Primary sourceDiary entry1790s

Catherine II's Memoirs

Catherine II of Russia · 1790s

Catherine the Great's handwritten autobiographical notes, giving her own account of her youth and rise to power.

These are Catherine's own handwritten memoirs, recording her account of her youth and rise to the throne.

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Open handwritten manuscript bound in a book on a dark display surface. Left page and right page are covered in dense cursive handwriting in ink, with crossed-out words and insertions. Paper is cream-colored and aged. — Catherine II of Russia, autograph memoirs (draft), 1790s. RGADA.

About this source

What it is

This is a manuscript draft, in Catherine II's own handwriting, of her autobiographical memoirs, written in French in the 1790s and now held at the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA).

Why it matters

Written late in her life, these memoirs are Catherine's personal account of her early years, her marriage to Peter III, and her path to becoming empress. As a primary source written by Catherine herself, they offer a window into how she wanted her own story to be told, though like any memoir they reflect her own point of view rather than an impartial record.

Look closer

Why might someone write their memoirs decades after the events they describe?
What do the crossed-out words and insertions suggest about how the text was composed?
How might a ruler's account of her own rise to power differ from an outside observer's account?

This diary entry is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Catherine the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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