It was not for nothing that Empress Catherine II was called the Great. During the years of her reign, much changed in Russia: the state grew with new lands, sciences and arts developed, and the most important administrative and social reforms were carried out. Catherine ruled the Russian Empire for more than three decades, and these years were called the Golden Age. The book tells how the extraordinary personality of the future empress was formed, about her difficult path to the throne, about the great victories and grave adversities of this brilliant woman.