Catherine the Great

Cultural  

1. An empress of Russia in the late eighteenth century who encouraged the cultural influences of western Europe in Russia and extended Russian territory toward the Black Sea. She is also known for her amorous intrigues, including affairs with members of her government.

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Catherine the Great

Thousands of Germans, displaced by the end of the Seven Years’ War and facing starvation, had accepted an invitation from Russia’s German-born ruler, Catherine the Great, to settle in the Russian Empire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Crimea was first annexed by Tsarist Russia under Catherine the Great in 1783 and largely remained part of Russia until Khrushchev's decision.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2025

She credits much of her fearlessness as a performer to her time spent on the Hulu series “The Great,” on which she played a fictionalized version of Russian empress Catherine the Great.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024

If he finishes the term, he will become the longest-serving Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the 1700s.

From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2024

Catherine the Great, in her colloquies with the nervous and hesitating Diderot, used to say, "Proceed; between men all is allowable."

From Painted Windows Studies in Religious Personality by Begbie, Harold