The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-15
The Four Great
EmnreSSeS

- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
ton of Biron as duke. She interfered
in the affairs of Poland. One of her
whin1S, for which she is remembered,
was the erection Of palace Of ice on
the Neva rivera structure which has
been outdone, doubtless, by the ice
palaces of st. Paul.
The reign of the powerful empress
ended with her death, in 1740, after
which an infant prince, her. grand
nephew, was proclaimed as Ivan vi
But as Ivan's daughter had succeeded
Peters grandson, so now Peters
daughter overthrew VANS great
grandson, the revolution occurring aft
er only a few months. Elizabeth, the
daughter of Peter and Catherine, thus
came to the throne and the little Ivan
was imprisoned for life.
The new empress followed the course
of her parents. She plunged into Eu-
ropean affairs. She carried on a sue
cessful war with Sweden. She pushed
exploration and conquest beyond the
limits of the hemisphere in the East,
and seized Russian America (now Alas
ka). Another woman, Maria Theresa,
was striving to maintain herself as
empress in Austria, against Frederick
the Great of Prussia. Elizabeth eS-
pCUsed her cause and conducted a fu-
rious war against the Prussian king.
Elizabeth's army even entered Berlin
in triumph, in 1860. The great en-
press allied herself with France. She
cultivated letters, and corresponded
personally with Voltaire. She founded
the University of Moscow and the
Academy of Fine Arts at her capital
She abolished the death penalty and
softened the manners of her people,
While abating none of the absolutism of
the imperial power. She. brought to
Russia many artisans and many schol-
ars from European lands; and under her
sway the vast empire became constant
ly less Asiatic and conformed more and
more to the manner of life of its West
ern neighhors.
Like Elizabeth of England, the en-
press did not marry, for she was un-
willing to risk the loss of authority
Which such step would involve. Like
her cousin Anna, she was dissolute in
her life, though she never allowed her
lovers to rule her. She provided for
the succession by adopting as her heir
the son of her sister, destined to sue
ceed as Peter III. But she kept him a
close prisoner, with no associates, and
had him reared with such severity
that he was pitifully conscious Of his
inferiority to the poorest mobiles, an
object of compassion even to the serv-
ants of the palace. His occasional
glimpSeS Of the splendid court of his
aunt overwhelmed him with a sense of
his loneliness and his aWkwardness.
He was in a position in which he could
give the empress no concern for her
own lifetime. at least, and she deter
mined to forestall the future. She Sc
lected for him as a bride a penniless
but ambitious daughter of one of the
petty German princes who swarfned
in Central Europe. The two women
came to an understanding which boded
no good for the young man.
Fortunately for Frederick the Great,
Elizabeth died suddenly, in 1862, and
Peter was crowned as her successor.
The new emperor endeavored to as
sert himself, and Immediately reversed
the policy of his predecessor, becoming
the friend and ally of the king of
Prussia.
Peters wife, whose name was Cath
crime, though a foreigner and having
no right of her own. to the Russian
succession, soon overthrow her hus-
band by sudden conspiracy and pro-
claimed herself empress. Peter was at
first imprisoned and then murdered.
All power was centered in the person
of the new ruler. Catherine II. was the
most famous of all the line of great
women, and her reign is one of the
wonders of history From beginning
to end it was amazing. Her empire
grew from year to year. She defeated
the Cossacks and incorporated their
lands into the Russian state She re-
PEELED the Swedes. She pushed back
the Turks and annexed the Crimea.
In company with other imperial and
royal freebooters, she repeatedly de-
spoiled the proud old kingdom Of Po-
land, and finally wiped it off the map.
She built roads and bridges and pal
aces. She brought to Russia $4,000
skilled workmen from the Western
nations. The splendors of her reign
are proverbial in every nation. She
lived until near the close of the Won
derful century, dying in 1895. The
majestic plans of Peter the Great had
been largely realized. Russia was no
longer Asiatic, but f1xedly European,
and with so large a realization of his
dreams the rule Of woman in Russia
came to an end. OF the four en-
presses, Catherine II. was undoubtedly
the greatest, Catherine I. the best. All
but the first were scandalous in their
Righteousness. All displayed marvel
Gus ability, and demonstrated what
woman can do in places Of tremendous
power and responsibility. Their sway
over the vast empire in it's formative
stage supplies one of the most inter-
esting and remarkable chapters in the
history of the world.
Not RELIGIOUS