NOBLEMAN

Catherine the Great

1729 - 1796

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Catherine II (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe. In her accession to power and her rule of the empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev, and admirals such as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Catherine the Great is the 9th most popular nobleman (down from 3rd in 2019), the 6th most popular biography from Poland and the most popular Polish Nobleman.

Catherine the Great was most famous for her contributions to the arts, including the establishment of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Hermitage Museum. She also expanded the borders of Russia, made it a world power, and was the first woman to rule Russia.

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Among NOBLEMEN

Among noblemen, Catherine the Great ranks 9 out of 1,415. Before her are Elizabeth II, Edward VII, Lady Jane Grey, Marie Antoinette, Margrethe II of Denmark, and Ramesses II. After her are Juan Carlos I of Spain, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Albert, Prince Consort, Ragnar Lodbrok, Rollo, and Akihito.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1729, Catherine the Great ranks 1. After her are Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Louis, Dauphin of France, Edmund Burke, Moses Mendelssohn, Lazzaro Spallanzani, Louis Antoine de Bougainville, Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain, Antonio Soler, Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg, and Johann Daniel Titius. Among people deceased in 1796, Catherine the Great ranks 1. After her are Thomas Reid, Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, Robert Burns, Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, James Macpherson, Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, Samuel Huntington, Pyotr Rumyantsev, Charles of Saxony, Duke of Courland, and Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois.

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In Poland

Among people born in Poland, Catherine the Great ranks 6 out of 1,694. Before her are Marie Curie (1867), Nicolaus Copernicus (1473), Pope John Paul II (1920), Frédéric Chopin (1810), and Arthur Schopenhauer (1788). After her are Rosa Luxemburg (1871), Albert A. Michelson (1852), Lech Wałęsa (1943), Maria Goeppert Mayer (1906), L. L. Zamenhof (1859), and Paul von Hindenburg (1847).

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Among NOBLEMEN In Poland

Among noblemen born in Poland, Catherine the Great ranks 1. After her are Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (1761), Julia, Princess of Battenberg (1825), Cymburgis of Masovia (1394), Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg (1797), Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1863), Anna Catherine Constance Vasa (1619), Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1755), Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile (1140), Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste Sofie of Neuburg (1693), Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania (1318), and Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania (1454).

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