![]() ![]() The woman whom history would remember as Catherine the Great, Russia’s longest-ruling female leader, was actually the eldest daughter of an impoverished Prussian prince. Catherine the Great’s name wasn’t Catherine, and she wasn’t even Russian. ![]() Here are eight lesser-known facts about the indomitable Russian empress: 1. Heavily influenced by the Enlightenment, Catherine also championed education and the arts. Historians credit her with expanding Russian borders to include strategic economic seaports and with Westernizing the country both politically and economically. ![]() During Catherine's 34-year reign, she left behind a legacy of progress and modernization-and a long string of palace lovers. When Catherine the Great pushed aside her husband to become Russia's ruling empress in 1762, much of Europe viewed the nation as a feudal, backward behemoth. ![]()
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