Catherine the Great

Catherine Alexeyevna clearly did not have good fortune with the assessment of her reign in either pre-revolutionary or, even more so, in Soviet historiography. Even during her rule, contemporaries noted many dark spots that overshadowed in their eyes the positive aspects associated with her name. First, she was a pure-blooded German, and apparently, national pride did not allow an objective evaluation of her reign. Second, and this is perhaps even more important, she had no rights to the throne and usurped the crown from her own husband. Third, on her conscience, if not directly, then indirectly, lies the stamp of responsibility for the death not only of her husband, Peter III, but also of the deposed emperor John VI Antonovich, who was overthrown by her predecessor. Finally, the morality of the empress did not evoke admiration either from her contemporaries or from historians.
Nevertheless, Catherine's reign is primarily associated with the merits and achievements that allow her to be elevated to the ranks of outstanding statesmen of pre-revolutionary Russia and place her name alongside that of Peter the Great.
The project "Gatherers of the Russian Land" is being implemented by the Russian Military Historical Society with the support of the "United Russia" party.
Scientific preface by Doctor of Historical Sciences T.V. Chernikova.
3rd edition, revised and supplemented.