Full Name: Catherine II (Catherine the Great, born Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst); Profession: Empress of Russia, monarch, political and cultural reformer; Nationality: German-born who became Russian (Prussian-born empress of the Russian Empire); Born: 02 May 1729; Birthplace: Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland); Generation: 18th-century Enlightenment-era generation (pre-modern, before named modern generations); Chinese Zodiac: Rooster (Chinese New Year for 1729 fell on 29 January 1729, beginning the Year of the Rooster). Zodiac Sign: Taurus; Age in 2026: 297 years old if alive in 2026; Marital Status: Married once to Peter III of Russia in 1745 and widowed after his overthrow and death, never remarrying; Children: commonly recorded as three legitimate children—Paul (the future Tsar Paul I, born 1754); Anna (born 1757, died in infancy); and Alexei (born 1762)—with Paul the only one to reach adulthood, alongside possible additional offspring from later relationships discussed by historians. Description: Catherine the Great was a German-born princess who, after being chosen as bride for the Russian heir, converted to Russian Orthodoxy, mastered the Russian language and court politics, and in 1762, led a palace coup that deposed her unpopular husband Peter III, allowing her to reign as Empress of Russia for 34 years, longer than any other woman in Russian history, during which she energetically pursued Westernization and Enlightenment ideals, reorganized the administration and legal code, expanded Russian territory through successful wars against the Ottoman Empire and the partitions of Poland, promoted education, founded new towns and institutions, patronized the arts, and corresponded with leading European philosophers such as Voltaire and Diderot, while also strengthening the nobility’s power over serfs despite earlier intentions to ease their condition, leaving a complex legacy as an autocratic ruler who transformed Russia into a major European power yet presided over deep social inequalities and maintained an intensely active personal life that included a series of influential favorites and lovers who often held significant political sway at her court. Cause of Death: Died on 17 November 1796 at Tsarskoye Selo (near St. Petersburg) at age 67 after collapsing from a severe stroke, falling into a coma, and never regaining consciousness.