known beginnings of Catherines reign. Paul ascended to the throne and was known as Emperor Paul I. Catherine's will was discovered in . Wikimedia Commons. Catherine was stretched on a ceremonial bed surrounded by the coats of arms of all the towns in Russia. She launched the Moscow Foundling Home and lying-in hospital, 1764, and Paul's Hospital, 1763. Catherine created the Orenburg Muslim Spiritual Assembly to help regulate Muslim-populated regions as well as regulate the instruction and ideals of mullahs. While she had collapsed in the bathroom, she had spent many hours in her bed, with her servants taking care of her. 2, part 2, Chapter 3, V]. Only 400,000 roubles of church wealth were paid back. Legend has it Catherine was intimately involved with one of her prized stallions, with who she often spent a great deal of unsupervised time with. Meilan Solly is Smithsonian magazine's associate digital editor, history. Writing for History Extra, Hartley describes Catherines Russia as an undoubtedly aggressive nation that clashed with the Ottomans, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania and the Crimea in pursuit of additional territory for an already vast empire. The church's lands were expropriated, and the budget of both monasteries and bishoprics were controlled by the Collegium of Accounting. 2. The truth of the matter was Catherine couldnt trust the systematic bureaucracy in Russia nor the many noblemen installed by her husband before her. Several years into her reign, Catherine embarked on an ambitious legal endeavor inspired byand partially plagiarized fromthe writings of leading thinkers. The official cause, after an autopsy, was a severe attack of haemorrhoidal colic and an apoplexy stroke.[26]. [101], Catherine's apparent embrace of all things Russian (including Orthodoxy) may have prompted her personal indifference to religion. It was obvious to her that Peters hostility had evolved into a determination to end their marriage and remove her from public life., Far from resigning herself to this fate, Catherine bided her time and watched as Peter alienated key factions at court. This was another attempt to organise and passively control the outer fringes of her country. [126] The last of her lovers, Platon Zubov, was 40 years her junior. 2019. The horse myth also allowed her enemies to tarnish her legacy and claims to greatness. It was unthinkable they could rule a nation, especially one successfully. [95], From 1768 to 1774, no progress was made in setting up a national school system. Apart from providing that experience, the marriage was unsuccessfulit was not consummated for years due to Peter III's mental immaturity. In private, says Jaques, she balanced a constant craving for affection with a ruthless determination to paint Russia as a truly European country. The pair met on the day of Catherines 1762 coup but only became lovers in 1774. All Rights Reserved. Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women, causing 1 in 3 deaths every year? Petersburg." Catherine separated the Jews from Orthodox society, restricting them to the Pale of Settlement. A landowner could punish his serfs at his discretion, and under Catherine the Great gained the ability to sentence his serfs to hard labour in Siberia, a punishment normally reserved for convicted criminals. But the actual story of the monarchs death is far simpler: On November 16, 1796, the 67-year-old empress suffered a stroke and fell into a coma. Historians debate Catherine's technical status, whether as a regent or as a usurper, tolerable only during the minority of her son, Grand Duke Paul. This spurred Russian interest in opening trade with Japan to the south for supplies and food. Although German soldiers allegedly saw the cabinet during WWII, no visible proof of the furniture exists leading many historians to believe it's just another salacious fabrication. She addressed me immediately in a voice full of sweetness, if a little throaty: "I am delighted to welcome you here, Madame, your reputation runs before you. Rumour and degrading slander became the weapon by which they would take jabs at her legacy. The True Story of Catherine the Great - Smithsonian Magazine "[138] In the end, the empress was laid to rest with a gold crown on her head and clothed in a silver brocade dress. The diplomatic intrigue failed, largely due to the intervention of Sophie's mother, Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. She came to power following the overthrow of her husband, Peter III. B. Catherine the Great's Foreign Policy Reconsidered. Catherine channels her anger over her mother's death into handling the border conflict with the Ottomans. While the measure appeared to be progressive on paper, the reality of the situation remained stark for most peasants, and in 1881, revolutionaries assassinated the increasingly reactionary czara clear example of what Hartley deems autocracy tempered by assassination, or the idea that a ruler had almost unlimited powers but was always vulnerable to being dethroned if he or she alienated the elites., After Pugachevs uprising, Catherine shifted focus to what Massie describes as more readily achievable aims: namely, the expansion of her empire and the enrichment of its culture.. The Treaty of Kk Kaynarca, signed 10 July 1774, gave the Russians territories at Azov, Kerch, Yenikale, Kinburn, and the small strip of Black Sea coast between the rivers Dnieper and Bug. [94] The girls who attended the Smolny Institute, Smolyanki, were often accused of being ignorant of anything that went on in the world outside the walls of the Smolny buildings, within which they acquired a proficiency in French, music, and dancing, along with a complete awe of the monarch. Longest ruling Russian empress, 17621796, "Catherine II" redirects here. [44] Another source of tension was the wave of Dzungar Mongol fugitives from the Chinese state who took refuge with the Russians. [30], Catherine's foreign minister, Nikita Panin (in office 17631781), exercised considerable influence from the beginning of her reign. Madame Vige Le Brun vividly describes the empress in her memoirs:[85], the sight of this famous woman so impressed me that I found it impossible to think of anything: I could only stare at her. Her son Pavel later was inoculated as well. Jaques cites a Vigilius Ericksen portrait of the empress as emblematic of Catherines many contradictions. The cause of death was confirmed by autopsy. Poniatowski, through his mother's side, came from the Czartoryski family, prominent members of the pro-Russian faction in Poland; Poniatowski and Catherine were eighth cousins, twice removed, by their mutual ancestor King Christian I of Denmark, by virtue of Poniatowski's maternal descent from the Scottish House of Stuart. Her marriage to Peter III of Russia lasted from 1745 until his suspicious death in 1762, and she had at least three lovers during this time (Catherine herself hinted that her husband . Catherine the Great Builds a New Russia Catherine the Great, who died on this day, dragged Russia into the modern era while leading a life filled with political drama, sexual intrigue - and murder. Nobles in each district elected a Marshal of the Nobility, who spoke on their behalf to the monarch on issues of concern to them, mainly economic ones. [70] In a letter to Voltaire in 1772, she wrote: "Right now I adore English gardens, curves, gentle slopes, ponds in the form of lakes, archipelagos on dry land, and I have a profound scorn for straight lines, symmetric avenues. No. Jerzy Lojek, "Catherine II's Armed Intervention in Poland: Origins of the Political Decisions at the Russian Court in 1791 and 1792. [60] The only thing a noble could not do to his serfs was to kill them. Catherines failure to abolish feudalism is often cited as justification for characterizing her as a hypocritical, albeit enlightened, despot. Gavrila Derzhavin, Denis Fonvizin and Ippolit Bogdanovich laid the groundwork for the great writers of the 19th century, especially for Alexander Pushkin. [9], Sophie first met her future husband, who would become Peter III of Russia, at the age of 10. If Catherine the Great had one overarching goal as empress, it was, in her words, to "drag Russia out of its medieval stupor and into the modern world". Converted Jews could gain permission to enter the merchant class and farm as free peasants under Russian rule. It was a failure because it narrowed and stifled entrepreneurship and did not reward economic development. In one portrait, hes managed to just somehow portray both sides of this compelling leader., Meilan Solly In their eyes, Catherine was the very definition of unnatural and so stories of outlandish sexual behaviour became a way of insinuating how her position in the world was not natural to her gender. Catherine the Great, Russian Yekaterina Velikaya, also called Catherine II, Russian in full Yekaterina Alekseyevna, original name Sophie Friederike Auguste, Prinzessin von Anhalt-Zerbst, (born April 21 [May 2, New Style], 1729, Stettin, Prussia [now Szczecin, Poland]died November 6 [November 17], 1796, Tsarskoye Selo [now Pushkin], near St. Petersburg, Russia), German-born empress of Russia . Before her death she recognized Peter II, the grandson of Peter I and Eudoxia, as her successor. She had her husband arrested, and forced him to sign a document of abdication, leaving no one to dispute her accession to the throne. [102], However, in accord with her anti-Ottoman policy, Catherine promoted the protection and fostering of Christians under Turkish rule. The emergence of these assignation roubles was necessary due to large government spending on military needs, which led to a shortage of silver in the treasury (transactions, especially in foreign trade, were conducted almost exclusively in silver and gold coins). But there is no truth in that story. How can history remember her for anything else if she died whilst trying to have sexual intercourse with a horse? Catherine I of Russia - Wikipedia United by a shared appreciation of learning and larger-than-life theatrics, they were human furnaces who demanded an endless supply of praise, love and attention in private, and glory and power in public, according to Montefiore. Catherines contributions to Russias cultural landscape were far more successful than her failed socioeconomic reforms. A poor student who felt a stronger allegiance to his home country of Prussia than Russia, the heir spent much of his time indulging in various vicesand unsuccessfully working to paint himself as an effective military commander. In reality, those in power were beginning to fear the power that Russia was now wielding. Although the idea of partitioning Poland came from the King Frederick II of Prussia, Catherine took a leading role in carrying it out in the 1790s. Whilst she used sex as a tool to broaden and cement her political power, she was far from the nymphomaniac that she was made out to be. Closer to home, her success, coupled with how she came to power, led to jealously and fear among her male objectors in the Russian court. M. B. W. Trent, "Catherine the Great Invites Euler to Return to St.