Catherine II of Russia (1729–1796), known as Catherine the Great, was born a German princess and became the czarina and autocrat of Russia after the overthrow and death in 1762 of her husband, Czar Peter III. Russia in the eighteenth century was a country moving closer to the European model, a process traceable to the reign of Czar Peter I, “the Great” (r. 1682–1725), who had forcibly introduced to Russia many European customs and institutions. The exceptionally well-read Catherine was influenced by the reforming ideas of the European Enlightenment and corresponded with several Enlightenment philosophers. Reform of laws was a classic Enlightenment project and an important step in bringing Russia closer to Europe. It also showed Catherine’s grip on the country in the still-shaky early days of her regime. Catherine had been closely studying Russian laws since 1764 and convened a legislative commission composed of delegates from many parts of the realm to reform and codify them. Although the nobility dominated the commission, members also included free peasants, Cossacks (an Orthodox Christian people known for democratic traditions), and even delegates from Russia’s non-Christian population. The Grand Instructions to the Commissioners Appointed to Frame a New Code of Laws for the Russian Empire set forth a general program for legal reform intended to guide the legislative commission. Although the commission did some useful work preparing draft legislation, it proved too unwieldy and divided to accomplish the mission Catherine had given it, and there would be no new codification of Russian law in her reign.