Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp was a member of the German House of Holstein-Gottorp, a princess consort of Anhalt-Zerbst by marriage, and the regent of Anhalt-Zerbst from 1747 to 1752 on behalf of her minor son, Frederick Augustus. She is best known as the mother of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia.
A portrait of Joanna, presumably by Antoine Pesne, c.1746
Ducal Castle in Stettin, now in Poland
Joanna Elisabeth's letter to her daughter Catherine, 1746
Dornburg Palace, Gommern
Catherine II, most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with a large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and with the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.
Catherine the Great, c. 1780s
1764, Rouble Catherine II ММД - Krasny Mint
Young Catherine soon after her arrival in Russia, by Louis Caravaque, 1745
Portrait of the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseyevna (the future Catherine the Great) around the time of her wedding, by Georg Christoph Grooth, 1745