Catherine II the Great
A Summary of Her Rise from Obscurity
Born in a poor sect of the German country near the Baltic Sea, Sophia Augusta Frederica, renamed Catherine II the Great would later become one of the most important rulers in the history of Russia and Europe as a whole. Her calculated rise to power proved her political tact amongst men with their own individualistic agendas. Catherine’s troubled marriage to Peter was the pathway to her future success as an enlightenment thinker and a woman of strong resolve amidst adversity. In addition to her influential thoughts on improving education and the general welfare, her personal life is filled with scandal, myth and intrigue. Men fell in love with her distinct charm and progressive mind. “She circumvented the men who helped her to seize the throne in 1762 and was wise enough never to enter into a publicly recognized marriage…she shocked opinion even further by having many publicly acknowledged lovers at a time when virtue was still demanded of a woman” (de Madariaga, 2001). It was certainly not a secret that Catherine could court most men with impressive ease. The modern political atmosphere for women in power is eerily similar to that of the past. The pursuit of legislative and executive power is still difficult for the female population. More important than the historical anecdotes that follow Catherine’s life is the wisdom and perspective that can be learned from her era.
Over three decades of rule cements Catherine’s ability to govern in times of peace and plight. However, long before becoming Empress in 1762, her life had a far bleaker outlook. “When selected by the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna to be the bride of the future Peter III, Princess Sophia abandoned Lutheranism to embrace the Orthodox religion and took the name Catherine Alexeyevna” (Jaskievicz, 2003). Elizabeth would manipulate much of Catherine’s life until gaining her favor years later. As for her marriage to Peter, the pair was not a match fit to last. Peter is historically seen as unpopular for being pro-Prussian due to an infatuation with his idol Frederick the Great. “Catherine’s marriage to Peter was an emotional disaster, and perhaps unconsummated” (Marker, 2004). Catherine’s memoirs, as paraphrased by Marker, later reveal that she saw Peter as “childish, tempestuous, unloving, and enamored of only three things: his mistress, his toy soldiers, and Prussia.” Her time as Grand Duchess was mostly spent away from her husband as they had affairs of their own.
Catherine and Peter tolerated each other’s affairs with indifference. Her estrangement to Peter became the catalyst for the affair with lover Sergius Saltykov. In 1754, after almost nine years without producing a child with Peter, she gave birth to the heir, Paul. “Later, an important point of controversy arose over the identity of Paul’s biological father—Peter or Sergius—endangering her son’s claim to the throne” (Historic World Leaders, 1994). Catherine’s personal memoirs suggest that Peter, who is suspected of being infertile, is not the father to Paul. Paul would later attempt to burn all records of these allegations to secure his place as heir. Elizabeth took Paul away the moment he was born from Catherine. She did not see much of her son in the beginning and throughout his life, straining their relationship indefinitely.
Catherine had aspirations for the Russian throne at an early age. The study of her family’s connections to royalty gave her hope that she could also be a part of the nobility. Catherine inferred that “this idea of a crown began running in [her] head like a tune, and has been running a lot in it ever since.” Achieving political success however was difficult because she had few allies in the beginning. She later learned that she could overcome this by practicing neutrality. “I tried to be as charming as possible to everyone and studied every opportunity to win the affection of those whom I suspected of being in the slightest degree ill-disposed towards me…it pleased me when I realized that I was daily winning the affection of the public.” In addition to learning politics actively, the future Empress became an avid reader of Plutarch, Tacitus, Machiavelli, Montesquieu and most importantly, Voltaire. “She had a profound understanding of the nature and important of public opinion, and of the need to mold it” (de Madariaga, 2001). Her fascination with enlightenment principles led her to be a proponent for civil rights and the position that government had a duty to provide security and welfare to its citizens.
Interestingly, “no one helped Catherine achieve her aim more than Peter” (Pavlenko, 1996). His foolish bias towards Prussia created far too many enemies amongst the Russian court and military. In time, the nobility realized that Catherine was the only legitimate alternative to Peter. The former Empress Elizabeth had already died and she eventually favored Catherine over Peter. Catherine used the help of guards and other influential figures of the Russian court to conspire against her husband. The Orlov brothers were the key allies in her aid. The coup had to be defended from retaliation from Peter, Ivan VI, and her son Paul. Peter was killed by the officers who guarded his imprisonment. Two years later, Ivan VI (great-grandson of Peter the Great’s half-brother Ivan V who had been languishing in a monastery since Elizabeth’s coup) died. “He was found lying on the floor in a pool of blood” (Pavlenko, 1996). Paul’s claim to the throne was rejected by Catherine continuously. It is clear that Empress Catherine learned a great deal from her time as Grand Duchess. Her charm and neutrality allowed her to gain favor with the men who could help her defeat Peter. The murder of Ivan VI and suppression of her son Paul has clear Machiavellian ruthlessness in its essence. She balanced cleverness with brutality.
Catherine’s court was described as “relaxed but industrious.” She would awaken early in the morning and keep busy throughout the day. Interestingly it is documented that, “she preferred a comfortable light gown over the tightly corseted dresses of the court” (Historic World Leaders, 1994). Catherine in this sense empowers herself by going against popular convention by wearing what is comfortable to her over what is seen as proper. Politically, the Empress quickly received recognition for the publication of the Instruction (Nakaz), which discusses her thoughts on how Russia should be governed. Her manifesto shares many 18th century ideas including the importance of morality regarding government officials, criminal justice and views on taxes that reflect the economist Adam Smith. The Instruction has similar principles as that of the Bill of Rights. Catherine writes “we [rulers] were created for our people…for God’s forbid that after this legislation is finished any nation on earth should be more just and, consequently, more flourishing.” This led her to propose legislation that would benefit a greater segment of the population. Notably, her reforms excluded the serfs in Russia. “To her, a privileged gentry meant a closer supervision of the popular mood and tighter control over incipient unrest” (Jaskievicz, 2003).
Catherine’s manifesto would become great literature in abstract but difficult to enforce in practice. “She created eighty provinces in which she allowed a limited measure of democracy and permitted the local gentry to elect the councilors of the district director” (Jaskievicz, 2003). As for foreign policy, her activity led to successful wars against Turkey which created better trade routes on the Black Sea. Diplomatically, Russia’s presence and importance to the West grew with key acquisitions such as the colonization of Alaska. Catherine subsequently became obsessed with new legislation of civil and moral order which became known as “legislomania.” Immigration and economic growth was increased “equaling some of the highest rates of expansion in preindustrial Europe” (Marker, 2004).
Aside from politics, “Catherine saw the need for greater education in Russia.” Academies for the arts, sciences, women and medicine were completed during her reign. During this time, Catherine did not remarry. “Unlike male rulers, she could not remarry or be allowed a consort for fear, one assumes, of polluting the imaginary male line. Such tacit limitations meant that the sexuality of a female ruler would be unavoidably political in ways that a male ruler’s would likely never be” (Marker, 2004). This proposal of bias against women’s sexual relations is an important device in modern politics. It is known that Catherine had twelve lovers between 1752 and her death including Sergei, the proposed father of the heir, Paul. Orlov and Poniatowksi are both suspected to be fathers to her two other children as well. Paul lived away from the court and her daughter was also forgotten. Mostly, Catherine ruled alone.
Catherine II the Great’s coup and subsequent rule impresses historians when considering the circumstances. She began her career in court as a foreigner to the political game. Her ambition however led her to take the throne away from her imprudent husband. She survived Paul’s, Ivan VI, and Peter’s attempts at gaining power. With her charm and wit, she gained the approval of the men closest to her court. With all her praise intact one must note that “by her stratification of classes in Russia, she perhaps did more to prepare the coming of the 1917 revolution than any other single Russian monarch.” Her legislation, although progressive, festered into future complications. In hindsight, historians propose that her reign has a great deal to do with the arrival of the Bolshevik Revolution a century later. Regardless of perspective, Catherine will be remembered for her leadership in a time of unprecedented Russian political growth.
References
de Madariaga, I. (2001). Catherine the great: a personal view. History Today, 51(11), 45+. Retrieved from
http://ic.galegroup.com/full/url
Jaskievicz, W. C. (2003). Catherine II (The Great), Empress of Russia. New Catholic Encyclopedia, 3(2), 264-266. Retrieved from
http://ic.galegroup.com/full/url
Marker, G. (2004). Catherine II (Russia) (1729–1796; Ruled 1762–1796). In J. Dewald (Ed.), Europe, 1450 to 1789 (Vol. 1, pp. 411-415). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Retrieved from
http://ic.galegroup.com/full/url
Pavlenko, N. (1996). A woman of substance. Russian Life, 4+. Retrieved from
http://ic.galegroup.com/full/url
(1994). Catherine, II, the Great. Historic World Leaders. Retrieved from
