who was catherine ii russia
- Catherine II (Russian: ÐÐºÐ°ÑÐµÑÐ¸Ð½Ð° ÐÐ»ÐµÐºÑÐµÐµÐ²Ð½Ð° Yekaterina Alekseyevna; 2 May [O.S. 21 April] 1729 â 17 November [O.S. 6 November] 1796), also known as Catherine the Great (ÐÐºÐ°ÑÐµÑÐ¸ÌÐ½Ð° ÐÐµÐ»Ð¸ÌÐºÐ°Ñ, Yekaterina Velikaya), born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, was Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796, the country's longest-ruling female leader.