About the book: 2016 / Catherine II... 220 years have passed since her death, but the minds of the people are still excited by the story of this woman’s life. An entire era in the life of the Russian state is associated with Catherine II. They have written about her since she became a ruler and continue to write about her to this day; films and TV series are made about the history of her life, and performances are staged that are still relevant today. This book includes articles and essays by famous historians such as Klyuchevsky, Karamzin, Solovyov, Platonov, Grot, Lappo-Danilevsky and others, who covered the reign of Catherine II, which allows us to look at the historical events that occurred during Catherine’s era from different angles and independently assess the role of her personality in the history of Russia.