Catherine the Great
We heard of King Henry the 8th of England who hated a few of his wives but what about a queen who hated her husband? Well, history has the
answer. The queen was Catherine the Great and she was empress of Russia who convinced the royal soldiers with a rousing speech to get on her side
in which they did and Tsar Peter the Third (her mean and arrogant husband who had only began his reign 6 months prior) was forced to abdicate and
was put in jail. It should be noted that Catherine was originally called Sophie but became Catherine after converting to Russian Orthodox Christianity
in the run up to her marriage to Peter. She saw herself as an enlightened ruler as she wrote numerous books, pamphlets and educational materials
aimed at improving Russia's education system. She expanded the Russian Empire, improved the administration as well as vigorously pursuing the policy of westernization. She reigned over Russia for 34 years and died in her bed peacefully in 1796. Her royal title was Catherine II.
