Catherine The Great Essay

Over the period of 67 years, Catherine the Great- a former Empress of Russia in the 1700’s- used various methods in order to implement foreign policy unto her nation and the nations around her. Her accomplishments in foreign policy not only caused drastic changes in her own country for her own people, but also in surrounding countries and their people. The most impressive and life-altering achievement of Catherine the Great, was the way in which she intelligently and manipulatively went about her way in seizing control over one-third of Poland. Catherine II first began her rule in the year 1762, with the help and advocacy of multiple allies, some of which included the supportive countries of; Austria, England, and France. (Erikson 187)

Eloquent, brilliant, unorthodox, poise, and loyal – all of these unique characteristics allowed Dashkova to gain the highest regard among the members of the elite society and more importantly, to earn the respect of Catherine the Great. Dashkova is a peculiar female character. She’s fully narcissistic, but at the same time, rejects her recognition and claims herself as unworthy of the credits Catherine II had given her. In her autobiography The Memoirs of Princess Dashkova, Dashkova justifies her role as a noble woman, her early-life contribution in helping Catherine rise to the throne, and the frugal life she bore as a widow and a mother of two. Dashkova voiced her significance in a society where

Being the strong-willed ruler that she was, Catherine’s choices made an effect on her country, on the time period she was from, and she created her own legacy rather than following the usual lifestyle of a Queen or woman in the 1700’s. Less interested in the social reform than the preservations of the upper class, it didn’t phase Catherine if her plans didn’t sit well with the people that were higher up in the social class; and as serfdom began spreading to Ukraine and peasants revolted they were violently suppressed.During her time as ruler she didn’t bother sitting around and doing nothing, she had many architectural monuments commissioned in what is now modern day St. Petersburg, and had the West Wing of the Winter Palace finished in memory of her late husband, Peter of Russia. As a supporter of education, science and other subjects, Catherine made sure that others would be able to have the opportunity to grow to love these things as well. Catherine increased the number of Grade schools from 50 to 500 and increased the amount of high schools that were around drastically. She also created a high school that was just for girls from gentry families so that woman could have the same opportunities as the men.

The woman who was to become Catherine the Great was born Sophie Augusta Fredericka. During her teen years Sophie blossomed into a beautiful young woman and had excellent health. She later went on to marry Peter III the future emperor and grandson of Peter the Great. During her reign as empress Catherine encountered many conflicts, which she surpassed so successfully that even now so many years after her death she is still remembered. Even though she was known to have many lovers during her lifetime and had three illegitimate children two of who survived, her strong spirit, willingness to make Russia a better place, and her political victories made her one of the greatest empress ever.

Ivan IV, also known as “Ivan the Terrible,” lived from 1530 to 1584 and was the first Tsar of Russia. He officially reigned from the age of three; however, he did not have any real power until he crowned himself “Tsar” of Russia in 1547. He went on to conquer vast amounts of neighboring territories, eventually controlling the largest empire in the world at the time. In addition to increasing the Russian Tsardom’s size, he also completely restructured the political system. He took away all power from the noble boyar elite, and became an absolute monarch. This was good because the boyars at the time had been corrupt, and more interested in their personal interests than the interests of the state (Ivan the Terrible).

32. Maria Theresa of Austria did all of the following: limited the amount of labor the nobility could demand from peasants; established a very efficient tax system; expanded primary education; created central councils to deal with political problems

Peter the Great is known as the "emperor Peter", who was the Tsar and first Emperor of Russia. Peter the Great is historically important because he is a great emperor in the Russian history. He led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist, medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, westernized. Peter's reforms made a lasting impact on Russia and many institutions of Russian government trace their origins to his reign. Peter the Great helped the society through the politics, and helped the economics advanced. Most importantly, he influenced on many other people.

Catherine the Great married Peter the third when Peter was overthrown and Catherine took over. In result she made Russia 50% bigger, take parts of Poland and also southern Russia.

Later on, King Francis I passed away due to illness and old age, which caused despair both throughout the kingdom and to Catherine. Despite his death, the wars went on, and Catherine used his death to her advantage. She dressed in all black and begged the court to give France's army more money for funding, which they allowed. She did this because she knew that the King would have wanted their army to keep fighting. Later, Catherine's husband was stabbed through the eye during a jousting match and died, which also caused great sadness in Catherine's heart. Her son, Charles, became the new king. He was young and unfit to rule, so the Guise family watched over and directed him. However, the Guises were malicious and loved bloodshed, so they used this opportunity to cause more wars and battles between France and other countries. They also ordered all Protestants will be executed if they were caught practicing their beliefs in public. Although Catherine was a Catholic, she knew the executions and torturing of the Protestants were wrong, yet she could do nothing because of her gender and lack of royal

During these happy years of marriage Anastasia acted as quieting force in Ivan's life. It was in these years that Ivan would consolidate Russia, he ruled advisory counselor, and dispel corruption and excesses from his courtiers. It is a misconception that Ivan is known as the terrible, a glitch in translation. Ivan was known as "Grozny", the awesome, and it was in these years that he earned the title.

They are attributed with “westernizing” Russia and reformed the country using models used in Europe. Both Peter and Catherine the Great focused on St. Petersburg as Peter established it as the capital; whereas Catherine focused on expanding the beauty of the city. While these are incidents of where their rule benefitted Russia, there are also examples of where their rule hurt Russia. For instance, Peter worked at expanding the autocracy while enforcing the servitude on the peasants. The differences between these rulers was that Peter strove to add governmental features to Russia, such as growing the Russian army and adopting certain habits he had observed in Western countries. Catherine, however, focused on adding to the prestige of Russia by adding new buildings and incorporating art into St. Petersburg which added not structural changes, but was effective in making the city more beautiful.

Frederick and Catherine the Greats Squared This essay about “the Greats squared” or better known as Frederick and Catherine. I wondered why they were given the title of “Great”, so I began researching both of them. My objective with this essay is to show their greatest achievements and their worst blunders. Starting with Frederick the Great, he was born on January 24, 1712 in Berlin, Prussia.

To the Romans she was a stubborn, supreme exception to every rule. She remains largely incomparable: She had plenty of predecessors, few successors. With her, the age of empresses essentially came to an end. In two thousand years only one or two other women could be said to have wielded unrestricted authority over so vast a realm.

Throughout time, many women have tried to put a mark on this world, but many have failed. Catherine de Medici is one of the few that made an immense impact on society and who eventually became Queen of France.

The leadership and decisions of Alexander I played a large role in the transformation of Russia. Alexander I came to power after the assassination of Paul I, and his reign lasted from 1801-1825. Alexander’s reign followed a dark time in Russia of monarchs and tyrannies. Alexander was favored by his subject for he wanted to create a new and happier beginning for all of Russia. The beginning of Alexander I’s rule was very crucial for Russia’s success in the Napoleonic Wars. Alexander atoned for the faults of his predecessor and once again created an alliance with