Catherine the Great assumes power
On this day in 1762 the wife of Russias new emperor Peter III rallies the army regiments of St.Petersburg against her husband and is proclaimed Empress Catherine II the sole ruler of Russia.More commonly known as Catherine the Great she would stay on the throne for the next 34 years longer than any other female ruler in Russian history.
The former Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst was born in 1729 in what is now Poland.Her father was a minor Prussian prince her mother was a member of the house of Holstein-Gottorp one of Germanys most celebrated families.At 15 Sophie scored an invitation to Russia from Empress Elizabeth the daughter of Peter the Great who was searching for a bride for her nephew and chosen heir to the throne the Grand Duke Peter who was also Sophies cousin on her mothers side.
They were married the following year and Sophie converted to Orthodox Christianity adopting the name Catherine.Peter and Catherines marriage was unhappy from the beginning and neither one was faithful.Catherine later hinted in her memoirs that her husband hadnt fathered any of her four children but most historians believe he did father her first son Paul born in 1754.
Soon after the Empress Elizabeth died and Peter ascended to the throne in early 1762 his many enemies plotted to overthrow Peter and replace him with 7-year-old Paul.Instead the ambitious Catherine acted quickly to seize the advantage for herself.With the help of her lover Gregory Orlov she won the militarys support and had herself proclaimed Russias sole ruler in July 1762 forcing her husband to abdicate his throne.
Peter was assassinated just eight days later by Catherines supporters casting some doubt on her legitimacy as ruler.Despite this turbulent beginning Catherines reign would be remembered as a time of significant progress and achievement for Russia.Like Peter the Great she worked to Westernize the nation and make it strong enough to hold its own against the great powers of Europe.
Under Catherine Russias borders expanded to the west and south encompassing Crimea as well as much of Poland.Notorious for her many lovers Catherine showed less affection for her son Paul whom she supposedly considered passing over as heir in favor of his son Alexander.But before she could do so Catherine died of a stroke in 1796 leaving Paul to inherit the throne.He was assassinated five years later opening the way for Catherines adored grandson Alexander I to become the next ruler in the Romanov dynasty. READ MORE Why Catherine the Greats Enemies Turned Her into a Sex Fiend
