Reign of Catherine the Great

Catherine II came to power in 1762 after the overthrow of her husband, Peter III, and ruled Russia until her death in 1796. Her reign enlarged the empire, strengthened Russia’s position in European affairs and promoted education, administration and cultural life under the influence of the Enlightenment.

Her government remained firmly autocratic. Catherine relied on the nobility and powerful favourites, faced the Pugachev Rebellion, expanded southward at Ottoman expense and participated in the partitions of Poland. The period combined imperial expansion and court culture with serfdom, social inequality and recurrent fears of revolt.