Catherine the Great

Manuscript DS in Cyrillic, signed "Ekaterina,” one page, 6.75 x 7.75, July 31, 1768. Addressed from Peterhof Palace, an imperial order entitled “Ukaz of OUR Main Palace Chancellery,” which directs the chancellery to lease the Khotyn estate, together with its associated villages, to Engineer General Major Gerbel for ten years beginning in 1769, at the same price previously paid for the lease of the Appellate Court. Signed beautifully at the conclusion by Catherine the Great. In fine condition, with trimmed edges, and reinforced loss to the lower left corner tip.

Catherine II issued this ukaz from Peterhof, her summer residence on the Gulf of Finland outside St. Petersburg, on July 31, 1768. That same year, she opened the First Russo-Turkish War against the Ottoman Empire, and underwent smallpox inoculation by Dr. Thomas Dimsdale, eventually making the procedure publicly available throughout Russia. The ukaz concerns the administration of imperial estates, a routine but substantial function of the Palace Chancellery, which managed the vast landholdings of the Russian crown. Catherine reigned from 1762 until her death in 1796, presiding over a dramatic expansion of Russian territory and influence. She is the longest-ruling female leader in Russian history.