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Catherine the Great (1729-1796), Empress of All Russia (1762-1796), continued the process of Westernization begun by Peter the Great and made Russia a European power. She was born in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). In 1745 she married Grand Duke Peter of Holstein, grandson of Peter the Great. Peter III succeeded to the throne in 1762, but the Imperial Guards soon overthrew him and replaced him with Catherine. |
