Russia - 1747 - Tenga (1/2 Kopek) - Elizabeth Petrovna was Empress of Russia from 1741 to 1762, the daughter of Peter the Great. Known for her opulent court, cultural patronage, and refusal to sign death warrants, she founded Moscow University and the Imperial Academy of Arts, and commissioned Baroque landmarks like the Winter Palace and Smolny Cathedral. Her reign saw victories in the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years’ War, boosting Russia’s European influence.