StephBer1 in medieval Europe, the Queens participated in waay more wars. So yeah, for the time much better. High aggression when successful brings a lot of love in those days, bloodthirsty women for the win
@@jayg9283 what are you on? The research you are referring to looked at 28 queens in total. There have been way more kings than that, so yes, relatively, when you look at percentages, the women have started more wars. But in total, female warfare takes up such a small percentage, it's negligible. Presenting it as fact is unfair and incorrect.
@@spacealienrissley you'd assume so, but if the current political climate is any indication, you can apparently say or do anything you want and millions of people will either say it didn't happen despite proof or they'll try to blame someone else 🙄😂
@@robnor1029 like me taking someone to a party him and another person we knew got shot a bunch and he doesnt remember me walking him to the car he got in saying we gotta go then armpit lifting the other guy when he fell over across the street at his car then putting him into the car the other guy was in and said you're going to.the hospital anyways.
"A nation without national identity is a manure on which other nations grow". P. Stolypin (Russian prime-minister in early XX c.) Another good one relatable to the modern West, I believe.
great post - had me cracking up for a couple of hours, maybe you need a qualifier for your t shirts. maybe "eat cake? good luck with that, historical france." i'll bet you come up with a doozy.
I love this video. She was flawed, but I still think Catherine the Great is a role model. She rose above everyone trying to push her down, and she used her power to try and help the people who needed it the most. Of course she didn't succeed in a lot of her ambitions, but the fact that she even tried in an era when most royals were horrible to the poor, speaks volumes.
Actually, Crimea has had a majority Russian population for most of recent history, and only ended up as part of Ukraine for silly internal USSR admin reasons. So I personally had no problem with Russia taking it back. It's none of our business. But I realize that's not a fashionable view..
@@EASYTIGER10 Crimea wasnt even slavic for most of it's recorded history . Scythians , Avars , Tatars , Greeks .. all inhabited that place at some point . That being said , the original slavic population of it was not Russian and the people who lived there were closely related to the Ukrainians . So its like an Israel vs Palestine situation .. just because Palestine is inhabited by Arabs doesnt mean it always was that way ( they claim ownership of cities such as Jerusalem and Hebron to give you an examble )
@@gatopsaro4262 I agree if you go way back Crimea was populated by many peoples. I doubt the Greek or Roman populations were more than a few thousand though. Until the Russian empire took over, the largest group were Turkic Tatars, until they were shamefully deported by the USSR, so they have a case for ownership. But since then ethnic Russians have always been the majority. In the 2001 census, only 24% of Crimeans identified as Ukrainian. Over 60% were Russian. My main point is that Ukraine has less justifiable claim over Crimea than either Tatars or Russians. It was transferred to Ukraine in 1954 on the whim of the Supreme Soviet. The Crimean people had no say. By demanding Crimea remain Ukrainian regardless of the will of it's people, we are condoning that transfer and not following the principle of self determination. Saying all this, I'm no Russian apologist and condemn their aggression in East Ukraine.
@@EASYTIGER10 ethnic Russians became the majority only after 1783 when Crimea was conquered by the Russian Empire .. before that the Slavs who were living there didnt have a culture dinstict enough to identify as Russian or Ukrainian ... but anyways , i wont go as far as to mention the *Kievan* Rus or the relationship between the Tatars and the Ukrainians ( they basically consider themselves brother nations along with the Cossacks ) .. i ll just say that Crimea is and always ve been eastern Europe's "Wild West" so , at the end of the day , he who is the mightier will declare himself to be the righter in this matter aswell
Empress Elizabeth is another great Russian female monarch. While she was alive and reigning, Russia was kicking the crap out of Frederick the Great and the Prussians (so bad Frederick was wondering what peace terms his kingdom might get from her if things worsened much further). She also never executed a single individual during her rule (Catherine however, did). She's often overlooked because of Catherine and Peter III's idiocy in between them.
You really should cover Aethelflaed, daughter of Alfred the Great. Known as "The Lady of Mercia" she co-ruled with her husband until his death, and then ruled alone until her own death. She was instrumental in defeating the forces of Danelaw (Vikings). All this happened in the late 800s into the early 900s - not exactly a time known for equality. The accession of a female ruler in Mercia (an Anglo-Saxon kingdom) is described by the historian Ian Walker as "one of the most unique events in early medieval history".
MrVvulf He doesn’t need to you’ve done done it pretty well.Anything else you think we should know? I named my first dog an English bull terrier Boudicca (but back when we all called her Boudicia 1989) I’m ready interested in our ancient kings and queens,especially queens. I’ll be looking for more about her history,thanks.
@@pickettywitchoriginal Okay, another bit of knowledge for you. There was a young illegitimate nobleman who was raised in Aethelflaed's court, and learned diplomacy and tactics from her (and others). After Aethelflaed and Edward (of Wessex) died, he continued the work they had begun in reconquering lands from the vikings (the 5 boroughs of Danelaw). He went on to become the first ruler of all the territory we now call England. His name was Aethelstan, first King of England, and one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon rulers. And where did he rule from and eventually die? Gloucester (Mercia), the home of Aethelflaed.
MrVvulf thanks Mr V, you are fab. I will be looking into the dynastic shenanigans for sure. Also proof reading before i post.... terrible grammar and spelling.
It's unfortunate that most of us remember Catherine for her sexual escapades rather than her administrative skills. It hit me hard when Simon brought up womanizing emperors like Louis XV and Selim III and the fact that Catherine was unfairly treated by history in comparison to those two. Catherine had her flaws but as Simon said she was truly a special girl.
У глупых и необразованных людей в памяти остаётся "сексуальные выходки ", которые являются выдумкой, в большей части. А образованные люди знают Екатерину Великую, как выдающегося монарха! Её при жизни прозвали Великой, не просто так!
Pop history is a plague and you should dismiss all those pop history tropes preemptively as not fit for a disctussion about history. All my homies hate Sergei Eisenstein and Riddley Scott!
1:05 - Chapter 1 -An unlikely ruler 3:50 - Chapter 2 - The empire of ice 6:10 - Chapter 3 - A match made in hell 9:10 - Chapter 4 - Intimacy & intrigue 12:15 - Chapter 5 - The battle for power 15:10 - Chapter 6 - An instruction for change 18:15 - Chapter 7 - Love & death
@@urockit2011 after this video i watched a longer documentary about her and to me it seems itss not as much as they changed the story drastically its more of that they are trying to condence her entire uprising to empress into one season. They changed little details for entertainment and to speed up the story. If they had been more accurate it would take several seasons for her to get to the thrown seeing that it took her 9 years to produce an heir irl. It wouldn't work with the comedic spin that they are trying to go for. Sorry if that's way more information than you asked for but i find film and tv adaptations of real life and *books Sooo fascinating lol *edit for spelling lol
Catherine the Great has always been one of my favorite people in history. Didn't she start immunizations in her country? Wasn't she one of the first ones to get one?
I think I do remember hearing about that either someone told me or I read about it or possibly a documentary. The reason that she took the immunizations first was to prove to her people that they weren't going to kill them I think?
Yes, she smugled the doctor who was pioneering the method from another country at night to the palace. Had him test it on her first, then her kids. When it worked, they announced it. If it was safe enough for the empress, it was safe enough for everyone. It allowed for the massive immunization campaign that prevented an outbreak of smallpox in Russia that ravaged the rest of Europe.
@@iram5192 Actually, the man she had an affair with killed him IIRC (out of the belief he was protecting her). Still absolutely horrible, but I'm pretty sure she did not order it.
@@thunderbird1921 For a murder she didn't order, she was pretty blase about finding the murderer and far too quick in issuing a pardon for the murder. I'm like 99% sure it was sanctioned by her.
"Still there's no denying that Catherine's reputation abroad really took a beating at the back end of her reign" And thats a Giggity gentlemen were done here.
Just started watching the show the Great based off her, and learning more about her. Its amazing how as a woman she had so much power and seemed so different, reading books and being kind to servants. So awesome
4:10 "was the Imelda Marcos of the 18th Century" as a Filipino, I am shocked you know her, and I am more more shocked that you haven't featured her yet in a video. Hopefully that day comes.
He actually said " Empress Elizabeth is the Imelda Marcos of 18th Century a woman obsessed with clothes and spectacle , living a good life on the state budget.". Good that Imelda was mentioned but I dont think that's good a remark for her through.
Like many so called “great” rulers they often create a golden period of peace and prosperity. Beloved by their countrymen and respected by their rivals, they change their nation for the better. Though thru that time they start to forget that they need a successor, but they are the ruler not anyone else why should they groom anyone for the throne because they are the sole ruler. Paul could have been a better ruler with his mother guidance, instead she choice her glory instead of her children, ironically she became her hated mother in her later life.
Thank you for this, incredibly intriguing story. If only the world had realized the equality of women earlier, imagine how many more great minds would have been preserved.
After watching a behind the scenes for The Great on Hulu it recommended this. I couldn't have hit the go button faster! TY for filling in the blanks my college history professor left out (although he was an absolute gem.)
Epic Rap Battles of History, check them out of you've haven't seen them. Even if you don't like rap the lyrics tend to be pretty funny and the video production is great.
You finally did Yekaterina Velikaya after I've asked many times! Thanks, Biographics! For more Russians, consider Yuri Dolgoruki (the founder of Moscow), Tsar Peter I the Great, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, Lev Tolstoy (author of "War and Peace"), Mikhail Bulgakov (author of "The Master and Margarita"), cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov, and Rear Admiral Vladimir Konovalov.
Great video. So glad you finally covered one of my favorite female monarchs. Hopefully you'll do more in the future. Just to name a few: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots and Margot of Valois.
Moscow this Moscow that... High society of Moscow. The Imperial Capital was St. Petersburg, Moscow was the religious heart of Russia. Catherine arrived at St Petersburg.
I can't imagine how painful it would have been for her to finally go through a difficult birth then be ignored & isolated by the family, after they just left her there post childbirth and took her son away!! Like WTAF?!
I remember watching the russian tv show for Catherine the great (velikaja which literally translates to great) It was awesome and it had a lot of historical accuracy. Best scenes were with Catherine and russian soldiers who were loyal to her
Would love a video about Peter III now, I read up about him a bit after watching this video and think he is an interesting character. Supposedly many of his reforms were praised by the common folks and were downright progressive for the time. And still he was such an asshole at the same time.
This was the closest we had where two 'the greats' would fight. The battle between Frederick the great and Catherine the great would've been legendary. If only Catherine continued the fight in 7 years wars
I know Peter was an abuser, and I'm definitely not apologizing for him, but I kinda feel bad for him. He was abused as a child, and that made him bitter and angry at everything- what a terrible life he had.
I'm so happy that I watched this to brush up on the true story of Catherine the Great after watching "The Great" on Hulu. It's so odd that they chose to make Peter the Great, Emperor Peter's father instead of grandfather in the show. I don't understand that at all.
Dear Simon and the BioGraphics production team: I really enjoy your videos. You all put a lot of work into these biographies. I wake up every morning to a new video to watch. I wish you guys were around when I was still in highschool
Just a small pointer: you got the capital wrong. The russian court lived in Saint Petersburg during this era. However, Catherine was crowned in Moscow. She chose this so she could claim greater legitimacy by being crowned empress in the 'historic' capital of Russia.
Oh, sweet. I was wondering when there'd be another video, Then I see this video, with "8 seconds ago" right below it. Awesome. Great videos, on all 5 or six channels, lol.
One of the biographies I have been waiting for, thank you for posting it. Just waiting for Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, Menno Simmons and Fredrich der Grosse.
Why does no one ever talk about Empress Elizabeth,she’s the one that actually almost defeated Prussia,they had already taken Berlin I believe but because Elizabeth died the Russian troops had to halt their advance,Frederick the Great thought that this was a miracle and it was because if Elizabeth hadn’t died,Prussia would have been destroyed and divided up between the other great powers of Europe like a piece of meat or worse.
Holy cow! I watched an anime show called Le Chevalier D'Eon about a French knight (more like secret police) going on an adventure through Europe. The young Katherine and Peter were a major feature of the show. As with most anime, it was bonkers and out there with alchemy, magic and global conspiracy. But their depiction of Katherine and Peter is way more historical than I would have guessed.
Some other facts about Catherine II that have been overlooked are that her marriage to Elizabeth Petrovna's heir was not just dumb luck. Elizabeth had been engaged to Johanna Elizabeth's brother, who died of smallpox on the eve of the wedding, and Johanna Elizabeth kept up a tepid correspondence with Elizabeth afterwards. Johanna Elizabeth's cousin was the father of Karl Peter Ulrich (Peter III) and had been married to Elizabeth's sister, Anne, which was another family connection. Peter and Catherine were thus second cousins, and already acquainted with each other before they had been sent to Russia, as this episode briefly mentioned.
I love your video, I think that a video about the norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen would be realy interesting. His plays"A dolls house", "An enemy of the people", etc. are plays that are played every day all over the world and are still relevant today. Plays that were written at the start of the 20th century that brings up the question about womens rights, climate, etc.
Wonderful stuff, Simon, and a wonderful subject. As to the end of her reign, countless male rulers have acted the same- Edward III Plantagenet, Henry VIII come to mind-- and nobody blinks. She was a glorious ruler in her day, and her day was long.
Very well done, great portrait of her, thank you for your objetivity and historic accuracy. Maybe the only material with this characteristics about her on TH-cam. You dont even imagine what a relief to watch history stuff on yt and dont end up furious and frustrated :)
I can't help but conjure up images of a guy sitting in his room all day playing videogames while his girlfriend tries to get some attention when you mentioned Catherine's husband and playing at war along with rat executions.
Simon I am stunned, daily, on the sheer amount of quality work you're able to put out on the table and ring that bell for the hungry throngs of information-starved viewers, myself certainly included. A big thanks to you and your team - all of your videos are warmly received, especially here in Canada, where we all take shelter from the winter in a small hut, just waiting for The Thing to burst in and start assimilating us. At least we'll die (grusomely) well-informed !
Hi Simon, thank you for sharing. This was a great video! Can you please do Peter the Great sometime in the future? Thanks for all you do for us history lovers.
Perhaps the only ruler whose title "great" was not really something given to her after her death as an assessment of her rule but rather the way she was called by her flatterers while she was alive which is not surprising knowing the details of her rule. In some countries it's apparently more popular to call her "great". Probably in the same ones where the horse myth was once popular.
If they make you emperor of Japan, I'll be your most loyal samurai. I actually do have a samurai ancestor. My great great grandma was half Japanese. Her father's father was a samurai until the Meiji restoration occured and he moved to America. He had his armor and sword with him in America, but it was either lost, sold, or was inherited by a relative my family doesn't know of, because we don't have it.
Hooray, Simon! This was your best bio yet! Maybe I imagined it, but I felt I could hear the admiration in your voice throughout! That made the video even more compelling! Thank you so much for spotlighting women too!
One of my favorite historical figures. So fascinating. Could you do a video on Anna of Kiev? My wife is apparently descended from her and I’d love to know more.
Catherine the Great was undoubtedly one of the greatest Russian monarchs. I'm glad to see that you've made a video on her. Also, can you please do a biography of yourself at one million subscribers?!
Ohhhh one of my favorite Russian monarchs such a magnificent life she lived and she was honestly one of the greatest leaders in world history thank you for doing this video again I hope you do a video on every single Russia monarch of the romanov line and I hope the next one you cover is Alexander 3rd
I just rewatched the video and I wanna say very well done again honestly with the amount of stuff she did and experienced throughout her entire life you could make an hour long video but I wanna say with peter he was a Drunk not just at the parties just constantly drunk but another fun fact he admired Fredrick the great but Fredrick thought he was nothing and kindve a waste of space which is ironic since Fredrick did admire his wife Catherine but when it came to the rat Peter killed I heard and read he had it hanged not cut its head off but the story goes the rat had eaten one of peters toy soldiers on a rampart so he had it hanged for killing a army officer but then when it came to the coup it actually went off prematurely Catherine had most of the Russian guard in Moscow on her side but a private had been spooked and asked the officer that scared him if it was time to overthrow the tsar.... and he said this to one of the few officers not aware of a part of the coup! So grigori orlov barged in the middle of the night because it was now or never kindve moment So they had to act at the very moment then there’s the 7 or so rebellions she had to deal with multiple rebellions led by men claiming to be peter. Now if I’m remembering Potemkin correctly they actually meet the night of the coup as she was ridding our in the male military uniform she was missing a sash or something so Potemkin ran up giving it to her and after they had annexed Crimea he was given orders to populate that region and once he had done so he planned a massive an elaborate tour of the newly conquered lands for Catherine and her procession was massive I think she was the first Russian monarch to visit the south but her carriage alone for this journey had several rooms in it including a small library a room to play cards (playing cards was one of Catherine’s favorite pastimes) a office and the carriage had to be pulled by 70 horses of so it was so massive though for such a great monarch her greatest failure was the way she treated her son many European monarchs that meet him actually saw much promise in him when he toured Europe but Catherine wouldn’t allow him in political matters and did the same thing Elizabeth did and took her grandson from her son to teach him how to rule in her stead and though it may have taken longer to put him on the throne... Catherine always got her way again I love this video I only mentioned these things cause there’s way to much to cover in a video like this I’ve had to watch multiple documentaries and read various biography’s about her tobtruely understand why she got the name the great but if you want to watch a good documentary series about the Russian tzars check out Romanov by star media it’s a eight part series made by Russians and each hour long video usually talks about 2 tsar per episode and it is one of the greatest documentaries I’ve seen and the whole series is for free on TH-cam so please check it out if you love Russian history very well executed and done in unique way that keeps your interest
Thank you deekat what’s the He she thing? I’m guessing your asking my gender uhhh I’m a man nvm but anyway thank you for your comment and yes I love Russian history and I do study not just Catherine but all of the tsars of the Romanov dynasty the family has just such a interesting background you have great leaders like peter the great who turned a backwater state of Russian into a global empire that rocked Europe and the ottomans and of course Catherine the great but you also have Michael 1st who started the romanov dynasty of Russia and restored Russia after the years of Ivan the terrible and also you have Alexander 1st who defeated Napoleon when it was thought to be near impossible then you have the opposite effect in this family like peters Sister sofia who schemes to rule Russia over her brother and co ruler Ivan and essentially let the streltsy run amok then you had Elizabeth who locked away her own cousin when he was just a baby and would essentially live a life of elaborate parties and celebrations and barely rule her own country and then you have paul 1st a... eccentric ruler who thought he didn’t have much time to live and the night of his death looked in a mirror commenting it was a odd mirror because it looked as though his neck was broken in it and so on the Romanov line is just one of the most interesting bloodlines to me since in 300 years even during their most darkest times and rulers the country would hold together and in great times a Romanov would rise up to lead Russia until nickolas II but again thank you and I do enjoy Russia history immensely yet I’m from America ha! The one thing I know for sure with Russia is to never invade them worst ideas in history
What I’ve gotten so far is that her baby daddy was more than likely not her husband. I wonder how many Royals had parents that weren’t actually their parents
Catherine wrote a will declaring Alexander to be her successor. Shortly after her death, Paul was searching for that document which would prevent him from assuming the throne. Alexander who was not interested in ruling Russia handed the will over to Paul, who burnt it. 5years later, Paul was murdered and Alexander became emperor,. Catherine would eventually have her way
New subscriber, but I've watched almost all of your vids on this channel. They're so well done! PLEASE cover Rumi, Billie Holiday, Queen Nzinga, Langston Hughes and/or Phillis Wheatley 😁😁
Catherine's influence prompted Alexander, her grandson mentioned in the video, to abolish serfdom. His father Paul was murdered shortly into his reign. Catherine's throne was given to her by the aristocracy. She had no divine right over it, she knew this, displeasing them would have been her undoing. So in that way she was limited. Although she did quip that the committee she put together to reform Russia spent more time coming up with her moniker "the Great", than actual polices. So it's kind of ironic that she's now forever known as Catherine the Great.
“I’m a bad bitch, you can’t kill me”
-Ms.Keisha, Also Catherine the great
Kaleb Petrosyan LOVE IT!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
But what is a queen without her king? Well, historically speaking, more powerful.
And usually better than most kings.
StephBer1 in medieval Europe, the Queens participated in waay more wars. So yeah, for the time much better. High aggression when successful brings a lot of love in those days, bloodthirsty women for the win
@@jayg9283 what are you on? The research you are referring to looked at 28 queens in total. There have been way more kings than that, so yes, relatively, when you look at percentages, the women have started more wars. But in total, female warfare takes up such a small percentage, it's negligible. Presenting it as fact is unfair and incorrect.
Jente it...was a joke, chill
Jay G hope she sees this bro
“Power without a nation’s confidence is nothing” Catherine the Great
That is powerful today in usa
@@spacealienrissley you'd assume so, but if the current political climate is any indication, you can apparently say or do anything you want and millions of people will either say it didn't happen despite proof or they'll try to blame someone else 🙄😂
@@robnor1029 yeah like people breaking molds for parts at wprk.and hiding it till your part and make it seem you did it....
@@robnor1029 like me taking someone to a party him and another person we knew got shot a bunch and he doesnt remember me walking him to the car he got in saying we gotta go then armpit lifting the other guy when he fell over across the street at his car then putting him into the car the other guy was in and said you're going to.the hospital anyways.
"A nation without national identity is a manure on which other nations grow". P. Stolypin (Russian prime-minister in early XX c.)
Another good one relatable to the modern West, I believe.
please sell t shirts that say "good luck with that, historical france" and "stay classy 18th century propaganda"
great post - had me cracking up for a couple of hours, maybe you need a qualifier for your t shirts. maybe "eat cake? good luck with that, historical france." i'll bet you come up with a doozy.
I love this video. She was flawed, but I still think Catherine the Great is a role model. She rose above everyone trying to push her down, and she used her power to try and help the people who needed it the most. Of course she didn't succeed in a lot of her ambitions, but the fact that she even tried in an era when most royals were horrible to the poor, speaks volumes.
Every leader is flawed
She was not flawed, if you compared her to literally anybody else during that time era, she’d be by far the best ruler
She can’t have been any worse than Joseph Stalin, and Ivan the Terrible.
Role model? I don’t think so.
@@PhysicallyAwake warmonger, slave owner, and not sense of morals or decency???
“Captured Crimea.” Good god that piece of land has been a hockey puck for centuries.
It is all because it is on the coast off the Black Sea.
Actually, Crimea has had a majority Russian population for most of recent history, and only ended up as part of Ukraine for silly internal USSR admin reasons. So I personally had no problem with Russia taking it back. It's none of our business. But I realize that's not a fashionable view..
@@EASYTIGER10 Crimea wasnt even slavic for most of it's recorded history . Scythians , Avars , Tatars , Greeks .. all inhabited that place at some point . That being said , the original slavic population of it was not Russian and the people who lived there were closely related to the Ukrainians . So its like an Israel vs Palestine situation .. just because Palestine is inhabited by Arabs doesnt mean it always was that way ( they claim ownership of cities such as Jerusalem and Hebron to give you an examble )
@@gatopsaro4262 I agree if you go way back Crimea was populated by many peoples. I doubt the Greek or Roman populations were more than a few thousand though. Until the Russian empire took over, the largest group were Turkic Tatars, until they were shamefully deported by the USSR, so they have a case for ownership. But since then ethnic Russians have always been the majority. In the 2001 census, only 24% of Crimeans identified as Ukrainian. Over 60% were Russian.
My main point is that Ukraine has less justifiable claim over Crimea than either Tatars or Russians. It was transferred to Ukraine in 1954 on the whim of the Supreme Soviet. The Crimean people had no say. By demanding Crimea remain Ukrainian regardless of the will of it's people, we are condoning that transfer and not following the principle of self determination.
Saying all this, I'm no Russian apologist and condemn their aggression in East Ukraine.
@@EASYTIGER10 ethnic Russians became the majority only after 1783 when Crimea was conquered by the Russian Empire .. before that the Slavs who were living there didnt have a culture dinstict enough to identify as Russian or Ukrainian ... but anyways , i wont go as far as to mention the *Kievan* Rus or the relationship between the Tatars and the Ukrainians ( they basically consider themselves brother nations along with the Cossacks ) .. i ll just say that Crimea is and always ve been eastern Europe's "Wild West" so , at the end of the day , he who is the mightier will declare himself to be the righter in this matter aswell
"One of russia's greatest rulers"? I'm flattered.
Not one of but THE GREATEST!
What about the horse
QUEEN 😍
hi bestieeee
Empress Elizabeth is another great Russian female monarch. While she was alive and reigning, Russia was kicking the crap out of Frederick the Great and the Prussians (so bad Frederick was wondering what peace terms his kingdom might get from her if things worsened much further). She also never executed a single individual during her rule (Catherine however, did). She's often overlooked because of Catherine and Peter III's idiocy in between them.
I'm watching this half way through my binge of The Great tv series
Huzzah!
Lol kinda inaccurate according to this but still great!!!
CuriousMisterG it is after all *occasionly true !
@@CuriousMisterG they don't even claim accuracy in the show. Every episode says "occasionally accurate".
Such a good show, I love it!
You really should cover Aethelflaed, daughter of Alfred the Great. Known as "The Lady of Mercia" she co-ruled with her husband until his death, and then ruled alone until her own death. She was instrumental in defeating the forces of Danelaw (Vikings). All this happened in the late 800s into the early 900s - not exactly a time known for equality.
The accession of a female ruler in Mercia (an Anglo-Saxon kingdom) is described by the historian Ian Walker as "one of the most unique events in early medieval history".
MrVvulf He doesn’t need to you’ve done done it pretty well.Anything else you think we should know? I named my first dog an English bull terrier Boudicca (but back when we all called her Boudicia 1989) I’m ready interested in our ancient kings and queens,especially queens.
I’ll be looking for more about her history,thanks.
Her husband was Alfred's puppet, nothing more.
@@pickettywitchoriginal Okay, another bit of knowledge for you. There was a young illegitimate nobleman who was raised in Aethelflaed's court, and learned diplomacy and tactics from her (and others). After Aethelflaed and Edward (of Wessex) died, he continued the work they had begun in reconquering lands from the vikings (the 5 boroughs of Danelaw). He went on to become the first ruler of all the territory we now call England.
His name was Aethelstan, first King of England, and one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon rulers. And where did he rule from and eventually die? Gloucester (Mercia), the home of Aethelflaed.
MrVvulf thanks Mr V, you are fab. I will be looking into the dynastic shenanigans for sure.
Also proof reading before i post.... terrible grammar and spelling.
Queen Boudica...different era but a badass all the same.
It's unfortunate that most of us remember Catherine for her sexual escapades rather than her administrative skills. It hit me hard when Simon brought up womanizing emperors like Louis XV and Selim III and the fact that Catherine was unfairly treated by history in comparison to those two. Catherine had her flaws but as Simon said she was truly a special girl.
У глупых и необразованных людей в памяти остаётся "сексуальные выходки ", которые являются выдумкой, в большей части. А образованные люди знают Екатерину Великую, как выдающегося монарха! Её при жизни прозвали Великой, не просто так!
Pop history is a plague and you should dismiss all those pop history tropes preemptively as not fit for a disctussion about history. All my homies hate Sergei Eisenstein and Riddley Scott!
1:05 - Chapter 1 -An unlikely ruler
3:50 - Chapter 2 - The empire of ice
6:10 - Chapter 3 - A match made in hell
9:10 - Chapter 4 - Intimacy & intrigue
12:15 - Chapter 5 - The battle for power
15:10 - Chapter 6 - An instruction for change
18:15 - Chapter 7 - Love & death
Who's here after watching "The Great" for more historical accuracy?
Yesssss
Saaame
It’s funny to see how much they changed
@@urockit2011 after this video i watched a longer documentary about her and to me it seems itss not as much as they changed the story drastically its more of that they are trying to condence her entire uprising to empress into one season. They changed little details for entertainment and to speed up the story. If they had been more accurate it would take several seasons for her to get to the thrown seeing that it took her 9 years to produce an heir irl. It wouldn't work with the comedic spin that they are trying to go for.
Sorry if that's way more information than you asked for but i find film and tv adaptations of real life and *books Sooo fascinating lol
*edit for spelling lol
Yep
Catherine the Great has always been one of my favorite people in history. Didn't she start immunizations in her country? Wasn't she one of the first ones to get one?
I think I do remember hearing about that either someone told me or I read about it or possibly a documentary. The reason that she took the immunizations first was to prove to her people that they weren't going to kill them I think?
You are correct, she was immunized against smallpox in the 1790s.
You might also be thinking of Lady Montegue (I think - I get her confused with another Lady ... she was a diarist from France, I believe).
Yes, she smugled the doctor who was pioneering the method from another country at night to the palace. Had him test it on her first, then her kids. When it worked, they announced it. If it was safe enough for the empress, it was safe enough for everyone. It allowed for the massive immunization campaign that prevented an outbreak of smallpox in Russia that ravaged the rest of Europe.
@@wrongsalvation8904 you're most likely heard that on extra credits video about her
This chick is like a hero for every abused woman ever.
Every wealthy abused woman. Even today, there's much more options when you have money.
She had her husband killed, sooo..
@@iram5192 Actually, the man she had an affair with killed him IIRC (out of the belief he was protecting her). Still absolutely horrible, but I'm pretty sure she did not order it.
@@thunderbird1921 For a murder she didn't order, she was pretty blase about finding the murderer and far too quick in issuing a pardon for the murder. I'm like 99% sure it was sanctioned by her.
She also enabled serfdom lmao
Please do one on Maria Theresa. She's fondly remembered in Austria to this day, and certainly lead an interesting life.
Fondly remembered in the Czech Republic as well!
I fondly remember her buying up city states in Civ V. Hated it when she was in the game.
She's supposed to be one of the best queens ever and I can't seem to find many biography youtube channels doing anything on her.
I'd love to see one on Frederick William IV, VERY underrated king of Prussia.
@@bradleymoore2797i always find it sad that she is overshadowed nowadays by her more popular daughter, Marie Antoinette :(((
"Good luck with that historical France" 😍🤣😉
Best. Line. In. The. Video.
"Still there's no denying that Catherine's reputation abroad really took a beating at the back end of her reign"
And thats a Giggity gentlemen were done here.
Well done well done 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆
"Peter, what on earth are you doing to that rat?"
"he's GUILTY!!!"
_chops off rat's head_
"Yeah, okay. I'm staying the night at Sergei's. Bye"
Just started watching the show the Great based off her, and learning more about her. Its amazing how as a woman she had so much power and seemed so different, reading books and being kind to servants. So awesome
"Somewhere below horses, somewhat equal to good footwear" you are iconic sir
🐎
4:10 "was the Imelda Marcos of the 18th Century"
as a Filipino, I am shocked you know her, and I am more more shocked that you haven't featured her yet in a video. Hopefully that day comes.
Yeeees please
I thought I misheard it
i want to see a video on her shoes
Yes. Please cover Imelda Marcos!
He actually said " Empress Elizabeth is the Imelda Marcos of 18th Century a woman obsessed with clothes and spectacle , living a good life on the state budget.".
Good that Imelda was mentioned but I dont think that's good a remark for her through.
Like many so called “great” rulers they often create a golden period of peace and prosperity. Beloved by their countrymen and respected by their rivals, they change their nation for the better. Though thru that time they start to forget that they need a successor, but they are the ruler not anyone else why should they groom anyone for the throne because they are the sole ruler. Paul could have been a better ruler with his mother guidance, instead she choice her glory instead of her children, ironically she became her hated mother in her later life.
Thank you for this, incredibly intriguing story. If only the world had realized the equality of women earlier, imagine how many more great minds would have been preserved.
After watching a behind the scenes for The Great on Hulu it recommended this. I couldn't have hit the go button faster! TY for filling in the blanks my college history professor left out (although he was an absolute gem.)
Gotta love when Biographics covers a historical figure that was in an ERB song and the comments are full of lyrical excerpts 😍
Epic Rap Battles of History, check them out of you've haven't seen them. Even if you don't like rap the lyrics tend to be pretty funny and the video production is great.
You finally did Yekaterina Velikaya after I've asked many times! Thanks, Biographics!
For more Russians, consider Yuri Dolgoruki (the founder of Moscow), Tsar Peter I the Great, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, Lev Tolstoy (author of "War and Peace"), Mikhail Bulgakov (author of "The Master and Margarita"), cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov, and Rear Admiral Vladimir Konovalov.
You should do a video about Mansa Musa, he is an incredibly interesting historical figure!
The guy that accidentally made gold one time completely worthless.
Estimated that he had 10% of all the mined gold of the whole planet at one point in time. That's... a lot.
Hurley Wisconsin strip.clubs...
..many in upper Wisconsin for real middle of nowhere
Ah yes the goldy boi from civ 6 😂😂
Mansa Musa was the richest man in the world till now
Macedonians, Prussians and Romans
These aren't worthy opponents
It takes a Russian to take on a Russian
I'm Cat, I'm a cat, you're a rodent
ERB 😂
Hahaha! I knew that somebody had to do it! Well played!
ERB
Mongolians: are you challenging us?
@@dxruling *Batu enters* "Watch THIS!"
*Proceeds to overrun Russia and put everyone to rest.*
Great video. So glad you finally covered one of my favorite female monarchs. Hopefully you'll do more in the future.
Just to name a few: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots and Margot of Valois.
Moscow this Moscow that... High society of Moscow.
The Imperial Capital was St. Petersburg, Moscow was the religious heart of Russia. Catherine arrived at St Petersburg.
And then flyed to moscov couse Elisabeth was already there. The meeting took place in moscov.
As I understand it, Elizabeth advised Katherine to take lovers and get pregnant under threat. Elizabeth would not allow Katherine to even see her son.
I can't imagine how painful it would have been for her to finally go through a difficult birth then be ignored & isolated by the family, after they just left her there post childbirth and took her son away!! Like WTAF?!
..it was like a royal 🐩 poodle being bred for the line propagation..
..it was like a royal 🐩 poodle being bred for the line propagation..
@@daviesdavies538 well she has many lovers and children with them
I remember watching the russian tv show for Catherine the great (velikaja which literally translates to great)
It was awesome and it had a lot of historical accuracy.
Best scenes were with Catherine and russian soldiers who were loyal to her
"A beating at the back end of her reign." I see what you did there.
Would love a video about Peter III now, I read up about him a bit after watching this video and think he is an interesting character. Supposedly many of his reforms were praised by the common folks and were downright progressive for the time. And still he was such an asshole at the same time.
This was the closest we had where two 'the greats' would fight. The battle between Frederick the great and Catherine the great would've been legendary. If only Catherine continued the fight in 7 years wars
Very well done. Whenever people ask me who I would want to meet from history, Catherine The Great is always on my list.
Great video here are some suggestions:
- Abraham Lincoln
- Antonio Salazar
- George Washington
- Ned Kelly
- Vasco da Gama
- Jesse James
This your best one yet! I love Catherine. You handled her life beautifully.
I know Peter was an abuser, and I'm definitely not apologizing for him, but I kinda feel bad for him. He was abused as a child, and that made him bitter and angry at everything- what a terrible life he had.
I'm so happy that I watched this to brush up on the true story of Catherine the Great after watching "The Great" on Hulu. It's so odd that they chose to make Peter the Great, Emperor Peter's father instead of grandfather in the show. I don't understand that at all.
Literally the only thing they got right was being in Russian and the names
Dear Simon and the BioGraphics production team:
I really enjoy your videos. You all put a lot of work into these biographies. I wake up every morning to a new video to watch. I wish you guys were around when I was still in highschool
Obviously they can't be bothered to even read these comments. pointless really.
Just a small pointer: you got the capital wrong. The russian court lived in Saint Petersburg during this era. However, Catherine was crowned in Moscow. She chose this so she could claim greater legitimacy by being crowned empress in the 'historic' capital of Russia.
Maybe it’s just me, but if Simon whistler decided to make an ASMR video, I’d be the happiest person alive, I love love love your voice
Oh, sweet. I was wondering when there'd be another video, Then I see this video, with "8 seconds ago" right below it. Awesome. Great videos, on all 5 or six channels, lol.
Skankhunt42 oh he getting that TH-cam MONEY
@@llromanov8126 much appreciated, pal
I was so glad to see this pop in my feed! Thank you, Biographics!
My favorite coup of all time! Catherine The Great is amazing and was the first to inoculate herself and her citizens! Amazing and ahead if her time!
One of the biographies I have been waiting for, thank you for posting it. Just waiting for Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, Menno Simmons and Fredrich der Grosse.
@Spencer Proctor Who is Freddy and why is he fat?
Why does no one ever talk about Empress Elizabeth,she’s the one that actually almost defeated Prussia,they had already taken Berlin I believe but because Elizabeth died the Russian troops had to halt their advance,Frederick the Great thought that this was a miracle and it was because if Elizabeth hadn’t died,Prussia would have been destroyed and divided up between the other great powers of Europe like a piece of meat or worse.
Well she's the daughter of Peter the Great
Make one on Anne Boleyn and Alexandria Romanov, the last Czarina of Russia!
I'm only here cause of the new show on hulu, " The great" lol
one of the first biographies I read was on Catharine the Great.... this was wonderful, thank-you.
Yes! I've been waiting so long for you to cover her! Thank you!
I learned something new today, and I thought I knew everything about Catherine the Great! Thank you, Simon again!
Why isn't this in the Royal playlist? Great video! Being watching these for the last several hours.
Fascinating, as always. There is nothing in human history that doesn't teach us something about our contemporary situation.
Holy cow! I watched an anime show called Le Chevalier D'Eon about a French knight (more like secret police) going on an adventure through Europe. The young Katherine and Peter were a major feature of the show. As with most anime, it was bonkers and out there with alchemy, magic and global conspiracy. But their depiction of Katherine and Peter is way more historical than I would have guessed.
Damn that sounds like a dope anime. Thanks for the suggestion!
Some other facts about Catherine II that have been overlooked are that her marriage to Elizabeth Petrovna's heir was not just dumb luck. Elizabeth had been engaged to Johanna Elizabeth's brother, who died of smallpox on the eve of the wedding, and Johanna Elizabeth kept up a tepid correspondence with Elizabeth afterwards. Johanna Elizabeth's cousin was the father of Karl Peter Ulrich (Peter III) and had been married to Elizabeth's sister, Anne, which was another family connection. Peter and Catherine were thus second cousins, and already acquainted with each other before they had been sent to Russia, as this episode briefly mentioned.
Russian/Soviet history is endlessly fascinating to me. Feel free to do more!
I love your video, I think that a video about the norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen would be realy interesting. His plays"A dolls house", "An enemy of the people", etc. are plays that are played every day all over the world and are still relevant today. Plays that were written at the start of the 20th century that brings up the question about womens rights, climate, etc.
I love the commentary that comes with these videos.
"Keep it classy" hahaha this was my favourite video thus far!!!
Simon & Morris you are a joy to hear. I love your combination ned work. Thank you.
Another awesome job. Well done as usual .Please keep them coming Simon. Nobody does it better.😍😎
The video was posted 34 seconds ago but there are comments from 3 minutes ago, y'all got a time machine or something?
The funny thing is that your comment to me was posted three minutes ago and yet my notification also says 34 seconds ago.
Yes
@ Hugo Diaz, what, you don't?
They got Patreon
Wonderful stuff, Simon, and a wonderful subject. As to the end of her reign, countless male rulers have acted the same- Edward III Plantagenet, Henry VIII come to mind-- and nobody blinks. She was a glorious ruler in her day, and her day was long.
Please do one on Olga of Kyiv 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽Her story is so beautiful, so inspirational. I’m actually surprised it hasn’t been adapted to film or TV yet!
"Stay classy 18th century propagandists", i want that on a t shirt!
FINALLLY! I've been waiting for sooo long for this. THANK YOU!
Hail Emperor Whistleru I. "the Sway-talking Conqueror" of Japan, first Emperor of a new Imperial House in thousands of years!
Pablo Nino Nathanael Stoop this reads like a hoi4 event
I DONT WANT TO TALK NO MOOO 💋🆙nothing else to say
Very well done, great portrait of her, thank you for your objetivity and historic accuracy. Maybe the only material with this characteristics about her on TH-cam. You dont even imagine what a relief to watch history stuff on yt and dont end up furious and frustrated :)
To put this on while doing some work and every time Simon says Catherine I look up expectant! 🤣
😂😂!!!
I can't help but conjure up images of a guy sitting in his room all day playing videogames while his girlfriend tries to get some attention when you mentioned Catherine's husband and playing at war along with rat executions.
I wonder if that rat story is true or just fabricrated in order to tarnish peter image.
I've been waiting for this bio since I started watching these videos! So happy!!
Great work as usual. Great voice. So smart. Congrats.
Omg, I've been waiting for this one!! Thank you, Simon!!
Simon I am stunned, daily, on the sheer amount of quality work you're able to put out on the table and ring that bell for the hungry throngs of information-starved viewers, myself certainly included.
A big thanks to you and your team - all of your videos are warmly received, especially here in Canada, where we all take shelter from the winter in a small hut, just waiting for The Thing to burst in and start assimilating us.
At least we'll die (grusomely) well-informed !
Hi Simon, thank you for sharing. This was a great video! Can you please do Peter the Great sometime in the future? Thanks for all you do for us history lovers.
Perhaps the only ruler whose title "great" was not really something given to her after her death as an assessment of her rule but rather the way she was called by her flatterers while she was alive which is not surprising knowing the details of her rule. In some countries it's apparently more popular to call her "great". Probably in the same ones where the horse myth was once popular.
If they make you emperor of Japan, I'll be your most loyal samurai. I actually do have a samurai ancestor. My great great grandma was half Japanese. Her father's father was a samurai until the Meiji restoration occured and he moved to America. He had his armor and sword with him in America, but it was either lost, sold, or was inherited by a relative my family doesn't know of, because we don't have it.
Who else is here after watching the great?
Can I get a huzzah!
Huzzah!
Huzzah!
Huzzah
The accidents from all the glass on the set must have been astronomical.
HUZZAH
"Elizabeth petrovna is the Imelda Marcos of the 18th century" pretty accurate
But Catherine was like, “Uh, no!”
Peter later died of shock that a woman had out-powered him.
Hooray, Simon! This was your best bio yet! Maybe I imagined it, but I felt I could hear the admiration in your voice throughout! That made the video even more compelling! Thank you so much for spotlighting women too!
One of my favorite historical figures. So fascinating. Could you do a video on Anna of Kiev? My wife is apparently descended from her and I’d love to know more.
I am really sorry for Peter Ulrich for slandering him before i knew his childhood story. :(
Catherine the Great was undoubtedly one of the greatest Russian monarchs. I'm glad to see that you've made a video on her.
Also, can you please do a biography of yourself at one million subscribers?!
On their website, they already answered that question. Simon says ... NO
Ohhhh one of my favorite Russian monarchs such a magnificent life she lived and she was honestly one of the greatest leaders in world history thank you for doing this video again I hope you do a video on every single Russia monarch of the romanov line and I hope the next one you cover is Alexander 3rd
I just rewatched the video and I wanna say very well done again honestly with the amount of stuff she did and experienced throughout her entire life you could make an hour long video but I wanna say with peter he was a Drunk not just at the parties just constantly drunk but another fun fact he admired Fredrick the great but Fredrick thought he was nothing and kindve a waste of space which is ironic since Fredrick did admire his wife Catherine but when it came to the rat Peter killed I heard and read he had it hanged not cut its head off but the story goes the rat had eaten one of peters toy soldiers on a rampart so he had it hanged for killing a army officer but then when it came to the coup it actually went off prematurely Catherine had most of the Russian guard in Moscow on her side but a private had been spooked and asked the officer that scared him if it was time to overthrow the tsar.... and he said this to one of the few officers not aware of a part of the coup! So grigori orlov barged in the middle of the night because it was now or never kindve moment So they had to act at the very moment then there’s the 7 or so rebellions she had to deal with multiple rebellions led by men claiming to be peter. Now if I’m remembering Potemkin correctly they actually meet the night of the coup as she was ridding our in the male military uniform she was missing a sash or something so Potemkin ran up giving it to her and after they had annexed Crimea he was given orders to populate that region and once he had done so he planned a massive an elaborate tour of the newly conquered lands for Catherine and her procession was massive I think she was the first Russian monarch to visit the south but her carriage alone for this journey had several rooms in it including a small library a room to play cards (playing cards was one of Catherine’s favorite pastimes) a office and the carriage had to be pulled by 70 horses of so it was so massive though for such a great monarch her greatest failure was the way she treated her son many European monarchs that meet him actually saw much promise in him when he toured Europe but Catherine wouldn’t allow him in political matters and did the same thing Elizabeth did and took her grandson from her son to teach him how to rule in her stead and though it may have taken longer to put him on the throne... Catherine always got her way again I love this video I only mentioned these things cause there’s way to much to cover in a video like this I’ve had to watch multiple documentaries and read various biography’s about her tobtruely understand why she got the name the great but if you want to watch a good documentary series about the Russian tzars check out Romanov by star media it’s a eight part series made by Russians and each hour long video usually talks about 2 tsar per episode and it is one of the greatest documentaries I’ve seen and the whole series is for free on TH-cam so please check it out if you love Russian history very well executed and done in unique way that keeps your interest
Thank you deekat what’s the He she thing? I’m guessing your asking my gender uhhh I’m a man nvm but anyway thank you for your comment and yes I love Russian history and I do study not just Catherine but all of the tsars of the Romanov dynasty the family has just such a interesting background you have great leaders like peter the great who turned a backwater state of Russian into a global empire that rocked Europe and the ottomans and of course Catherine the great but you also have Michael 1st who started the romanov dynasty of Russia and restored Russia after the years of Ivan the terrible and also you have Alexander 1st who defeated Napoleon when it was thought to be near impossible then you have the opposite effect in this family like peters Sister sofia who schemes to rule Russia over her brother and co ruler Ivan and essentially let the streltsy run amok then you had Elizabeth who locked away her own cousin when he was just a baby and would essentially live a life of elaborate parties and celebrations and barely rule her own country and then you have paul 1st a... eccentric ruler who thought he didn’t have much time to live and the night of his death looked in a mirror commenting it was a odd mirror because it looked as though his neck was broken in it and so on the Romanov line is just one of the most interesting bloodlines to me since in 300 years even during their most darkest times and rulers the country would hold together and in great times a Romanov would rise up to lead Russia until nickolas II but again thank you and I do enjoy Russia history immensely yet I’m from America ha! The one thing I know for sure with Russia is to never invade them worst ideas in history
4:41
WOOW. Amazing painted.
I would love to hear one of these on Admiral Grace Hopper :-)
“The Imelda Marcos of Russia” wow.
"whatever the cause the result is still the same..."-Simon🤣🤣😂
I just love this narrator ❤. Fantastic content 😁. Learned more hear than in school 😅
What I’ve gotten so far is that her baby daddy was more than likely not her husband. I wonder how many Royals had parents that weren’t actually their parents
Catherine wrote a will declaring Alexander to be her successor. Shortly after her death, Paul was searching for that document which would prevent him from assuming the throne. Alexander who was not interested in ruling Russia handed the will over to Paul, who burnt it.
5years later, Paul was murdered and Alexander became emperor,. Catherine would eventually have her way
Can you guys cover Maria Callas next? She’s such a legend and had such an interesting life!
New subscriber, but I've watched almost all of your vids on this channel. They're so well done! PLEASE cover Rumi, Billie Holiday, Queen Nzinga, Langston Hughes and/or Phillis Wheatley 😁😁
Very nice touch playing the sound clip of Achilles Last Stand during The Battle for Power lol
Brilliant yet again. Have you had a look into Robert the Bruce?
Thank you...nicely done!!!
Catherine's influence prompted Alexander, her grandson mentioned in the video, to abolish serfdom. His father Paul was murdered shortly into his reign.
Catherine's throne was given to her by the aristocracy. She had no divine right over it, she knew this, displeasing them would have been her undoing. So in that way she was limited.
Although she did quip that the committee she put together to reform Russia spent more time coming up with her moniker "the Great", than actual polices. So it's kind of ironic that she's now forever known as Catherine the Great.