(1729-1796) Russian empress from 1762 to 1796
Her real name was Sophia Frederika Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. In 1743, she came to Russia from Stettin to become the wife of the nephew of Empress Anna Ioannovna Peter of Holstein-Gottorp - the future Tsar Peter III. On August 21, 1745, their marriage took place, and she became Grand Duchess Catherine.
Until the end of her reign, the Empress never managed to combine two incompatible desires: to become famous throughout the world for her liberal views and reforms and not to allow any freedoms in Russia. These contradictions of hers were especially clearly manifested in relations with educated people. She instructed Ekaterina Dashkova, one of the most educated women of that time, to develop a project for the creation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and supported secular education. At the same time, it was during her reign that already strict censorship was established.
The Empress was afraid of the slightest manifestation of free-thinking and severely punished A.N. Radishchev for his criticism of the existing order, set out in the book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, at the same time punishing N.I. Novikov, who dared to publish this book.
At the end of her reign, Catherine II ordered the dissolution of all Masonic lodges. N.I. Novikov was arrested and imprisoned Shlisselburg Fortress, Prince Trubetskoy was exiled.
Nevertheless, Catherine II was an extraordinary and bright personality, a brilliant publicist and writer. She wrote a lot on a variety of topics, leaving behind personal “Notes” and numerous letters. Her correspondence with Diderot and Voltaire is especially interesting. True, she wrote mainly in French, since Russian remained for her the language of everyday communication.
Catherine II was born on April 21, 1729, before accepting Orthodoxy she had the name Sophia-August-Frederike. As fate would have it, in 1745 Sophia converted to Orthodoxy and was baptized under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Married the future Emperor of Russia. The relationship between Peter and Catherine somehow did not work out right away. A wall of barriers arose between them due to the banal misunderstanding of each other.
Despite the fact that the spouses did not have a particularly big difference in age, Pyotr Fedorovich was a real child, and Ekaterina Alekseevna wanted a more adult relationship with her husband.
Catherine was quite well educated. Since childhood, I studied various sciences, such as history, geography, theology and foreign languages. The level of her development was very high, she danced and sang beautifully.
Arriving in, she was immediately imbued with the Russian spirit. Realizing that the emperor’s wife must have certain qualities, she sat down with textbooks on Russian history and the Russian language.
From the first days of my stay in Russia, I was imbued with the Russian spirit and great love for the new Motherland. Ekaterina Alekseevna quickly mastered new sciences; in addition to language and history, she studied economics and jurisprudence.
Her desire to “become one of her own” in a completely new, unfamiliar society made this very society accept her and love her dearly.
As a result of complications in her relationship with her husband and constant palace affairs, Ekaterina Alekseevna had to seriously worry about her fate. The situation was stalemate.
Peter III did not have any authority or support in Russian society, and those six months of his reign caused nothing but irritation and indignation in Russian society.
Due to the worsening relationship between the spouses, she seriously risked going to a monastery. The situation forced her to act decisively.
Having secured the support of the guards, Ekaterina Alekseevna and her supporters carried out a coup d'etat. Peter III abdicated the throne, and Catherine II became the new Russian empress. The coronation took place on September 22 (October 3), 1762 in Moscow.
Its policy can be described as successful and thoughtful. During the years of her reign, Ekaterina Alekseevna achieved excellent results. Thanks to successful internal and foreign policy, Catherine II managed to achieve a significant increase in the territory and the number of people inhabiting it.
During her reign, trade developed rapidly in Russia. Quantities industrial enterprises on the territory of the Empire doubled. The enterprises fully met the needs of the army and navy. During her reign, active development of the Urals began; most new enterprises were opened here.
Let's briefly go through the legislative acts of Ekaterina Alekseevna in economic issues. In 1763, internal customs duties were abolished.
In 1767, people acquired the legal right to engage in any city trade. In the period from 1766 to 1772, duties on the export of wheat abroad were abolished, this led to an increase in the development of agriculture and the development of new lands. In 1775, the Empress abolished taxes on small-scale fishing.
The nobles received the right to exile their peasants to Siberia. Also, now the peasants could not complain about their master. The reduction in personal freedoms of peasants was one of the reasons for the uprising that took place from 1773 to 1775.
In 1775, Catherine IIstarted reform government controlled. According to the new law, territorially - Administrative division Russia took this form: the Empire was divided into provinces, which in turn were divided into districts, and instead of 23 provinces, 50 were created.
Provinces were formed from the point of view of convenience of taxation, and not geographical or national characteristics. The province was governed by a governor appointed by the monarch. Some large provinces were subject to the governor-general, who had greater authority.
The governor headed the provincial government. The functions of the board were: announcement and explanation of laws to the population. As well as bringing lawbreakers to trial. Power in the lower ranks of the county was the responsibility of the local nobility, an assembly where people were chosen who would occupy important local positions.
Catherine II's foreign policy was aggressive. The Empress believed that Russia should behave as it did in the time of Peter I, conquer new territories, and legitimize its rights to access the seas. Russia took part in the partition of Poland, as well as in Russian-Turkish wars Oh. Successes in them made the Russian Empire one of the most influential states in Europe.
Ekaterina Alekseevna died in 1796, November 6 (17). Years of reign of Catherine II 1762 - 1796
Needless to say, Catherine II is one of the most recognizable characters in Russian history. Her personality is certainly interesting. Ask any average person who he considers the most successful Russian ruler? I am sure that in response you will hear the name of Catherine II. She was in fact a worthwhile ruler, under her the Russian theater, Russian literature, and also science actively developed.
In cultural and historically Russian empire I really gained a lot. Unfortunately, the empress's personal life is full of various rumors and gossip. Some of them are probably true, but some are not. It is a pity that Catherine II, being a great historical figure, to put it mildly, is not a model of morality.
Years of reign: 1762-1796
1. For the first time since Peter I reformed the public administration system. Culturally Russia finally became one of the great European powers. Catherine patronized various areas of art: under her, the Hermitage and the Public Library appeared in St. Petersburg.
2. Spent administrative reform , which determined the territorial structure of the country right up to before 1917. She formed 29 new provinces and built about 144 cities.
3. Increased the territory of the state by annexing the southern lands - Crimea, Black Sea region and eastern part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In terms of population, Russia has become the largest European country: it accounted for 20% of the European population
4. Brought Russia to first place in the world in iron smelting. By the end of the 18th century, there were 1,200 large enterprises in the country (in 1767 there were only 663).
5. Strengthened Russia's role in the global economy: export volume increased from 13.9 million rubles in 1760 to 39.6 million rubles in 1790. Sailing linen, cast iron, iron, and bread were exported in large quantities. The volume of timber exports increased fivefold.
6. Under Catherine II of Russia The Academy of Sciences has become one of the leading scientific bases in Europe. Special attention The empress paid attention to the development of women's education: in 1764, the first educational institutions in Russia for girls were opened - the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens and the Educational Society for Noble Maidens.
7. Organized new credit institutions - a state bank and a loan office, and also expanded the range of banking operations (since 1770, banks began to accept deposits for storage) and for the first time established the issue paper money- banknotes.
8. Gave the fight against epidemics the character of state measures. Having introduced compulsory smallpox vaccination, I decided to give my subjects personal example: in 1768, the empress herself was vaccinated against smallpox.
9. She supported Buddhism by establishing the post of Hambo Lama in 1764 - the head of Buddhists in Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia. The Buryat lamas recognized Catherine II as the incarnation of the main goddess White Tara and since then swore allegiance to all Russian rulers.
10 Belonged to those few monarchs who communicated intensively with their subjects by drawing up manifestos, instructions and laws. She had the talent of a writer, leaving behind a large collection of works: notes, translations, fables, fairy tales, comedies and essays.
Catherine the Great is one of the most extraordinary women in world history. Her life is a rare example of self-education through deep education and strict discipline.
The empress rightfully earned the epithet “Great”: the Russian people called her, a German and a foreigner, “her own mother.” And historians almost unanimously decided that if Peter I wanted to instill in Russia everything German, then the German Catherine dreamed of reviving Russian traditions. And in many ways she did this very successfully.
The long reign of Catherine is the only period of transformation in Russian history about which one cannot say “the forest is being cut down, the chips are flying.” The population of the country doubled, while there was practically no censorship, torture was prohibited, and elected bodies of class self-government were created... “ Steady hand", which the Russian people supposedly needed so much, was not at all useful this time.
Princess Sofia
The future Empress Catherine II Alekseevna, nee Sophia Frederica Augusta, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, was born on April 21, 1729 in the unknown Stettin (Prussia). His father, the unremarkable Prince Christian August, made a good career thanks to his devotion to the Prussian king: regiment commander, commandant of Stettin, governor. Constantly busy in the service, he became for Sofia an example of conscientious service in the public sphere.
Sofia was educated at home: she studied German and French, dance, music, basics of history, geography, theology. Her independent character and perseverance were already evident in early childhood. In 1744, together with her mother, she was summoned to Russia by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Here she, previously a Lutheran, was accepted into Orthodoxy under the name Ekaterina (this name, like the patronymic Alekseevna, was given to her in honor of Elizabeth’s mother, Catherine I) and was named the bride of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (the future Emperor Peter III), with whom the princess married in 1745.
Uma ward
Catherine set herself the goal of winning the favor of the empress, her husband and the Russian people. From the very beginning, her personal life was unsuccessful, but the Grand Duchess decided that she always liked the Russian crown more than her groom, and turned to reading works on history, law and economics. She was absorbed in studying the works of French encyclopedists and already at that time she was intellectually superior to everyone around her.
Catherine truly became a patriot of her new homeland: she scrupulously observed the rituals Orthodox Church, tried to return the Russian national costume to court use, and diligently studied the Russian language. She even studied at night and once became dangerously ill from overwork. The Grand Duchess wrote: “Those who succeeded in Russia could be confident of success throughout Europe. Nowhere, as in Russia, are there such masters at noticing the weaknesses or shortcomings of a foreigner; you can be sure that nothing will be missed for him.”
The communication between the Grand Duke and the princess demonstrated the radical difference in their characters: Peter’s infantility was opposed by Catherine’s active, purposeful and ambitious nature. She began to fear for her fate if her husband came to power and began to recruit supporters at court. Catherine's ostentatious piety, prudence and sincere love for Russia contrasted sharply with Peter's behavior, which allowed her to gain authority both among high society and among the ordinary population of St. Petersburg.
Double grip
Having ascended the throne after the death of his mother, Emperor Peter III, during his six-month reign, managed to turn the nobility against himself to such an extent that he himself opened the path to power for his wife. As soon as he ascended the throne, he concluded an unfavorable agreement with Prussia for Russia, announced the seizure of the property of the Russian Church and the abolition of monastic land ownership. Supporters of the coup accused Peter III of ignorance, dementia and complete inability to govern the state. A well-read, pious and benevolent wife looked favorably against his background.
When Catherine’s relationship with her husband became hostile, the twenty-year-old Grand Duchess decided to “perish or reign.” Having carefully prepared a conspiracy, she secretly arrived in St. Petersburg and was proclaimed an autocratic empress in the barracks of the Izmailovsky regiment. The rebels were joined by soldiers from other regiments, who unquestioningly swore allegiance to her. The news of Catherine's accession to the throne quickly spread throughout the city and was greeted with delight by St. Petersburg residents. Over 14,000 people surrounded the palace, welcoming the new ruler.
The foreigner Catherine had no rights to power, but the “revolution” she committed was presented as a national liberation one. She correctly grasped the critical moment in her husband’s behavior - his contempt for the country and Orthodoxy. As a result, the grandson of Peter the Great was considered more German than the purebred German Catherine. And this is the result of her own efforts: in the eyes of society, she managed to change her nationality and received the right to “liberate the fatherland” from foreign yoke.
M.V. Lomonosov about Catherine the Great: “On the throne is a woman - a chamber of wisdom.”
Having learned about what had happened, Peter began to send proposals for negotiations, but they were all rejected. Catherine herself, at the head of the guards regiments, came out to meet him and on the way received the emperor’s written abdication of the throne. The long 34-year reign of Catherine II began with a solemn coronation in Moscow on September 22, 1762. In essence, she committed a double takeover: she took power away from her husband and did not transfer it to the natural heir, her son.
The era of Catherine the Great
Catherine ascended the throne with a certain political program, based on the ideas of the Enlightenment and at the same time taking into account the peculiarities of the historical development of Russia. Already in the first years of her reign, the Empress carried out a reform of the Senate, which made the work of this institution more efficient, and carried out the secularization of church lands, which replenished the state treasury. At the same time, a number of new educational institutions, including the first educational institutions for women in Russia.
Catherine II was an excellent judge of people; she skillfully selected assistants for herself, not being afraid of bright and talented personalities. That is why her time was marked by the appearance of a galaxy of outstanding statesmen, generals, writers, artists and musicians. During this period there were no noisy resignations, none of the nobles fell into disgrace - that is why Catherine’s reign is called the “golden age” of the Russian nobility. At the same time, the empress was very vain and valued her power more than anything else. For her sake, she was ready to make any compromises to the detriment of her beliefs.
Catherine was distinguished by ostentatious piety; she considered herself the head and defender of the Russian Orthodox Church and skillfully used religion for political interests.
After the end of the Russian-Turkish War of 1768–1774 and the suppression of the uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev, the empress independently developed key legislative acts. The most important of them were letters of grant to the nobility and cities. Their main significance is associated with the implementation of the strategic goal of Catherine’s reforms - the creation in Russia of full-fledged estates of the Western European type.
Autocracy in the struggle for the future
Catherine was the first Russian monarch who saw in people individuals with their own opinions, character and emotions. She willingly acknowledged their right to make mistakes. From the distant skies of autocracy, Catherine saw the man below and turned him into the measure of her policy - an incredible somersault for Russian despotism. The philanthropy that she made fashionable would later become the main feature of the high culture of the 19th century.
Catherine demanded naturalness from her subjects, and therefore easily, with a smile and self-irony, she eliminated any hierarchy. It is known that she, being greedy for flattery, calmly accepted criticism. For example, her secretary of state and the first major Russian poet Derzhavin often argued with the empress on administrative issues. One day their discussion became so heated that the empress invited her other secretary: “Sit here, Vasily Stepanovich. This gentleman, it seems to me, wants to kill me.” His harshness had no consequences for Derzhavin.
One of his contemporaries figuratively described the essence of Catherine’s reign as follows: “Peter the Great created people in Russia, but Catherine II invested souls in them.”
I can’t even believe that behind this beauty were two Russian-Turkish wars, the annexation of Crimea and the creation of Novorossiya, the construction of the Black Sea Fleet, the three partitions of Poland, which brought Belarus to Russia, Western Ukraine, Lithuania and Courland, the war with Persia, the annexation of Georgia and the conquest of the future Azerbaijan, suppression Pugachev revolt, the war with Sweden, as well as numerous laws that Catherine personally worked on. In total, she issued 5,798 acts, that is, an average of 12 laws per month. Her pedantry and hard work were described in detail by her contemporaries.
Femininity revolution
In Russian history, only Ivan III (43 years) and Ivan IV the Terrible (37 years) ruled longer than Catherine II. More than three decades of her reign amount to almost half Soviet period, and it is impossible to ignore this circumstance. Therefore, Catherine has always occupied a special place in the mass historical consciousness. However, the attitude towards her was ambiguous: German blood, the murder of her husband, numerous novels, Voltairianism - all this prevented selfless admiration of the empress.
Catherine was the first Russian monarch who saw in people individuals with their own opinions, character and emotions. From the distant skies of autocracy, she saw the man below and turned him into the measure of her policy - an incredible somersault for Russian despotism
Soviet historiography added class cuffs to Catherine: she became a “cruel serfdom” and a despot. It got to the point that only Peter was allowed to stay among the “Great Ones,” and she was pointedly called “the Second.” The empress's undoubted victories, which brought Crimea, Novorossiya, Poland and part of Transcaucasia to Russia, were largely usurped by her military leaders, who, in the struggle for national interests, allegedly heroically overcame the machinations of the court.
However, the fact that in the public consciousness the personal life of the empress overshadowed her political activities indicates that her descendants were searching for psychological compensation. After all, Catherine violated one of the oldest social hierarchies - the superiority of men over women. Its stunning successes, and especially military ones, caused bewilderment, bordering on irritation, and needed some kind of “but”. Catherine gave reason for anger by the fact that, contrary to the existing order, she chose men for herself. The Empress refused to take for granted not only her nationality: she also tried to overcome the boundaries of her own gender, seizing typically male territory.
Manage passions
All her life, Catherine learned to cope with her feelings and ardent temperament. Long life in a foreign land, she taught her not to succumb to circumstances, to always remain calm and consistent in her actions. Later in her memoirs, the empress would write: “I came to Russia, a country completely unknown to me, not knowing what would happen ahead. Everyone looked at me with annoyance and even contempt: the daughter of a Prussian major general is going to be the Russian empress!” Nevertheless, Catherine’s main goal always remained the love of Russia, which, as she admitted, “is not a country, but the Universe.”
The ability to plan a day, not deviate from what is planned, not succumb to blues or laziness and at the same time treat your body rationally could be attributed to German upbringing. However, it seems that the reason for this behavior is deeper: Catherine subordinated her life to the ultimate task - to justify her own stay on the throne. Klyuchevsky noted that approval meant the same to Catherine as “applause for a debutant.” The desire for glory was for the empress a way to actually prove to the world the virtue of her intentions. Such life motivation certainly turned her into self-made.
The fact that in the public consciousness the personal life of the empress overshadowed her political activities indicates the search by her descendants for psychological compensation. After all, Catherine violated one of the oldest social hierarchies - the superiority of men over women
For the sake of the goal - to rule the country - Catherine without regrets overcame a lot of givens: her German origin, her religious affiliation, the notorious weakness of the female sex, and the monarchical principle of inheritance, which they dared to remind her almost to her face. In a word, Catherine decisively went beyond the limits of those constants that those around her tried to place her in, and with all her successes she proved that “happiness is not as blind as it is imagined.”
The thirst for knowledge and increasing experience did not kill the woman in her, in addition, until recent years Catherine continued to behave actively and energetically. Even in her youth, the future empress wrote in her diary: “You need to create yourself, your own character.” She coped with this task brilliantly, basing her life trajectory on knowledge, determination and self-control. She was often compared and continues to be compared with Peter I, but if he, in order to “Europeanize” the country, made violent changes to the Russian way of life, then she meekly finished what she started with her idol. One of his contemporaries figuratively described the essence of Catherine’s reign as follows: “Peter the Great created people in Russia, but Catherine II put souls into them.”
text Marina Kvash
Source tmnWoman #2/4 | autumn | 2014
CATHERINE II the Great (1729-96), Russian empress(since 1762). German Princess Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. Since 1744 - in Russia. Since 1745, the wife of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future emperor, whom she overthrew from the throne (1762), relying on the guard (G. G. and A. G. Orlovs and others). She reorganized the Senate (1763), secularized the lands (1763-64), and abolished the hetmanate in Ukraine (1764). She headed the Statutory Commission 1767-69. During her reign, the Peasants' War of 1773-75 took place. Issued an Institution for the management of the province in 1775, a Charter to the nobility in 1785 and a Charter to the cities in 1785. Under Catherine II, as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars of 1768-74, 1787-91, Russia finally gained a foothold in the Black Sea, the North was annexed. Black Sea region, Crimea, Kuban region. Accepted Vostochny under Russian citizenship. Georgia (1783). During the reign of Catherine II, the divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were carried out (1772, 1793, 1795). She corresponded with other figures of the French Enlightenment. Author of many fictional, dramatic, journalistic, popular science works, “Notes”.
EKATERINA II Alekseevna(nee Sophia Augusta Frederica, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst), Russian Empress (from 1762-96).
Origin, upbringing and education
Catherine, the daughter of Prince Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the Prussian service, and Princess Johanna Elisabeth (née Princess Holstein-Gottorp), was related to the royal houses of Sweden, Prussia and England. She was educated at home: she studied German and French, dance, music, the basics of history, geography, and theology. Already in childhood, her independent character, curiosity, perseverance, and at the same time a penchant for lively, active games were evident. In 1744, Catherine and her mother were summoned to Russia by the Empress, baptized according to Orthodox custom under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna and named the bride of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (future Emperor Peter III), whom she married in 1745.
Life in Russia before accession to the throne
Catherine set herself the goal of winning the favor of the empress, her husband and the Russian people. However, her personal life was unsuccessful: Peter was infantile, so during the first years of marriage there was no marital relationship between them. Having paid tribute have a fun life court, Catherine turned to reading French educators and works on history, jurisprudence and economics. These books shaped her worldview. Catherine became a consistent supporter of the ideas of the Enlightenment. She was also interested in the history, traditions and customs of Russia. In the early 1750s. Catherine began an affair with guards officer S.V. Saltykov, and in 1754 gave birth to a son, the future Emperor Paul I, but rumors that Saltykov was Paul’s father have no basis. In the second half of the 1750s. Catherine had an affair with the Polish diplomat S. Poniatowski (later King Stanislav Augustus), and in the early 1760s. with G. G. Orlov, from whom she gave birth to a son, Alexei, in 1762, who received the surname Bobrinsky. The deterioration of relations with her husband led to the fact that she began to fear for her fate if he came to power and began to recruit supporters at court. Catherine's ostentatious piety, her prudence, and sincere love for Russia - all this sharply contrasted with Peter's behavior and allowed her to gain authority both among the high society metropolitan society and the general population of St. Petersburg.
Accession to the throne
During the six months of Peter III's reign, Catherine's relationship with her husband (who openly appeared in the company of his mistress E.R. Vorontsova) continued to deteriorate, becoming clearly hostile. There was a threat of her arrest and possible deportation. Catherine carefully prepared the conspiracy, relying on the support of the Orlov brothers, N.I. Panin, E.R. Dashkova and others. On the night of June 28, 1762, when the emperor was in Oranienbaum, Catherine secretly arrived in St. Petersburg and was proclaimed in the barracks of the Izmailovsky regiment autocratic empress. Soon soldiers from other regiments joined the rebels. The news of Catherine's accession to the throne quickly spread throughout the city and was greeted with delight by St. Petersburg residents. To prevent the actions of the deposed emperor, messengers were sent to the army and to Kronstadt. Meanwhile, Peter, having learned about what had happened, began to send proposals for negotiations to Catherine, which were rejected. The Empress herself, at the head of the guards regiments, set out for St. Petersburg and on the way received Peter’s written abdication of the throne.
Character and mode of government
Catherine II was a subtle psychologist and an excellent judge of people; she skillfully selected assistants for herself, not being afraid of bright and talented people. That is why Catherine’s time was marked by the appearance of a whole galaxy of outstanding statesmen, generals, writers, artists, and musicians. In dealing with her subjects, Catherine was, as a rule, restrained, patient, and tactful. She was an excellent conversationalist and knew how to listen carefully to everyone. By her own admission, she did not have a creative mind, but she was good at catching every sensible thought and using it for her own purposes. During the entire reign of Catherine there were practically no noisy resignations, none of the nobles were disgraced, exiled, much less executed. Therefore, there was an idea of Catherine’s reign as the “golden age” of the Russian nobility. At the same time, Catherine was very vain and valued her power more than anything else in the world. In order to preserve it, she is ready to make any compromises to the detriment of her beliefs.
Attitude to religion and the peasant question
Catherine was distinguished by ostentatious piety, considered herself the head and protector of the Russian Orthodox Church and skillfully used religion in her political interests. Her faith, apparently, was not very deep. In the spirit of the times, she preached religious tolerance. Under her, the persecution of Old Believers was stopped, Catholic and Protestant churches and mosques were built, but the transition from Orthodoxy to another faith was still severely punished.
Catherine was a staunch opponent of serfdom, considering it inhumane and contrary to human nature itself. Her papers contain many harsh statements on this matter, as well as discussions about various options elimination of serfdom. However, she did not dare to do anything concrete in this area due to a well-founded fear of a noble rebellion and another coup. At the same time, Catherine was convinced of the spiritual underdevelopment of Russian peasants and therefore in the danger of granting them freedom, believing that the life of peasants under caring landowners was quite prosperous.
Russian Empress Catherine II the Great was born on May 2 (April 21, old style), 1729 in the city of Stettin in Prussia (now the city of Szczecin in Poland), died on November 17 (November 6, old style), 1796 in St. Petersburg (Russia). The reign of Catherine II lasted more than three and a half decades, from 1762 to 1796. It was filled with many events in internal and external affairs, the implementation of plans that continued what was done under. The period of her reign is often called the “golden age” of the Russian Empire.
By Catherine II's own admission, she did not have a creative mind, but she was good at catching every sensible thought and using it for her own purposes. She skillfully selected her assistants, not being afraid of bright and talented people. That is why Catherine’s time was marked by the appearance of a whole galaxy of outstanding statesmen, generals, writers, artists, and musicians. Among them are the great Russian commander, Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, satirist Denis Fonvizin, outstanding Russian poet, Pushkin's predecessor Gabriel Derzhavin, Russian historian-historiographer, writer, creator of "History of the Russian State" Nikolai Karamzin, writer, philosopher, poet Alexander Radishchev , outstanding Russian violinist and composer, founder of Russian violin culture Ivan Khandoshkin, conductor, teacher, violinist, singer, one of the creators of Russian national opera Vasily Pashkevich, composer of secular and church music, conductor, teacher Dmitry Bortyansky.
In her memoirs, Catherine II characterized the state of Russia at the beginning of her reign:
Finances were depleted. The army did not receive pay for 3 months. Trade was in decline, because many of its branches were given over to monopoly. Did not have correct system in the state economy. The War Department was plunged into debt; the sea barely held on, being in extreme neglect. The clergy was dissatisfied with the taking of lands from him. Justice was sold at auction, and laws were followed only in cases where they favored the powerful.
The Empress formulated the tasks facing the Russian monarch as follows:
“We need to educate the nation that is to be governed.”
— It is necessary to introduce good order in the state, support society and force it to comply with the laws.
— It is necessary to establish a good and accurate police force in the state.
— It is necessary to promote the flourishing of the state and make it abundant.
“We need to make the state formidable in itself and inspiring respect among its neighbors.”
Based on the assigned tasks, Catherine II carried out active reform activities. Her reforms affected almost all areas of life.
Convinced of the unsuitable management system, Catherine II carried out a Senate reform in 1763. The Senate was divided into 6 departments, losing its importance as a governing body state apparatus, and became the highest administrative and judicial institution.
Faced with financial difficulties, Catherine II in 1763-1764 carried out secularization (conversion into secular property) of church lands. 500 monasteries were abolished, and 1 million peasant souls were transferred to the treasury. Due to this, the state treasury was significantly replenished. This made it possible to ease the financial crisis in the country and pay off the army, which had not received a salary for a long time. The influence of the Church on the life of society has decreased significantly.
From the very beginning of her reign, Catherine II began to strive to achieve the internal structure of the state. She believed that injustices in the state could be eradicated with the help of good laws. And she decided to pass new legislation instead Cathedral Code Alexei Mikhailovich 1649, which would take into account the interests of all classes. For this purpose, the Statutory Commission was convened in 1767. 572 deputies represented the nobility, merchants, and Cossacks. Catherine tried to incorporate the ideas of Western European thinkers about a fair society into the new legislation. Having revised their works, she compiled the famous “Order of Empress Catherine” for the Commission. The "Mandate" consisted of 20 chapters, divided into 526 articles. It is about the need for strong autocratic power in Russia and the class structure of Russian society, about the rule of law, about the relationship between law and morality, about the dangers of torture and corporal punishment. The commission worked for more than two years, but its work was not crowned with success, since the nobility and the deputies themselves from other classes stood guard only for their rights and privileges.
In 1775, Catherine II made a clearer territorial division of the empire. The territory began to be divided into administrative units with a certain number of taxable (who paid taxes) population. The country was divided into 50 provinces with a population of 300-400 thousand each, the provinces into districts of 20-30 thousand inhabitants. The city was an independent administrative unit. Elective courts and “trial chambers” were introduced to deal with criminal and civil cases. Finally, “conscientious” courts for minors and the sick.
In 1785, the “Charter of Grant to Cities” was published. It determined the rights and responsibilities of the urban population and the management system in cities. Residents of the city elected a self-government body every 3 years - the General City Duma, the mayor and judges.
Since the time of Peter the Great, when all the nobility owed lifelong service to the state, and the peasantry the same service to the nobility, gradual changes have occurred. Catherine the Great, among other reforms, also wanted to bring harmony to the life of the classes. In 1785, the “Charter of Grant to the Nobility” was published, which was a code, a collection of noble privileges formalized by law. From now on, the nobility was sharply separated from other classes. The freedom of the nobility from paying taxes and from compulsory service was confirmed. Nobles could only be tried by a noble court. Only nobles had the right to own land and serfs. Catherine forbade the subjecting of nobles to corporal punishment. She believed that this would help the Russian nobility get rid of the servile mentality and acquire personal dignity.
These letters were ordered social structure Russian society, divided into five classes: nobility, clergy, merchants, philistines (" neuter gender people") and serfs.
As a result of the educational reform in Russia during the reign of Catherine II, a secondary education system was created. In Russia, closed schools, educational homes, institutes for girls, nobles, and townspeople were created, in which experienced teachers were involved in the education and upbringing of boys and girls. In the province, a network of people's non-class two-class schools was created in counties and four-class schools in provincial cities. A classroom lesson system was introduced in schools (uniform start and end dates for classes), methods for teaching disciplines and educational literature, unified educational plans. By the end of the 18th century in Russia there were 550 educational institutions with total number 60-70 thousand people.
Under Catherine, the systematic development of women's education began; in 1764, the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens and the Educational Society of Noble Maidens were opened. The Academy of Sciences has become one of the leading scientific bases in Europe. An observatory, a physics laboratory, an anatomical theater, Botanical Garden, tool workshops, printing house, library, archive. Founded in 1783 Russian Academy.
Under Catherine II, the population of Russia increased significantly, hundreds of new cities were built, the treasury increased fourfold, industry and Agriculture- Russia began to export bread for the first time.
Under her, paper money was introduced for the first time in Russia. On her initiative, the first smallpox vaccination was carried out in Russia (she herself set an example and became the first to be vaccinated).
Under Catherine II, as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars (1768-1774, 1787-1791), Russia finally gained a foothold in the Black Sea, and the lands called Novorossiya were annexed: the Northern Black Sea region, Crimea, and the Kuban region. Accepted Eastern Georgia under Russian citizenship (1783). During the reign of Catherine II, as a result of the so-called partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, 1795), Russia returned the Western Russian lands seized by the Poles.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources