IS CATHERINE REALLY PREGNANT AT THE END OF THE GREAT? At the end of The Great, the only thing that seemingly saves Catherine from execution is the revelation that she is pregnant with Peter’s child.

Alexei Orlov

Catherine plots to kill Peter on The Great and believe it or not, Catherine the Great did stage a coup d’etat in Russia. They arrested him, forced him to abdicate, and he died shortly after. Catherine then put on a soldier’s uniform and declared herself victorious, which is extremely badass.

Catherine II, called Catherine the Great, reigned over Russia for 34 years—longer than any other female in Russian history. As empress, Catherine westernized Russia. She led her country into full participation in the political and cultural life of Europe.

The Pugachev Rebellion of 1774-1775 gained huge support in Russia’s western territories until it was extinguished by the Russian army. Catherine realised her heavy reliance on the nobility to control the country and instigated a series of reforms giving them greater control over their land and serfs.

Gregory Orlov

As she grew older, Catherine became greatly troubled because her heir, Paul, was becoming mentally unstable and she doubted his ability to rule. She considered naming Paul’s oldest son, Alexander, as her successor. Before she was able to alter her original arrangement, however, she died of a stroke on November 6, 1796.

Like most monarchs of this time, Catherine did not treat peasants nice at all. She was unfair to them. Peasants were forced into serfdom under her rule and had no rights.

4: Catherine’s Domestic Policies. Catherine the Great enthusiastically supported the ideals of the Enlightenment, thus earning the status of an enlightened despot, although her reforms benefited a small number of her subjects and did not change the oppressive system of Russian serfdom.

Catherine II (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was empress regnant of All Russia from 1762 until 1796 – the country’s longest-ruling female leader. She came to power following a coup d’état that overthrew her husband and second cousin, Peter III.

Catherine could not remarry after the death of her husband, as it would jeopardize her position, and she had to appear chaste to the public. According to most accounts, Catherine had around 12 lovers during her life.

Desperately unhappy in their married lives, Peter and Catherine both began extramarital affairs, she with Sergei Saltykov, a Russian military officer. When Catherine gave birth to a son, Paul, in 1754, gossips murmured that Saltykov—not Peter—had fathered him.

Catherine, in her memoirs, described Peter as an “idiot”, “drunkard from Holstein”, “good-for-nothing” and much more. Their marriage was a loveless one, and Catherine did not receive any affection or romance, in fact, they failed to consummate their marriage until 1754, nearly ten years after they got married!

On 26 June (O.S.), Alexei died in the Peter and Paul fortress in Saint Petersburg, two days after the senate had condemned him to death for conspiring rebellion against his father, and for hoping for the cooperation of the common people and the armed intervention of his brother-in-law, the emperor.

Peter was regarded by some as inept, and after only six months on the throne, Catherine overthrew him with the aid of Grigory Orlov, a military officer with whom she was having an affair. Her husband was later arrested and killed, securing her position on the throne.

Peter was exiled to Ropsha, 30 miles outside of St. Petersburg. Eight days later, he was dead. The official report concluded that he had died from severe hemorrhoids and an apoplexy stroke.

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