The dissatisfaction with Emperor Peter III in the army was so great that a conspiracy matured. The soul of the conspiracy was officer Grigory Orlov and his brothers. Peter III was deposed, and his wife Catherine was proclaimed an autocratic empress. Catherine confidently and firmly led the state. The eighteen years she spent in Russia were not in vain: she knew the country well, its history, its people. From the very first days of her reign, Catherine showed extraordinary efficiency and the ability to select knowledgeable and reliable assistants. Her son Pavel Petrovich, who inherited the throne, was distinguished by a bad character and a rare ability to arouse hatred towards himself. Dissatisfaction with the emperor turned into another conspiracy. Among the conspirators was the son of Paul, the grandson of Catherine - Alexander. The reign of Alexander I lasted twenty-four years.