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Elizabeth or Elizaveta Petrovna (Russian: Елизаве́та Петро́вна; 29 December [O.S. 18 December] 1709 – 5 January [O.S. 25 December] 1762) was Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762.
Elizabeth, empress of Russia from 1741 to 1761 (1762, New Style). She encouraged the development of education and art, founding Russia’s first university and the Academy of Arts and building the extravagant Winter Palace. During her reign Russia’s prestige as a major European power grew.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- She Was Incredibly Spoiled. Elizabeth of Russia’s reputation today is full of scandal and contradiction, as it was in her own time. One historian called her “the laziest, most extravagant, and most amorous of sovereigns,” and the Empress’s reign is still the stuff of legends.
- She Had Expensive Tastes. At the height of her power, Elizabeth’s court was beyond decadent. Not only did the Empress demand that all her courtiers wear the most luxurious clothes, she also insisted that no one wear the same dress twice, and had her men stamp gowns with special ink to enforce the rule.
- She Made Bizarre Demands. Even though Elizabeth insisted that her yes-men be dressed to the nines, the incredibly vain Empress also strictly forbade anyone from outshining her.
- She Punished Her Rivals in Brutal Ways. One day, a courtier named Natalya Lopukhina didn’t get the memo about Elizabeth’s get-up that evening and ended up wearing a similar bauble as the Empress.
Learn about the life and achievements of Elizabeth of Russia, the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I, who became the Empress of Russia in 1741. Find out how she seized power, led Russia in two major European wars, and died of a stroke at 52.
Died: St. Petersburg, 25 December 1761 (5 January 1762) Reigned: 1741-1761 (1762) Coming to power as a result of a palace coup, Elizabeth, the second oldest daughter of Peter the Great, proclaimed that her policies would be a continuation and preservation of the achievements of her father.
May 8, 2018 · ELIZABETH (RUSSIA) (1709 – 1762; ruled 1741 – 1762), empress of Russia. Elizabeth Petrovna, the daughter of Peter the Great and his second wife, Catherine, reigned as empress for over twenty years.
The daughter of the first emperor managed to rule Russia for 20 years during one of the most difficult periods in its history. But let’s put politics and empire aside, and try to...
