Catherine II, portrait of Fyodor Rokotov.
Catherine II the Great (1729-1796) - Russian empress, wife of Peter III, jointly responsible for the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She was born in Szczecin as Zofia Augusta. She was the daughter of a Prussian general from the Anhalt-Zerbst family. She was chosen by Tsarina Elisabeth Piotrowna as the consort of the Russian heir to the throne, Peter. Sophia came to Russia in 1744 and was re-baptized in the Orthodox Church, receiving the name Catherine on it.
Her wedding took place in 1745, and she became a tsarina in February 1762 when Peter took the throne from the late Elizabeth. Less than six months later, Katarzyna led the palace coup d'état, which led to the removal from power and the murder of Piotr. From then on it ruled on its own.
Remembered as an outstanding and at the same time ruthless ruler who significantly expanded the borders of the state (including the territories seized by the Polish Republic and the lands on the Black Sea, conquered in Turkey). In 1764, she established her lover, Stanisław Poniatowski, on the Polish throne. She took part in all three partitions of Poland; it also suppressed the Kościuszko Uprising.
The cause of her death was most likely a stroke
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