Mike Almack

Was Catherine II an Absolute Monarch?

There are many things that make a ruler an Absolute Monarch. The question, Was Catherine II
an Absolute Monarch? has been raised for many years. Everyone has their own opinion about whether
or not she was absolute while leading Russia, but I believe that she was. Catherine II was an Absolute
Monarch because of her views and decisions on the Constitution (Nakaz), absolute rule, economic
reforms, religious toleration, and how she ruled Society (not Divine Rule).
The first example of being an Absolute Monarch was when Catherine decided to make a
document called the Nakaz which established how the countrys legal systems should be run. She did
not keep the laws that were put together by the Ruler before her, but enacted her own; showing her
absolute power. The Nakaz pushed for Capital punishment, outlawed torture, and declared every man
was equal. Secondly, Catherine did believe in Absolute rule and made efforts of political and social
reforms. If she herself believed in Absolute rule then it shows that she was going to make her decisions
as the final authority of the land. She did things such as favor economic reforms by making a policy to
favor the upper class which in turn led to her being a stronger and more powerful Ruler.
An additional indication of her absolute power related to her relationship to the church.
Although many absolute monarchs believed in the divine right of kings this was not true of Catherine the
Great. She was a lifelong skeptic of the church and therefore demonstrated her absolute power by
taking over the churches property. At first, she gave the churchs land and property back, but then she
changed her mind and believed that the wealth of the church should be controlled by the state. She put
into rule that the church was connected with the state and therefore made the church pay property
taxes. This also made her a ruler of society making her an Absolute Monarch. She did not believe that
God had control over all things like previous Rulers did. She believed that she should have control over
all things by the way she led her country. The dictionary definition of divine rule is stated as the
doctrine that Kings and Queens have a God-given right to rule and that rebellion against them is a sin.
This is a strong indication that she was an Absolute Monarch. It showed that she did not believe that
God had control over everything but that she did. The biggest piece of not being in absolute rule is
surrendering your rule essentially to God and this is what Catherine did not do making her an Absolute
Monarch.
To conclude, Catherine II was an Absolute Monarch by the way she led her country and by the
way she viewed economic reforms, the constitution (Nakaz), control over the church, and how society
should be ruled not by Divine rule like her ancestors. She put forth many laws proving that she was an
Absolute Monarch such as controlling the Orthodox church, And favoring economic reforms by making a
policy to create upper class power. Catherine II in the end changed Russia by not ruling the society by
Divine Rule. She enacted a completely different political system and Controlled Russia that had not been
true to Russia before. In the end, Catherine II was an Absolute Monarch by the way she decided to lead
the country of Russia during her reign. She took control of the power and did not leave it to God as
many of her ancestors did. She was an Absolute Monarch.

Works cited
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
"Catherine The Great." History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.