Abstract:

Czarina Catherine Aleksiyeva II was from Germany originally and her real name was Sofia-Augosta. Catherine has taken this name after adopting the Orthodox sect. On June 28, 1762, she overthrew her husband Tsar Petro III with the help of the statesmen and took his place. Catherine, who made many reforms during every rule in the country, is mentioned in the 18th century Ottoman-Russian Wars topics in Turkish history textbooks. Furthermore, she is one of the most important figures for Russian History in Turkish History textbooks. The aim of this study is to reveal how Catherine is presented in history textbooks in Turkey. In the research, the document analysis method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used. According to the research, Czarina Catherine is taught in the subject of Ottoman-Russian Wars in the 18th Century in accordance with the years of her administration. A noteworthy point in the Turkish history textbooks is that Catherine has considerably pursued the policies of Russia which is desire to gain access to the warm waters and dominate the Balkans. These policies have done much harm to the Ottoman Empire in the period of regression. Indirectly, history textbooks present the image of a strong Czarina Catherine and a successful female leader.

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