catherine the great cause of death
Catherine completed the conquest of the south, making Russia the dominant power in the Balkans after the Russo-Turkish War of 17681774. 1772-04-06 Catherine the Great Empress of Russia, ends tax on men with beards, enacted by Tsar . She had the government collect and publish vital statistics. [43], In the Far East, Russians became active in fur trapping in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands. This rumor was widely circulated by satirical British and French publications at the time of her death. The serfs probably followed someone who was pretending to be the true empress because of their feelings of disconnection to Catherine and her policies empowering the nobles, but this was not the first time they followed a pretender under Catherine's reign. Many cities and towns were founded on Catherine's orders in the newly conquered lands, most notably Odessa, Yekaterinoslav (to-day known as Dnipro), Kherson, Nikolayev, and Sevastopol. [131], Catherine's life and reign included many personal successes, but they ended in two failures. The commission had to consider the needs of the Russian Empire and the means of satisfying them. In the first partition, 1772, the three powers split 52,000km2 (20,000sqmi) among them. The positions on the Assembly were appointed and paid for by Catherine and her government as a way of regulating religious affairs. Gavrila Derzhavin, Denis Fonvizin and Ippolit Bogdanovich laid the groundwork for the great writers of the 19th century, especially for Alexander Pushkin. When Sophie's situation looked desperate, her mother wanted her confessed by a Lutheran pastor. Catherine waged a new war against Persia in 1796 after they, under the new king Agha Mohammad Khan, had again invaded Georgia and established rule in 1795 and had expelled the newly established Russian garrisons in the Caucasus. Her reign was called Russia . [73] Between 1762 and 1766, she had built the "Chinese Palace" at Oranienbaum which reflected the chinoiserie style of architecture and gardening. He later became the de facto absolute ruler of New Russia, governing its colonisation. [57] Although she did not want to communicate directly with the serfs, she did create some measures to improve their conditions as a class and reduce the size of the institution of serfdom. M. B. W. Trent, "Catherine the Great Invites Euler to Return to St. [106], Russia often treated Judaism as a separate entity, where Jews were maintained with a separate legal and bureaucratic system. Catherine channels her anger over her mother's death into handling the border conflict with the Ottomans. Upon Potemkins death in 1791, Catherine reportedly spent days overwhelmed by tears and despair., In her later years, Catherine became involved with a number of significantly younger loversa fact her critics were quick to latch onto despite the countless male monarchs who did the same without attracting their subjects ire. In 1774, a disillusioned military officer named Yemelyan Pugachev capitalized on the unrest fomented by Russias ongoing fight with Turkey to lead hundreds of thousands into rebellion. Paul I of Russia was the son and successor of Catherine the Great, who took the Romanov throne away from her feeble-minded husband, Tsar Peter III, and had him killed in 1762, an event which ever afterwards preyed on the mind of their son, then a boy of eight. Her eyes were soft and sensitive, her nose quite Greek, her colour high and her features expressive. They submitted recommendations for the establishment of a general system of education for all Russian orthodox subjects from the age of 5 to 18, excluding serfs. [31], Catherine agreed to a commercial treaty with Great Britain in 1766, but stopped short of a full military alliance. Bored with her husband, Catherine became an avid reader of books, mostly in French. Catherine began issuing codes to address some of the modernisation trends suggested in her Nakaz. The answer is misogyny. Grigory Orlov, the grandson of a rebel in the Streltsy Uprising (1698) against Peter the Great, distinguished himself in the Battle of Zorndorf (25 August 1758), receiving three wounds. One claimed that she died on her toilet seat, which broke under her. Th, The 8 weirdest British monarch deaths in history, Historys greatest love affair: Catherine the Great and Grigory Potemkin, Catherine the Great and the coup that made her Empress, Josephine Baker: The iconic performer turned WWII hero. The Russian troops set out from Kizlyar in April 1796 and stormed the key fortress of Derbent on 10 May. [8] The young Sophie received the standard education for an 18th-century German princess, with a concentration upon learning the etiquette expected of a lady, French, and Lutheran theology. [99], Despite these efforts, later historians of the 19th century were generally critical. She did this because she did not want to be bothered by the peasantry, but did not want to give them reason to revolt. Ruler of Russia from 1762 to 1796, Catherine championed Enlightenment ideals, expanded her empires borders, spearheaded judicial and administrative reforms, dabbled in vaccination, curated a vast art collection that formed the foundation of one of the worlds greatest museums, exchanged correspondence with such philosophers as Voltaire and Dennis Diderot, penned operas and childrens fairy tales, founded the countrys first state-funded school for women, drafted her own legal code, and promoted a national system of education. Catherines contributions to Russias cultural landscape were far more successful than her failed socioeconomic reforms. [45] The Dzungar genocide which was committed by the Qing state had led many Dzungars to seek sanctuary in the Russian Empire, and it was also one of the reasons for the abrogation of the Treaty of Kyakhta. Mourning dress is to be worn for six months, and no longer: the shorter the better. [78] For information about particular nations that interested her, she read Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville's Memoirs de Chine to learn about the vast and wealthy Chinese empire that bordered her empire; Franois Baron de Tott's Memoires de les Turcs et les Tartares for information about the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean khanate; the books of Frederick the Great praising himself to learn about Frederick just as much as to learn about Prussia; and the pamphlets of Benjamin Franklin denouncing the British Crown to understand the reasons behind the American Revolution. At first, the institute only admitted young girls of the noble elite, but eventually it began to admit girls of the petit-bourgeoisie as well. [89] In 1764, she sent for Dumaresq to come to Russia and then appointed him to the educational commission. ", [Kazimir Valishevsky. She fell into a coma and died the next day whilst lying in her bed. She acted as mediator in the War of the Bavarian Succession (17781779) between the German states of Prussia and Austria. [128], Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, the British ambassador to Russia, offered Stanislaus Poniatowski a place in the embassy in return for gaining Catherine as an ally. Non-Russian opinion of Catherine is less favourable. The choice of Princess Sophie as wife of the future tsar was one result of the Lopukhina affair in which Count Jean Armand de Lestocq and King Frederick the Great of Prussia took an active part. The newlyweds settled in the palace of Oranienbaum, which remained the residence of the "young court" for many years. [153], Empress Catherine's correspondence with Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Wrttemberg, (the father of Catherine's daughter-in-law Maria Feodorovna) written between 1768 and 1795, is preserved in the State Archive of Stuttgart (Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart) in Stuttgart, Germany.[154]. Russia got territories east of the line connecting, more or less, RigaPolotskMogilev. He lauded her accomplishments, calling her "The Star of the North" and the "Semiramis of Russia" (in reference to the legendary Queen of Babylon, a subject on which he published a tragedy in 1768). Peter III's temperament became quite unbearable for those who resided in the palace. She acquired his collection of books from his heirs, and placed them in the National Library of Russia. That same morning, two of the Orlov brothers arrested Peter and forced him to sign a statement of abdication. She called together at Moscow a Grand Commission almost a consultative parliament composed of 652 members of all classes (officials, nobles, burghers, and peasants) and of various nationalities. Catherine wanted to become an empress herself and did not want another heir to the throne; however, Empress Elizabeth blackmailed Peter and Catherine to produce this heir. The objective was to strengthen the friendship between Prussia and Russia, to weaken the influence of Austria, and to overthrow the chancellor Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin, a known partisan of the Austrian alliance on whom Russian Empress Elizabeth relied. [107] Judaism was a small, if not non-existent, religion in Russia until 1772. Cause of Death: Stroke. [49], Catherine imposed a comprehensive system of state regulation of merchants' activities. In 1767, Catherine decreed that after seven years in one rank, civil servants automatically would be promoted regardless of office or merit. All Rights Reserved. Catherine was a patron of the arts, literature, and education. Converted Jews could gain permission to enter the merchant class and farm as free peasants under Russian rule. Letters exchanged by the couple testify to the ardent nature of their relationship: In one missive, Catherine declared, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, you are so handsome, clever, jovial and funny; when I am with you I attach no importance to the world. Throughout the season, war has been brewing between the two empires, and so far things. In one portrait, hes managed to just somehow portray both sides of this compelling leader., Meilan Solly Only 400,000 roubles of church wealth were paid back. Is there any truth to this infamous story of bestiality? In many ways, the Orthodox Church fared no better than its foreign counterparts during the reign of Catherine. Catherine led a successful bloodless coup and put herself on the throne in his stead. In 1757, Poniatowski served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War, thus severing close relationships with Catherine. Catherine did turn Russia into a global great power not only a European one but with quite a different reputation from what she initially had planned as an honest policy. It's unclear if the murder was ordered by Catherine the Great, or carried out without her consent. Catherine recalled in her memoirs her optimistic and resolute mood before her accession to the throne: I used to say to myself that happiness and misery depend on ourselves. She credited her survival to frequent bloodletting; in a single day, she had four phlebotomies. Catherineflanked by Orlov and her growing cadre of supportersarrived at the Winter Palace to make her official debut as Catherine II, sole ruler of Russia. A ball was given at the imperial court on 11 September when the engagement was supposed to be announced. This enormous collection ultimately formed the basis of the Hermitage Museum. B. Catherine the Great's Foreign Policy Reconsidered. For example, serfs could apply to be freed if they were under illegal ownership, and non-nobles were not allowed to own serfs. Always in search of romantic intimacy, she once admitted, The trouble is that my heart is loath to remain even one hour without love.. She had the book burned and the author exiled to Siberia. Catherine the Great died in 1796 at the age of 67 and was buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. ]]> In the painting, she presents her public persona, standing in front of a mirror while draped in an ornate gown and serene smile. Grigory Orlov and his other three brothers found themselves rewarded with titles, money, swords, and other gifts, but Catherine did not marry Grigory, who proved inept at politics and useless when asked for advice. Legend has it Catherine was intimately involved with one of her prized stallions, with who she often spent a great deal of unsupervised time with. The next day, she left the palace and departed for the Ismailovsky Regiment, where she delivered a speech asking the soldiers to protect her from her husband. [58] Some serfs were able to use their new status to their advantage. Sophie had turned 16. Catherine the Great actually expired alone and of natural causes. Death date: 0 January, 1975, Wednesday This memorial website was created in memory of Catherine Person, 49, born on October 2, 1925 and passed away on January 0, 1975. Upon arriving in St. Petersburg in 1744, Sophie converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, adopted a Russian name and began learning to speak the language. Called the Nakaz, or Instruction, the 1767 document outlined the empress vision of a progressive Russian nation, even touching on the heady issue of abolishing serfdom. This was one of the chief reasons behind rebellions, including Pugachev's Rebellion of Cossacks, nomads, peoples of the Volga, and peasants. On the morning of 5 November 1796 . She lost the large territories of the Russian protectorate of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania and left its territories to Prussia and Austria. The most famous of these rumors is that she died after having sex with her horse. The pair met on the day of Catherines 1762 coup but only became lovers in 1774. At the time, it was widely assumed that Catherine was behind this, but historians aren't so sure."The circumstances and cause of death, and the intentions and degree of responsibility of those . This raised her in the empress's esteem. Several bank branches were afterwards established in other towns, called government towns. The peasants were discontented because of many other factors as well, including crop failure, and epidemics, especially a major epidemic in 1771. [46], Nicholas I, her grandson, evaluated the foreign policy of Catherine the Great as a dishonest one. Writing for History Extra, Hartley describes Catherines Russia as an undoubtedly aggressive nation that clashed with the Ottomans, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania and the Crimea in pursuit of additional territory for an already vast empire. Catherine believed education could change the hearts and minds of the Russian people and turn them away from backwardness. [87], Catherine appointed Ivan Betskoy as her advisor on educational matters. Teplov, T. von Klingstedt, F.G. Dilthey, and the historian G. Muller. [73] In 1779, she hired the Scottish architect Charles Cameron to build the Chinese Village at Tsarskoye Selo (modern Pushkin, Saint Petersburg). [102], In 1762, to help mend the rift between the Orthodox church and a sect that called themselves the Old Believers, Catherine passed an act that allowed Old Believers to practise their faith openly without interference. Catherine the Great was worried that her son, Paul, was not emotionally fit to rule so she planned to replace him with his son, Alexander, as her heir. The life of a serf belonged to the state. [91] This work emphasised the fostering of the creation of a 'new kind of people' raised in isolation from the damaging influence of a backward Russian environment. She read widely and corresponded with many of the prominent thinkers of the era, including Voltaire and Diderot. The crown contains 75 pearls and 4,936 Indian diamonds forming laurel and oak leaves, the symbols of power and strength, and is surmounted by a 398.62-carat ruby spinel that previously belonged to the Empress Elizabeth, and a diamond cross. Catherine was worried that Potemkin's poor health would delay his important work in colonising and developing the south as he had planned. Those who opposed her were men. In the Treaty of Georgievsk (1783), Russia agreed to protect Georgia against any new invasion and further political aspirations of their Persian suzerains. Declaring, Didnt I tell you she was capable of anything? Peter proceeded to weep and drink and dither.. After this, Catherine carried on sexual liaisons over the years with many men, including Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov (17341783), Alexander Vasilchikov, Grigory Potemkin, Ivan Rimsky-Korsakov, and others. The rebellion ultimately failed and in fact backfired as Catherine was pushed away from the idea of serf liberation following the violent uprising. Hulu's new series, The Great, follows Catherine the Great and her husband Peter III of Russia, who died under mysterious circumstances after his brief ascent to . [11] Despite Joanna's interference, Empress Elizabeth took a strong liking to Sophie, and Sophie and Peter eventually married in 1745. Though not stupid, he was totally lacking in common sense, argues Isabel de Madariaga in Catherine the Great: A Short History. Catherine gave away 66,000 serfs from 1762 to 1772, 202,000 from 1773 to 1793, and 100,000 in one day: 18 August 1795. In 1772, Catherine wrote to Potemkin. Catherine's main interests were in education and culture. ", Madame Vige Le Brun also describes the empress at a gala:[85]. [54], According to a census taken from 1754 to 1762, Catherine owned 500,000 serfs. Although she mastered the language, she retained an accent. Obviously he never wanted to take part in the death of Catherine, because she was the perfect woman to him. Under her leadership, she completed what Peter III had started. Though the young Prussian princess had been imported to .