-
Catherine is Born
-
Meeting her Cousin, the Heir of the Russian Throne.
Catherine meets her elven-year-old cousin ad future spouse, Peter. -
Religion
Catherine is introduced to the Lutheran Catholic church. -
Going to Russia
Catherine and her mother travel to Russia from Germany after being invited by Empress Elizabeth of Russia. The intent was to marry her to the heir Peter. Catherine assumes title Grand Duchess Catherine Alekseyevna. -
Religious Conversion
Catherine is converted to the Russian Orthodox faith -
Marriage
Catherine marries her cousin Karl Ulrich aka the grand duke Peter, heir to the Russian throne. -
Peter Plans Divorce
Empress Elizabeth dies and Peter takes the throne. Catherine is warned that Peter is planning on divorcing her now that he is Emperor. -
The Death of Her Not-So-Loved Husband
Catherine declares herself empress and autocrat on June 28th and Peter abdicates then is killed eight days later in suspicious circumstances. -
Solving the Issue of Poland
Catherine instates Stanisław Poniatowski as king of Poland. This is a personal event because Poniatowski was Catherine's former lover. He was devoted to her and this made his kingship valuable to her and also shows how she treated her personal connections. -
Period: to
Reform
During this time Catherine begins working on he reform-- a work that was far too liberal to b accepted during her time. She hoped to bring about change in Russia for the better but came to realize the flaw in her ideals. This time period shows the early mentality of the empress and how it changed later in he reign. -
Involvement with Grigory Potemkin
Experts suspect that Catherine married Grigory Potemkin this year in secret. Otherwise she was in love with him during this period. -
Catherine and Potemkin
Catherine's relationship with Grigory Potemkin came to an end but still held his position as minister and was treated as Catherine's equal up to his death. -
Period: to
Doubting the Heir
This isn't a specific event but is of note and happened somewhere near the end of her life. Catherine noticed the erratic nature of he son and heir, Paul, and considered disclaiming him and instead naming her grandson, Aleksandr, heir. She feared Paul would not handle the power well but she died before she could ever amend who would inherit her -
Death
Catherine dies at the age of 67 from a stroke and her rule is ended. Paul III, her son, succeeds her.
