Catherine the great or Catherine II was born in Stettin Prussia or know called Szczecin, Poland May 2, 1729. She grew up as a minor German princes and her birth name was Sophie Friederike Auguste her mother name was Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein Gottorp and her father was Christian August prince of Anhalt-zerbst, she also had a brother Wilhelm Christian but he died at the age 12.
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'The Biography of Catherine The Great Or Catherine Ii'
Catherine´s mother spent a lot of her time with Wilhelm and didn't really have interested in Catherine, so Catherine was nurtured by her governess Babette. As she grew up with her mother came to see her more because of her brother´s death, and take her on trips to see if there was a possible suitor. Catherine´s perspective on marriage was that she would get away from her very overpowering mother. So at the age of fourteen, Catherine was chosen to be the wife of Karl Ulrich Duke of Holstein-gottorp, grandson of Peter the Great and heir to the throne of Russia.
In 1744 Catherine arrived in Russia and acquired the name grand duchess Catherine Alekseyevna, and married her younger cousin the following year. Her husband was extremely unstable, stubborn, very disobedient, and a fanatical worshiper of Frederick II of Prussia, the enemy of Empress Elisabeth the ruler of Russia at the time. Catherine´s marriage was a fail and the eighteen years were filled with disappointment and humiliation for her. So Elisabeth devoted a lot of pleasure and luxury and greatly desirous of giving her court the brilliance of a European court so Elisabeth prepared the way for Catherine to become the next ruler of Russia.
Catherine loved Russia and she was very intelligent which gained her much needed support. As Catherine was in court she was bored and humiliated, so she read a lot to prepare herself. Elisabeth died and Peter took her place, Catherine new peter was not capable of ruling Russia so Catherine planned on getting rid of Peter and Peter planned on getting rid of Catherine. Peter allied with Frederick II of Prussia, Peter didn't hid that he loved Germany and hated Russia, and by that time Catherine had gained support of the army, court, public, and the enlightened.
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On june 28th, 1762 catherine led the regiments to st.petersburg and had herself proclaimed as the empress. People assumed that peter was assassinated by someone that catherine had ordered just eight days after she became the empress but no one was sertan. As days went by catherine was above all a ruler and loved russia very much, she dedicated herself to making russia a successful and powerful state.
