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1729–1796 · Rulers

Catherine the Great signature

Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796 (1729–1796)

Inspired by Catherine the Great’s signature
A rendering in a modern handwriting font, made for this page. It is not the real signature; see where to view the original below. Where to see the original ↓Style: Marck Script, slant 8°

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Great Vibes · 8°

Who Catherine the Great was

Catherine II (1729–1796), known as Catherine the Great, was born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, a German princess, in Stettin. She married the heir to the Russian throne, took power from her husband Peter III in 1762 and ruled for 34 years, extending the empire to the Black Sea and into Poland and corresponding with Voltaire, Diderot and other writers of the Enlightenment.

The story of the signature

When she joined the Russian Orthodox Church in 1744, before her marriage, Sophie took the name Ekaterina Alekseyevna. The signature she used as empress is that first name in Cyrillic, “Екатерина”, followed by a flourish.

She began learning Russian as a teenager and worked hard at it, but French remained the language of much of her private correspondence.

Russian monarchs gave their approval in their own hand. On laws and reports her assent often appears as a short handwritten resolution, such as «Быть по сему» (“So be it”), above her name.

What makes it distinctive

A single name

Like other monarchs she signed with her first name alone.

An adopted name

The name she signed was not the one she was born with but the Russian name she took on her conversion.

Cyrillic letters

Her signature is written in the Russian alphabet, the script of the country she ruled.

The closing flourish

A stroke after the name finishes the signature and makes it harder to copy.

How to give your signature a similar feel

  • The rendering at the top of this page uses Marck Script, a script font with Cyrillic letters. For your name in Latin letters, the matching style uses Great Vibes; try it on the Type tab of the signature generator with Slant around 8°.
  • If you sign in Cyrillic or any other alphabet, use the Draw tab: it works for any script, because you draw the letters yourself.
  • Add one flourish after the last letter and make it the same way each time; consistency is what makes a flourish recognizable.
  • A first-name-only signature has a regal feel, but most legal documents need your full name, so keep a full version too.

Where to see the original

These links lead to archives, libraries, museums and Wikimedia Commons.

Questions about Catherine the Great’s signature

How did Catherine the Great sign her name?

In Cyrillic, “Екатерина” (Ekaterina), the Russian form of Catherine, which she took when she joined the Orthodox Church in 1744.

Was Catherine the Great Russian?

No. She was born a German princess, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, and learned Russian after arriving in Russia at the age of fourteen.

What does «Быть по сему» mean?

“So be it”: the formula Russian monarchs wrote by hand to approve a document.

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