Peter iii of russia family tree

(1729-1796)

Who Was Catherine II?

Catherine II, often called Catherine the Great, was born in Prussia in 1729 and married into the Russian royal family in 1745.

Shortly after her husband ascended to the throne as Peter III, Catherine orchestrated a coup to become empress of Russia in 1762. Remembered in large part for her romantic liaisons, Catherine also expanded Russian territories and sought to modernize its culture through progressive views on arts and education.

Peter in the great

Peter in the great

The great peter and catherine

Catherine the great peter death

Alexander in russian

Alexander i the tsar of russia

After more than three decades as Russia's absolute ruler, she died in 1796.

German Princess and Ambitious Mother

Catherine II started out as a minor German princess. Her birth name was Sophie Friederike Auguste, and she grew up in Stettin in a small principality called Anhalt-Zebst.

Her father, Christian August, a prince of this tiny dominion, gained fame for his military career by serving as a general for Frederick William I of Prussia.

Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp, Catherine II