RUSSIAN EMPIRE (1721-1917 CE)
REIGN OF THE EMPRESS CATHERINE II "THE GREAT" (1762-1796) - HOUSE OF ROMANOV
GOLD 5 ROUBLES COIN CERTIFIED BY NGC ABOUT UNCIRCULATED 55
"8 OVER 7" OVERDATE
OBV: PORTRAIT BUST OF THE EMPRESS CATHERINE II IN TIARA RIGHT.
REV: CROWNED DOUBLE-HEADED IMPERIAL EAGLE WITHIN CIRCLE AT THE CENTER OF A CRUCIFORM OF FOUR CROWNED HERALDIC SHIELDS, ONE NUMBER OF THE DATE IN EACH ANGLE.
C # 78A
RUSSIAN EMPRESS CATHERINE THE GREAT (b. 1729, d. 1796) WAS BORN THE PRINCESS SOPHIE FRIEDERIKE AUGUSTE, DAUGHTER OF CHRISTIAN AUGUSTUS WHO WAS RULER OF THE SMALL GERMAN PRINCIPALITY OF ANHALT-ZERBST IN THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE. ALTHOUGH A PRINCESS WITH CLOSE RELATION TO THE KING OF SWEDEN ON HER MOTHER'S SIDE, HER FAMILY WAS NOT WEALTHY, AND HER FATHER SERVED AS A PRUSSIAN GENERAL AND GOVERNOR OF THE CITY OF STETTIN IN POMERANIA. THANKS TO HER MOTHER'S FAMILY TIES AND THE URGINGS OF KING FREDERICK II "THE GREAT" OF PRUSSIA WHO WANTED TO ENGENDER FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA, A MARRIAGE TO EMPRESS ELIZABETH OF RUSSIA'S HEIR WAS SOUGHT AFTER. INITIALLY, THE PROPOSED MATCH WAS A FAILURE, ENDING WITH 10 YEAR OLD PRINCESS SOPHIE DETESTING HER POSSIBLE GROOM AND SECOND COUSIN, KARL PETER ULRICH, DUKE OF HOLSTEIN-GOTTORP (THE FUTURE TSAR PETER III WHO WAS ALSO GERMAN), AND THE ACCUSATION AND EXILE OF SOPHIE'S MOTHER FROM RUSSIA FOR SPYING FOR THE PRUSSIAN KING. THE EMPRESS ELIZABETH, HOWEVER, LIKED THE GIRL, AND SO SOPHIE WENT ABOUT INGRATIATING HERSELF WITH THE EMPRESS, THE DUKE AND THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE. SHE DEDICATED HERSELF TO LEARNING RUSSIAN, WHICH SHE ALWAYS SPOKE WITH A GERMAN ACCENT, CONVERTED TO RUSSIAN ORTHODOXY, AND DID EVERYTHING SHE COULD TO PROVE HERSELF WORTHY TO WEAR THE CROWN. WHEN SHE CONVERTED, SHE TOOK THE NAME EKATERINA ALEXEIEVNA, HENCE, CATHERINE.
THE COUPLE WAS WED IN 1745, AND ALTHOUGH THEY PRODUCED TWO CHILDREN, THE FUTURE TSAR PAUL I AND ANNA PETROVNA, BOTH PETER AND CATHERINE DESPISED ONE ANOTHER. THEY BOTH TOOK MANY LOVERS, AND CATHERINE CLAIMED THAT PAUL WAS NOT FATHERED BY HER HUSBAND BECAUSE THE MARRIAGE WAS NEVER CONSUMMATED. HISTORY JUDGES PETER HARSHLY, ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN REVISIONIST CLAIMS THAT HE WAS AN EARNEST RULER, BUT THE POPULAR OPINIONS COME FROME CATHERINE HERSELF WHO CONSIDERED HIM THE "DRUNKARD FROM HOLSTEIN" AND "AN IDIOT", AND HISTORICAL SOURCES CLAIMING HE WAS MADE HIDEOUS FROM SMALLPOX, HE SMELLED FOUL, HE HATED RUSSIANS AND SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH GERMANS, ENGAGED IN LOATHSOME HABITS AND WAS A PETTY, MEAN AND VINDICTIVE DESPOT.
PETER BECAME TSAR IN 1762, WITHDREW RUSSIA FROM THE SEVEN YEARS WAR AND MADE PEACE WITH PRUSSIA, MAKING AN ALLY OF RUSSIA'S FOE AND GIVING UP TERRITORIES WON IN THE WAR. HE BROUGHT MANY REFORMS TO RUSSIA DURING HIS 186 DAY REIGN, BUT A CONSPIRACY OF THE DISCONTENTED GUARDS REGIMENT, SAID TO HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED BY CATHERINE AND HER LOVER COUNT ORLOV TO MURDER PETER AND SEIZE POWER, BROUGHT AN END TO HIS RULE. IT IS UNCERTAIN WHETHER PETER WAS ASSASSINATED BY ORLOV OR COMMITTED SUICIDE SHORTLY AFTER HIS ABDICATION AND IMPRISONMENT. REGARDLESS, CATHERINE WAS PROCLAIMED EMPRESS BY THE GUARDS WITH NO RESISTANCE.
CATHERINE’S RULE HAS BEEN CALLED THE ‘CATHERINIAN ERA”, A RUSSIAN GOLDEN AGE FOR THE EMPIRE AND ITS NOBILITY. RUSSIA GREW STRONGER AND LARGER UNDER HER REIGN AND BECAME ONE OF EUROPE’S GREAT POWERS. A CORRESPONDENT OF VOLTAIRE, SHE WAS CONSIDERED AN ENLIGHTENED DESPOT WHO PRESIDED OVER RUSSIA’S AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT, RELYING ON HER NOBLE AND ABLE FAVORITES AND HER HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL GENERALS AND ADMIRALS TO EXPAND RUSSIA BY VICTORIES OF CONQUEST AND DIPLOMACY, AND TO ESTABLISH NEW TOWNS AND COLONIZE NEW TERRITORIES IN RUSSIA’S VAST EXPANSES. SHE WAS A PATRON OF THE ARTS AND SCIENCES AND DURING HER REIGN THE FIRST PAPER MONEY WAS PRINTED IN RUSSIA, REDEEMABLE FOR COPPER COINAGE. SHE MOVED HER NATION TOWARDS WESTERN MODERNIZATION, WAS THE LONGEST RULING EMPRESS OF RUSSIA, AND FOR HER ACHIEVEMENTS SHE WAS GIVEN THE EPITHET “THE GREAT”.
CONTAINS 6.54 GRAMS OF .917 FINE GOLD (.1928)
23.5 MM IN DIAMETER
ST. PETERSBURG MINTMARK AT BUST TRUNCATION ON OBVERSE
STEPAN AFONASIEV (MINTMASTER 1764-1770)
