The Princess Ekaterina Dashkova (1743–1810) was one of the most accomplished women of her time. She first came to prominence because of the assistance she gave Catherine II (r. 1762–96) the night she seized the throne from Peter III (r. 1761–62). Like the empress, Dashkova steeped herself in the literature of the Enlightenment and spent several years in western Europe, where she befriended such luminaries as Voltaire (1694–1778), Diderot (1713–1784), and Adam Smith (1723–1790). In Russia, she founded and ran journals, was appointed director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and Sciences, became president of the Russian Academy, promoted theater, and wrote about her activities in her brilliant memoirs.