| History has a way of painting strong female rulers | | | | to education, as well as numerous works of |
| in a very colorful - and sometimes harsh - light. | | | | fiction, even stories for her grandchildren. |
| This rings especially true in the accounts of | | | | It cannot be said; however, that Catherine the |
| Catherine II of Russia, also known as Catherine | | | | Great was without notoriety. One of the most |
| the Great, an honor bestowed upon her after her | | | | famous (or infamous) aspects of her history is a |
| death of a stroke in November of 1796. Catherine | | | | rather impressive string of publically powerful |
| was named Empress of Russia in 1762 after her | | | | lovers. Some of her more notable romantic |
| husband, Tsar Peter III, was deposed in a notably | | | | interests, including Grigory Orlov and Grigory |
| non-violent coup by dissenters opposed to his | | | | Potemkin, were placed in strategic political |
| eccentric and seemingly non-sensical political | | | | positions, as she trusted them to work in the |
| policies. | | | | best interests of their Empress and their Empire. |
| Catherine ascended to the throne with a strong | | | | Some accounts inform us that she had |
| education and inspired ideas for the reformation | | | | near-insatiable appetites for young men, taking on |
| of the Russian empire. She commissioned the | | | | lovers well into her old age. Her excesses were |
| development and implementation of a complex | | | | not limited to the bedroom; however. |
| mapping system that would be used to help | | | | As the Russian economy improved as a result of |
| identify and better govern the massive area of | | | | her reforms, Catherine was known to spend |
| the continent she ruled. Catherine was also | | | | enormous sums of money on art, servants, |
| responsible for improving the presence of local | | | | palaces and jewelry. Examples of this can still be |
| government throughout Russia, in a movement | | | | seen today. A three strand pearl necklace with |
| that drastically increased the amount of revenue | | | | diamond clasps that is believed to have belonged |
| brought in through agriculture. She was also a | | | | to the Empress was sold at auction in 2009 for |
| strong supporter of the advancement of medical | | | | $600,000. It is also believed that she owned a |
| technology, and went so far as to volunteer for | | | | very rare strand of 30 black pearls, which would |
| one of the first small pox vaccines in history. | | | | have been considered a true treasure, as the |
| Catherine's desire to improve and reform her | | | | process of cultivating pearls had yet to be |
| empire did not stop with her political policies. She | | | | discovered. |
| sought constantly to improve her own education, | | | | Catherine the Great is considered one of the |
| and considered the voices of the Enlightenment | | | | most colorful and admirable leaders in history. She |
| some of the most worthy of her time. She | | | | expanded the borders of Russia, and encouraged |
| maintained a steady correspondence with the | | | | the development of science and medicine. She |
| French philosophers Diderot and Voltaire, viewing | | | | was responsible for the building of schools and the |
| them as scions of modern thought. She felt | | | | organization of several academic societies. While |
| passionately about art, literature and architecture. | | | | her personal life made her infamous, it is her |
| She was widely known as a constant reader, and | | | | contributions to her country that transformed |
| many of the cities still standing in Russia today | | | | Russia from a vast collection of disorganized |
| are a result of her own designs. She also became | | | | territories into an Empire. |
| an author in own right, writing a manual dedicated | | | | |