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The Grand Instructions To The Commissioners Appointed To Frame A New Code Of Laws For The Russian Empire

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The Grand Instructions to the Commissioners Appointed to Frame a New Code of Laws for the Russian Empire is a book written by Catherine II, the Empress of Russia, in 1768. The book is a comprehensive guide for the commissioners who were tasked with creating a new set of laws for the Russian Empire. Catherine II was known for her interest in legal reform and her belief in the importance of a strong legal system for the stability and prosperity of a nation. The Grand Instructions reflects her commitment to this goal, as it outlines the principles and values that should guide the creation of a new legal code.The book covers a wide range of topics, including the rights and duties of citizens, property laws, criminal justice, and the organization of government. It emphasizes the importance of fairness, equality, and the rule of law, and encourages the commissioners to consider the needs and interests of all members of society in their work.The Grand Instructions is not only a guide for the commissioners, but also a statement of Catherine's own political philosophy. It reflects her belief in the power of enlightened governance and her commitment to modernizing and strengthening the Russian state.Overall, The Grand Instructions to the Commissioners Appointed to Frame a New Code of Laws for the Russian Empire is an important historical document that provides insight into the political and legal thinking of one of Russia's most influential leaders.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

284 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2010

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Catherine II

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Catherine the Great, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russia, the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. Her reign, the Catherinian Era, was called Russia's golden age. Russia was revitalized, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.
The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country. A notable example of an enlightened despot, a correspondent of Voltaire and an amateur opera librettist, Catherine presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, when the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe, was established.
Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas, and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to increased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief reasons behind several rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev's Rebellion of cossacks and peasants.
She was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, and came to power following a coup d'état and the assassination of her husband, Peter III, at the end of the Seven Years' War.
In both her accession to power and in rule of her empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov, and admirals such as Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was crushed following victories over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish wars, and Russia colonised the vast territories of Novorossiya along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, king Stanisław August Poniatowski, was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russia started to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.

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