By STEPHANIE ROGERS
Russia’s longest-ruling female leader, Catherine II — better known as Catherine the Great — was a force to be reckoned with.
Catherine was the last reigning Empress Regnant of Russia from 1762 to 1796, and the country flourished under her rule. So much so, in fact, that the period is now known as the Golden Age of Russia.
Catherine is remembered for embracing Enlightenment ideals—and for a notorious rumor involving a horse and scandalous furniture.
Catherine was bold, fearless, and sexually liberated—traits that intimidated many. Though she died of a stroke at 67, her vitality sparked a scandalous (and false) rumor that she died during intercourse with a horse.
Though likely spread by political enemies, rumors about Catherine’s sexuality stem from her well-known appetite for passion. Her 30-year reign began after an arranged marriage at 16 to her second cousin, Peter. she’s estimated to have had affairs with as many as 22 different men. Peter was said to be a childlike alcoholic.
A recent dramatization of Catherine’s rule starring Helen Mirren, HBO’s Catherine the Great, captures some of the affairs that occurred in the ruler’s later years.