Catherine II as Female Ruler: The Power of Enlightened Womanhood
This article examines some of the complexities of female rule during the reign of Catherine II (1762-1796). It argues that in addition to the Baroque scenarios of power inherited from her predecessors, the German-born Russian empress employed the cultural roles of an “enlightened” woman of merit –...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Illinois Open Publishing Network
2015-11-01
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| Series: | Вивліоѳика |
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| Online Access: | https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/vivliofika/article/view/584 |
| Summary: | This article examines some of the complexities of female rule during the reign of Catherine II (1762-1796). It argues that in addition to the Baroque scenarios of power inherited from her predecessors, the German-born Russian empress employed the cultural roles of an “enlightened” woman of merit – a matriarch, a craftswoman, a house manager, and an educator – roles that projected positive values of womanhood, in order to position her femininity as beneficial to the state and to thereby legitimize her authority as a female sovereign.
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| ISSN: | 2333-1658 |