The Empress That Redefined Russia

By: R. Renzo

Women's stories have often been occluded from history, leaving the stories of powerful women overshadowed or misunderstood. One of the most remarkable female figures in history is Catherine the Great, the Empress which reigned over Russia for 34 years. The complexity of her life and actions are one of the most marvellous things to be preserved, and it is a testament to ambition, intelligence and resilience of women, despite societal boundaries. 

She was born as Sophie of Anhalt Zerbst in 1729, a daughter of an obscure German prince and general in the Prussian army. Her mother, Princess Johanna Elisabeth, had distant links to the Russian royal family. Catherine was married to Peter III, which she first met when she was just 10 years old. Peter III was grandson to two emperors - Russia's Peter the Great, and Sweden's Charles XII. After being orphaned by age 11, he was chosen by Russia's Empress Elizabeth as her successor. From their first encounter she resented him and his indulgence in alcohol at such a young age. Ultimately, Peter and Catherine's marriage was loveless and tumultuous. Her letters and memoirs are filled with disdain for his drunken and cruel behaviour, and it is believed that he abandoned her on their wedding night to party with friends.

By the late 1750s, Empress Elizabeth's health begun to deteriorate, dying in January of 1762. Peter became Emperor, and Catherine became his Empress Consort. Peter was immediately unpopular: despite Prussia being Russia's long time enemy, he withdrew from the Seven Years' War, and began military reforms based on the Prussian model. This enraging Russian army officers. Peter ruled Russia for just 186 days before Catherine took the opportunity to seize power and usurp her husband. She claimed the throne with the help of the Russian guard and key allies. Peter died shortly after under mysterious circumstances, which may have cemented Catherine's hold on power, but made the people grow skeptical and uncertain of her reign. 

Her reign lasted from 1762 to 1796 and was marked by her desire to make Russia a prosperous and powerful state. Catherine was inspired by English and French liberal philosophers and carried out many of the reforms advocated by Montesquieu or Jean-Jacques Rosseau; she established boards of social welfare to oversee hospitals, prisons and workhouses, making an early attempt at a social welfare system. Under her reign, more than a hundred new towns were built, and old ones were expanded and renovated. 

Russia under her rule became strong enough to threaten the other great powers, expanding westward and southward, leading Russia to victory in two wars against the Ottoman Empire, and annexing the Crimean Peninsula, solidifying Russia's influence. 

She led the way in embracing the latest medical practices. She was immunised against smallpox by a British doctor, which was controversial at the time. She sought to, through her example, "save from death the multitude of my subjects". And by 1800, 2 million inoculations were carried out in the Russian Empire.

She initially planned to emancipate the serfs, on whom the economy of Russia, which was 95 percent agricultural, was based. However, she saw quickly that the emancipation of the serfs would never be tolerated by the owners, whom she depended on for support. Catherine was far from a perfect ruler, despite her strengths, she strengthened serfdom, which led to widespread peasant suffering and revolts. 

Catherine the Great was a ruler of immense ambition and vision, transforming Russia into a formidable European power. However, it cannot be denied that she was egotistical and pretentious, additionally upholding oppression and limitations to freedom. Though she was not without her flaws, her reign remains a testament to the resilience and capability of women in leadership, defying the societal limitations of the time.