Catherine the Great was born (1729 – 1796) . She was born Sophie Frederike August von Anhalt-Zerbst in Stettin, then part of Prussia (now modern Poland). In 1745, she was accepted into the Russian Orthodox Church, changed her name to Catherine and married Grand Duke Peter, grandson of Peter the Great and heir to the Russian throne. Catherine was the longest-serving Russian monarch, reigning from 1762 to her death in 1796. She presided over a revitalisation of Russian strength, an expansion of Russian territories, greater integration of Russia within Europe and partial liberalisation of Russian society.
