On 16 November 1796, Catherine suffers a stroke and falls into a coma at age 67, the day before her death.
On the morning of 16 November 1796, Catherine II, then 67 years old, suffered a severe stroke at her palace in Tsarskoye Selo/Saint Petersburg. She was found collapsed and unresponsive by her attendants and never regained consciousness, lingering in a coma for approximately a day before her death.
Her sudden incapacitation set in motion the immediate transfer of power to her estranged son, Grand Duke Paul, whom she had reportedly considered bypassing in the line of succession in favor of her grandson Alexander, though no formal change to the succession had been finalized before her stroke. Paul's assumption of the throne shortly after would begin a reign markedly different in style and policy from his mother's, in part reflecting his resentment of her long dominance and his troubled relationship with her.
This event marked the end of one of the most consequential reigns in Russian history. Catherine's incapacitation and death closed out 34 years of rule during which she had transformed Russia's territory, administrative structure, cultural standing, and international influence. Her stroke, coming without prolonged illness, was seen by contemporaries as a sudden and dramatic end to an era, prompting immediate political maneuvering within the court as her son prepared to take power amid uncertain succession politics.