Catherine the Great

On July 17, 1762, Catherine II became Tsarina of Russia following the murder of Peter III. From the article:

CATHERINE THE GREAT – EMPRESS OF RUSSIA:
"Despite being a foreigner, Catherine the Great of Russia proved a surprisingly popular ruler. Perhaps conscious of the need to constantly shore up support among the nobility, she was a pragmatic and often times populist leader of Russia.

In foreign affairs she oversaw a massive expansion of Russian territory. Dominance of Ukraine, the Crimea and the Black Sea was assured by comprehensive victories over the Ottoman Turks in the two Russo-Turkish Wars (1768-74 and 1787-92). The Polish-Russian War of 1792 led to the Partition of Poland and, together with victory in the Russo-Swedish war of 1788-1790, secured Russia’s Northern European flank.

Military success, combined with shrewd diplomacy, saw Russia gain recognition as one of Europe’s Great Powers. A commercial treaty with Great Britain was signed in 1766 and, perhaps inspired by Britain, Russia attempted to manage a balance of power in Europe by acting as an international mediator.

At the same time, expansion into Siberia brought increased wealth back home to Moscow, notably from the fur trade, and led to Russia beginning to develop friendly relations with Japan.

At home, Catherine’s interest in literature and the arts led to a flowering of culture and an increased emphasis on education in Russia. She also instituted financial reforms, including the foundation of Assignation Bank in 1769, which introduced the first paper money (known as Assignation Roubles) into Russia.

Conscious of the need to maintain stability and avoid the danger of peasant uprisings, Catherine became gradually more conservative during her reign.

She faced more than a dozen uprisings during the course of her reign. The Pugachev Rebellion (also widely known as the Cossack Rebellion) of 1773-75 is widely regarded as the largest rebellion in Russian history – serfs gathered to support Pugachev, who claimed he was Peter III, Catherine’s late husband.

In response, Catherine made some attempts to improve the lot of Russian serfs, notably giving them the right to take legal action against landowners who mistreated them. But, conscious of her relatively weak position, she avoided any dramatic reform and, instead, developed a stronger military presence throughout Russia that would be capable of responding to further uprisings."