Catherine the Great of Russia

She had no idea what a fantastic legacy of enlightenment she left She was assertive woman who took no guff from any mortals. Her self-confidence was well known; she was feared by men. She gladly overthrew her husband and her cousin to get power Perhaps she sensed she would only live to the age of sixty-seven. But she decided she had a lot of work to do. She hired artists and poets. Surrounded herself with sculptors, dancers, singers and, orators. She uplifted women in a variety of ways, bringing them out of their darkness. She created Smolny Institute, the first college for women in Europe. She wanted the others to get ahead like she had when she became Empress. Catherine earned her name; she surrounded herself with free thinkers. Her coup d’état paid off; Russia became alive with culture and new ideas. Catherine was a nurturer, a mother, soon known as Catherine the Great. Almost four hundred years ago, and yet we recognize her term as golden. Still to this day, we call her reign “the Golden age of Russia”. A versatile, liberal minded woman who traded her wifehood for power.