In 1762 Catherine's husband became Tsar Peter III but he ... the process of Westernisation begun by Peter the Great. During her reign she extended the Russian empire southwards and westwards ...

Catherine is responsible for a huge expansion of the Russian Empire, including the acquisition of Crimea, and turning Russia into one of the great powers of Europe. Brought from Germany as a young ...

For Catherine the Great, jewelry was about much more than adornment. The formidable Russian empress — who reigned from 1762 to 1796 after overthrowing her own husband, Peter III — understood ...