Manifesto of Catherine the Great on the accession of Crimea is available in the Presidential Library collections

To commemorate the 285th anniversary of the birth of Catherine II, the Presidential Library presented a unique collection of materials relating to the political activities of the great Russian empress.

The first Russian national electronic library makes available the text of the manifesto on the accession of Crimea to Russia. The document is in the 21st volume of the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire. This victory of the Russian Empress is described in detail in the "On the centennial of accession of Crimea," available on the website of the Presidential Library:

Shahin Khan Giray in a letter to the Empress Catherine expressed his consent and, having entered in the Crimea with the Russian troops, solemnly renounced the khan’s throne in front of all his people. Then Catherine’s the Great manifesto announced Crimea’s accession to Russia," says the rare edition. The event occurred in 1783. The Empress’ manifesto, which makes part of the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, says that the Crimean residents were given a promise "to be treated by me and the successors to the throne equally to our natural subjects, to protect and defend their individuality, property, temples and their natural faith..."

The Presidential Library collections also contain other books on successful political activities of Catherine the Great: decrees, personal and diplomatic correspondence, handwritten letters and diary entries, mandates and other.

The reign of Catherine II lasted more than three and a half decades, from 1762 to 1796. It was filled with many events in the internal and external affairs, implementation of plans, which continued the initiatives of Peter the Great. "The name of Peter I influenced her charmingly. His portrait was on her desk and inspired her in the affairs of government," Vladimir Ikonnikov tells in his book "The value of the reign of Catherine II” held by the Presidential Library.

Embodying covenants of Peter, she continued to lead the development of Russia towards the Enlightenment. "The root of all the good and evil, in view of Catherine the Wise, was education. We must make people so that they stopped doing evil to each other, were afraid of the law and sought to virtue. The most reliable means to make people better, says the Empress, is the perfection of education. "Do you want to prevent crime? she asks: do so that awareness spread among people," says the book “The life and work of the Empress Catherine II,” available on the website of the first national electronic library of Russia.

During the reign of Catherine II the population of Russia significantly increased, hundreds of new cities were built, the treasury quadrupled, industry and agriculture were rapidly developing - Russia first began to export grain. In her reign, paper money was for the first time introduced in Russia.

In Catherine’s II reign the Hermitage, the Public Library, the Smolny Institute and teacher training schools were created in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Russian Academy was also founded. Her reign was the time of strengthening of international importance of the Russian Empire.

Materials about Catherine the Great have been included in the collection of the first national electronic library in the country, "Romanov dynasty. 400th anniversary of the Zemsky Sobor of 1613." Totally, the collection contains about 900 items.