One pattern that I’ve noticed throughout history is that, in general, the best leaders tend to be the ones that had to work for their power, not those who were born into it. One of the most interesting cases of this Catherine the Great of Russia. Catherine was born Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst, the oldest daughter of an impoverished and broke Prussian prince. She had high hopes for marriage, as a result of her mother’s ancestry. She was invited to Russia by the childless Czarina who was in search of a wife for her heir/nephew, Peter. Sophie made an impact on both Peter and the Czarina, and was married a year later, taking the name Catherine. Catherine was not considered particularly beautiful, but her charm, intelligence and ambition brought her respect from nearly everyone she met.
Catherine and Peter, however, had a very unhappy marriage. It’s theorized that none of her four children were fathered by Peter, Catherine was known for her many promiscuous escapades, often with much younger men. Within months of Peter coming to power in 1762, the military was unhappy with his rule, turning to the popular, ambitious, decisive and powerful Catherine to lead a coup. With the help of the military (which was largely led by her lover who was highly ranked), Catherine succeeded, although Peter was soon killed, casting a dark shadow over her rule.
Catherine’s rule was a tricky one, the immense wealth gap put her in a tricky position, where she could do little to help the impoverished lower class without greatly angering the upper class and putting her rule in jeopardy. Catherine did, however, attempt to make reforms and published many books and pamphlets that sought to address and improve the education system in Russia.
To the rest of Europe, Russia was often viewed to be an uncivilized and semi barbaric land, but Catherine was considered by many in Europe to be one of the most enlightened and classy rulers in Europe. She had extensive correspondence with prominent philosophers like Voltaire, designed the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, collected a vast array of art and even composed opera. She continued the efforts of another one of Russia’s “greats,” Peter the Great, by bringing in Western European fashion, technology, and military practices.
Catherine attempted to be ahead of her time, even drafting a constitution that sought to bring more equality to Russia. This was unfortunately shot down by the powerful upper class, which she could do little about since they could quickly end her rule. Like many other Russian monarchs that were ahead of her time, she found herself incapable of doing much to help the oppressed lower classes.
Her ability to maintain her rule was quite impressive. She was disadvantaged by the fact that she was a woman without a husband, but she was surprisingly good at using her romantic partners to her advantage, placing them in positions of power. She also proved to be an excellent military leader, creating new alliances, ending foreign conflicts and expanding Russian territory. She even attempted to remove her son from being an heir, since she viewed him as too weak. Catherine died in 1793, ruling for 34 years, the longest rule of a Russian Czarina. Catherine’s legacy is one of a woman with incredible ambition that defied the circumstances she was born in. She replaced her husband, ruled a country that wasn’t her own, garnering respect and admiration from an extremely patriarchal society, didn’t conform to gender stereotypes and was one of the most intellectual monarchs of her time.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Catherine-the-Great
https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-didnt-know-about-catherine-the-great
https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-didnt-know-about-catherine-the-great
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This is so interesting! I have conflicting views about her character, but her leadership was clearly very successful and impressive. It is cool to learn about the leaders who have to rely on intellect and political prowess to succeed rather than inherited success. Thank you for sharing her story!
Wow reading this I could not help but feel inspired by Catherine the Great! She really showed everyone that she was going to do what she wanted despite so much going against her!