Catherine the Great

Catherine II (1729-1796), known as Catherine the Great, was Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796, the country's longest-ruling female leader. Born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst in Prussia, she came to Russia at 15 to marry the future Peter III.

When Peter III proved an inept ruler, Catherine overthrew him in a coup d'état in 1762 with the support of the military (Peter died shortly after under mysterious circumstances). She proved to be a far more capable ruler than anyone expected.

Catherine was a voracious reader and correspondent of the Enlightenment philosophers Voltaire, Diderot, and d'Alembert. She modernized Russia along Enlightenment lines: reforming provincial administration, championing education (including women's education), founding the Hermitage Museum, and codifying Russian law.

Under her rule, Russia expanded dramatically: annexing Crimea, partitioning Poland, and extending the empire to the Black Sea. She transformed Russia from a peripheral European state into a major global power.

Her personal life was as remarkable as her political career. She had numerous lovers (many of whom she placed in positions of power), was a prolific writer, and maintained an iron grip on power for 34 years in one of Europe's most treacherous courts.