Fact Finder - History

Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, was the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. Born a German princess, she took power after a coup against her husband, Peter III. During her reign, Russia underwent a 'Golden Age,' expanding significantly through the partitions of Poland and victories over the Ottoman Empire. Catherine was an 'Enlightened Despot'; she corresponded with Voltaire and Diderot and attempted to reform the Russian legal system based on Enlightenment principles. She founded the first state-funded higher education institution for women in Europe (the Smolny Institute) and amassed the art collection that formed the basis of the Hermitage Museum. While she modernized the administration and promoted the arts, she also strengthened the institution of serfdom, highlighting the contradictions of her era.