1. Catherine the Great Emily & Ryder

2. Biography Full Name: Sophie Friederike Auguste Birth: May 2, 1729 Death: November 17, 1796 (Apoplexy) Origins: Stettin, Prussia (Present day Szczecin, Poland) Area of Study: Political

3. Key Dates 1744 (Travelled to Russia), August 21st 1745 (Married into a royal Russian family), 1772 (Treaty that gave parts of Poland to Austria and Prussia), 1774 (Peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire) 1783 (Taking over the Crimea peninsula) 1787-1792 (Clashed with the Ottoman Empire again) November 1796 (Possible stroke: Found unconscious, died not long after)

4. Enlightened Ideas Major work: The Instruction (Laws) Favoured a creation of a society of free individuals acting according to law. Men should be considered equal before the law. Law should protect the populace, not oppress it and laws should only forbid acts that may be harmful to an individual or community. It disapproved torture, capital punishment and the perpetuation of serfdom. It also upheld the principle of Absolutism, where the political power was derived from the Autocrat, who was subject to no law.

5. Quotes & Analysis “You philosophers are lucky men. You write on paper and paper is patient. Unfortunate Empress that I am, I write on the susceptible skins of living beings.” -The Philosophes all wrote their ideas down on paper and in books. Catherine didn’t have that luxury, she went directly to the people. “I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his.” -She was the Autocrat with the power, she was the absolute ruler. “I shall reign or perish” -Either she rules and tries to change things, or she fails.

6. Viewed: Then and Now At the time, her reign was amazing, mostly because she was a female People like Voltaire praised her for her ideas in the Enlightenment so she was highly regarded Highly by the nobles of Russia Maybe not so much by the Serfs

7. Impact: Then and Now Schools for girls, nobles mostly, but girls being able to learn Russian laws had been changed slightly to change Russia from the top down. Punishments were much less severe The idea of a Tsarina of Russia Attempts of reform

8. http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ca-Ch/Catherine-the- Great.html http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ca-Ch/Catherine-the- Great.html http://www.biography.com/people/catherine-ii-9241622 http://www.britannica.com/event/Instruction-of-Catherine-the- Great http://www.britannica.com/event/Instruction-of-Catherine-the- Great