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, Soviet historiography. Even during her rule, contemporaries noted many dark spots that overshadowed the positive aspects associated with her name. Firstly, she was a pure-bred German, and, apparently, national pride did not allow for an objective assessment of her reign. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, she had no rights to the throne and usurped the crown from her own husband. Thirdly, she bears, if not directly, then indirectly, the stamp of responsibility for the death of not only her husband, Peter III, but also the deposed emperor John VI Antonovich, who had been overthrown by her predecessor. Finally, the empress's morality did not inspire admiration among contemporaries or historians.

Yet, Catherine's reign is primarily associated with virtues and achievements that allow her to be ranked among the outstanding statesmen of pre-revolutionary Russia and place her name alongside that of Peter the Great.