Catherine the Great wasn’t born Russian—she was a German princess named Sophie who rebranded herself, staged a coup, and ruled Russia for 34 years. Enlightened and ambitious, she corresponded with Voltaire, modernized the legal system, and championed smallpox inoculation—making herself the first Russian to get the jab.

She didn’t just govern—she collected. Catherine founded the Hermitage Museum and amassed over 4,000 paintings by artists like Rembrandt and Titian. She also believed in educating women, founding the Smolny Institute, Russia’s first state-funded school for girls.

As for her personal life? Catherine had a series of influential lovers—many rewarded with titles and land—and a deep bond with her favorite, Grigory Potemkin. His name lives on in the legend of the “Potemkin villages,” possibly fake settlements meant to impress her during a tour of Crimea.

Despite the persistent myth, she did not die in an incident involving a horse—she passed away in bed from a stroke at age 67 in 1796. A military strategist, patron of the arts, and unapologetically in control, Catherine expanded Russia’s borders and reshaped its place in the world.