Catherine II of Russia

Catherine II ({{lang-ru|?????????? II ???????????}}, tr.: Yekaterina II Alexeyevna; April 21, 1729—November 6, 1796 (O.S.)), born Sophie Augusta Fredericka, known as Catherine the Great, reigned as empress of Russia from June 28, 1762, to her death on November 6, 1796. A cousin to Gustav III of Sweden and Charles XIII of Sweden, Catherine exemplified an "enlightened monarch."

Personal life

Catherine, throughout her long reign, took many lovers, often elevating them to high positions for as long as they held her interest, and then pensioning them off with large estates and gifts of serfs. After her affair with Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin, he selected a candidate that had both the physical beauty as well as the mental faculties to hold Catherine's interest. Many of these men loved her back, as she was considered quite beautiful in the standards of the day, and was ever generous with her lovers, even after the affair was ended.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Catherine suffered a stroke on November 5, 1796, and subsequently died without having regained consciousness. She was buried at the St. Peter and St. Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg. She was succeeded by her son, Paul I of Russia, whom she did not much like. He may have been fathered by Peter or by one of Catherine's lovers: Serge Saltykov, or Grigori Orlov are often thought likely candidates. Paul succeeded her to the throne as Paul I of Russia. Despite some reports that she intended to pass the throne directly to her grandson, Paul's son Alexander, under Peter the Great's 1722 declaration that the Tsar could name his own successor, she never took the necessary steps, perhaps from fear that Alexander, once confirmed as heir, would lead a revolt against his grandmother.

Related Topics:
Stroke - November 5 - 1796 - St. Peter and St. Paul Fortress - Saint Petersburg - Paul I of Russia - Serge Saltykov - Grigori Orlov - Peter the Great - 1722

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Palace intrigue generated several urban myths about the circumstances of her death that put her in rather unfavorable light. Because of their sexual nature, they survived the time test and are still widely known even today.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~