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12 Amazing Facts About Catherine the Great
BY MARK MANCINI APRIL 18, 2019
By Vigilius Eriksen, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
BY VIGILIUS ERIKSEN, PUBLIC DOMAIN, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Catherine the Great moved to a foreign land as a teenager and became one of the most important leaders in its history. During her 34-year reign, she transformed Russia's culture while expanding its borders. Here's what you need to know about the unlikely ruler, who is the subject of not one, but two series coming soon: HBO's Catherine the Great, due in 2019, and Hulu's The Great, slated for 2020.
CATHERINE THE GREAT'S NAME WASN'T CATHERINE.
The woman who would become Catherine the Great was born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst on April 21, 1729 (Julian Calendar) in Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland). She was the daughter of Christian August, a minor German prince and general in the Prussian army, and Princess Johanna Elisabeth, who had connections to the Russian royal family.
