Catherine the Great was born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst in the Prussian port of Stettin, now Szczecin in Poland.

1729 · 1762 · apart: 33 years

She came to Russia at 15 and went on to rule it for 34 years.

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The event

• Accession of Catherine the Great1762 · Saint Petersburg. In July 1762 the guards overthrew Emperor Peter III and placed his wife Catherine on the throne. During her 34-year reign Russia expanded south and west, and reforms were pursued in the spirit of the Enlightenment.

18th century

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