European Rulers

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Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, married the Grand Duke Peter of Holstein. However, she disliked him and managed to remove Peter from the throne and place herself as empress. This behavior could be that of a fox. In Roald Dahl’s book Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox only cared for himself and not for the emotions of the chickens. This represents Catherine the Great because she dismissed Peter, taking the leadership position of Russia for her personal gain.

However, unlike either a lion or a fox and against Machiavelli’s theory, Catherine took many lovers not for political aspirations but rather for her own enjoyment. She raised them to high positions while interested and then when her interest lagged she ameliorated the pain of removing the men from her favor by giving gifts of large estates and serfs.

Although a woman of little beauty, Catherine possessed considerable charm, a lively intelligence, and extraordinary energy. Reminiscent of a lion she had a regal and powerful attitude that made her a great ruler.

Both a Lion and a Fox demonstrate the ability to take control, dominate, and be clever. However, they do not represent the compassionate, political, and personal lives of rulers. Elizabeth the First and Catherine the Great ruled as strong women who believed in the success and unity of their nations. Even though they ruled in different periods they had similar problems, goals, and achievements. No matter how much their personalities represented the stereotypical human attributes of both the Lion and the Fox, Elizabeth and Catherine were mostly human. They let emotions, histories, and brains control the way they governed their country becoming both great rulers of their nations.