In this episode of pplpod, we explore the transformation of Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, a minor German noble who reinvented herself to become Catherine II, the Empress of Russia for over 34 years,. We discuss her tumultuous marriage to Peter III and the dramatic 1762 coup d'état in which she rallied the military to overthrow him and seize power,.

Join us as we examine her reign as an "enlightened despot" who presided over a Golden Age, founding the Hermitage museum, corresponding with Voltaire, and even pioneering smallpox inoculation for her subjects,,. We break down her aggressive foreign policy, which expanded the empire by 520,000 square kilometers through the annexation of Crimea, the partition of Poland, and the colonization of Alaska,.

Finally, we look at the contradictions of her rule: while she modernized educa ...