Catherine The Second as Femida

Catherine II of Russia, also known as Catherine the Great (21 April 1729 – 6 November 1796), was the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia, reigning from 1762 until her death in 1796 at the age of 67. Born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, she came to power following a coup d'état when her husband, Peter III, was assassinated. Russia was revitalised under her reign, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognised as one of the great powers of Europe. In both her accession to power and in rule of her empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev, and admirals such as Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was crushed following victories over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish wars, and Russia colonised the vast territories of Novorossiya along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, king Stanisław August Poniatowski, was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russia started to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America. Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas, and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to increased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief reasons behind several rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev's Rebellion of cossacks and peasants. The period of Catherine the Great's rule, the Catherinian Era, is often considered the Golden Age of the Russian Empire and the Russian nobility. The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country. She enthusiastically supported the ideals of The Enlightenment, thus earning the status of an enlightened despot. As a patron of the arts she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, when the Smolny Institute, a period when the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe was established.俄罗斯的叶卡捷琳娜二世（Catherine II of Russia），亦称叶卡捷琳娜大帝（Catherine the Great）（1729年4月21日—1796年11月6日），是俄国历史上最负盛名且执政时间最长的女性统治者，其统治时期自1762年起直至1796年逝世，享年67岁。她出生于普鲁士（Prussia）波美拉尼亚（Pomerania）的斯特廷（Stettin），原名为索菲·弗里德里克·奥古斯特·冯·安哈尔特-采尔布斯特-多恩堡（Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg），在丈夫彼得三世（Peter III）遇刺后，通过政变（coup d'état）上台掌权。在其统治期间，俄国迎来复兴，疆域较以往更为广袤，国力也愈发强盛，成为欧洲公认的列强之一。 无论是掌权登基还是治理帝国，叶卡捷琳娜时常倚重其贵族宠臣，其中尤以格里高利·奥尔洛夫（Grigory Orlov）与格里高利·波将金（Grigory Potemkin）最为突出。在亚历山大·苏沃洛夫（Alexander Suvorov）、彼得·鲁缅采夫（Pyotr Rumyantsev）等功勋卓著的将领，以及费奥多尔·乌沙科夫（Fyodor Ushakov）等海军将领的辅佐下，她执政的时代正值俄罗斯帝国通过征服与外交手段快速扩张的时期。在南部，俄军在俄土战争（Russo-Turkish wars）中击败奥斯曼帝国（Ottoman Empire）后，击溃了克里米亚汗国（Crimean Khanate），俄国还沿黑海（Black Sea）与亚速海（Azov Seas）沿岸拓殖了广袤的新俄罗斯（Novorossiya）领地。在西部，由叶卡捷琳娜昔日情人、国王斯坦尼斯瓦夫·奥古斯特·波尼亚托夫斯基（Stanisław August Poniatowski）统治的波兰-立陶宛联邦（Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth）最终遭到瓜分，俄罗斯帝国获得了最大份额。在东部，俄国推动了对阿拉斯加（Alaska）的殖民活动，建立了俄属美洲（Russian America）殖民地。 叶卡捷琳娜对俄国的省（guberniyas）级行政管理制度进行了改革，并依照其诏令兴建了诸多新城镇。作为彼得大帝（Peter the Great）的仰慕者，叶卡捷琳娜延续了沿西欧路径实现俄国现代化的进程。然而，军事征兵（military conscription）与经济发展仍依赖农奴制（serfdom），国家与私人地主的需求日益增长，导致对农奴的剥削程度不断加深，这也是包括哥萨克（cossacks）与农民参与的大规模普加乔夫起义（Pugachev's Rebellion）在内的多次叛乱的主要诱因之一。 叶卡捷琳娜大帝的统治时期即叶卡捷琳娜时代（Catherinian Era），常被视为俄罗斯帝国（Russian Empire）与俄国贵族阶层的黄金时代。《贵族自由宣言》（Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility）最初在彼得三世短暂的统治期间颁布，后经叶卡捷琳娜确认，该宣言将俄国贵族从强制兵役与国家公职中解放出来。依照女皇推崇的古典风格（classical style）兴建的大批贵族宅邸，重塑了俄国的城市风貌。她热忱支持启蒙运动（The Enlightenment）的理念，因此获得了开明专制君主（enlightened despot）的称号。作为艺术的赞助人，她主导了俄罗斯启蒙时代（Russian Enlightenment），其间欧洲首个国家资助的女子高等教育机构（first state-financed higher education institution for women）——斯莫尔尼学院（Smolny Institute）得以创立。