Enlightenment

Many people from Europe had a wrong opinion about Russia. They viewed it as a backward and provincial country, however, Catherine the Great sought to change this negative opinion.

She opened boarding schools for girls from noble families in St. Petersburg and later free schools in towns across Russia.

Catherine loved arts and sponsored many cultural projects. She also had her own collection of paintings which is currently one of the largest museums of the world called Hermitage. The Hermitage holds over three million items.

Hermitage

Catherine was interested in the writings of the major figures of the French Enlightenment, such as Diderot, Voltaire, and Montesquieu. Catherine supported the ideas of the Enlightenment. She even exchanged letters and corresponded with the French writers such as Voltaire and Denis Diderot. She also wrote comedies, fiction and memoirs.

Catherine commenced her work on reform in 1764. Se was one of those 18th century rulers, who were considered as "enlightened despots" and this influenced her way of thinking about the problems of reform. She believed that a clever and enlightened monarch, acting in line with the dictates of reason, could safeguard the well-being of her subordinates.

For more than 2 years, inspired by the writings of Montesquieu and the Italian jurist Beccaria, she worked on "Instruction," or "Nakaz"- a document which contained the basic principles of politics and law systems. "Nakaz" is not only a legal document of the XVIII century, but also a philosophical and important piece of work of the era known as "enlightened monarchy ".

The front page of the "Nakaz"