The Life & Times of Catherine the Great

by Karen Bush Gibson

Considered one of the greatest female rulers, Catherine the Great was a German princess who ruled Russia for 34 years. She introduced reforms in government that led to widespread education, advances in medical care, and improvements in the legal system. Catherine was a voracious reader, and she took many ideas from her reading. She was particularly influenced by writers of the Enlightenment that focused on natural law and science. As one of Russia’s longest rulers, she introduced arts and culture to Russia. Today’s Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one the greatest art museums in the world. Catherine the Great’s influence led to the development of Russia as a world power in the 19th and 20th centuries.

48 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Karen Bush Gibson (also known as K.B. Gibson and Karen Gibson) has been writing, well, forever. She has written a little bit of everything, but got her start writing articles and features for magazines. Karen began writing children's nonfiction in 2001 with Capstone and loves bringing nonfiction to life for kids. Since then, she has worked with several publishers, including Chicago Review Press and Nomad Press. Karen has more than 30 books published (stopped counting at 30) and stays so busy that she's having trouble returning to her other love, mystery writing. "A Class on Murder" was released in 2012.