Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Russian: ????????? II ???????, Yekaterina II Velikaya; 2 May [O.S. 21 April] 1729 ? 17 November [O.S. 6 November] 1796) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years, from 9 July [O.S. 28 June] 1762 until her death. Marrying into the Russian Imperial family, she came to power with the deposition of her husband Peter III and then presided over a significant period of growth in Russian influence and culture. She exemplified the enlightened despot of her era. The reign of Catherine the Great saw the highpoint of the Russian nobility. Catherine had noble estates surveyed and gave the possessors title to the land. As a result, the old service estates became private property, and the distinction between votchina and pomestie estates now completely disappeared in law as well as in practice. In 1785 Catherine conferred on the nobility the [Charter to the Nobility]. For the first time in Russian history a social group had legal rights instead of only duties. The Charter also gave corporate rights to the nobility in each district and province. Each group elected a Marshall of the Nobility who spoke on their behalf to the monarch on issues of concern to them. She was suppose to have had many lovers, and was held responsible for the planned murder of her husband.