21. Catherine the Great overthrew her husband and usurped the throne from her son
Catherine the Great of Russia acceded to the throne as empress after participating in a coup which led to the arrest of her husband, Peter III. Six months later Peter was assassinated while under house arrest by another plotter of the coup, though in fairness to Catherine there is no evidence that she ordered or was even aware of the plot to kill Peter. There were others with claims to the throne following Peter III. One was Ivan VI, who had spent nearly his whole life incarcerated, and who was assassinated on Catherine’s order in response to an attempted coup against her. Another was the Grand Duke Paul, her son with Peter III, who should have claimed the throne upon reaching the age of majority, with Catherine as empress regent until then. The serfs of Russia simmered with growing resentment throughout her reign, exploding into open rebellions, all of which failed, and led to even harsher conditions. Today she is widely regarded as an enlightened despot by scholars.