Pyotr Rumyantsev in the context of "Rumyantsev Obelisk"

Catherine II (born Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica, Russian: Екатерина Алексеевна Романова; 2 May 1729 – 17 November [O.S. 6 November] 1796), commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after a coup d'etat against her husband, Peter III. Her long reign helped Russia thrive under a golden age under the Enlightenment. This renaissance led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.

After overthrowing and possibly assassinating her husband and her subsequent rule of the Russian Empire, Catherine often relied on noble favourites such as Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev and admirals such as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the west, she installed her former lover to the throne of Poland, which was eventually partitioned. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was annexed following victories over the Bar Confederation and the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. With the support of Great Britain, Russia colonised the territories of New Russia along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.

Kaynardzha (also transliterated as Kajnardža; Bulgarian: Кайнарджа, IPA: [kɐjnɐrˈd͡ʒa]; Romanian: Cainargeaua Mică; Turkish: Kaynarca; Greek: Καϊναρτζή) is a village in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Silistra Province. It is the administrative centre of Kaynardzha Municipality, which lies in the easternmost part of Silistra Province, in the historical region of Southern Dobruja, close to the Romanian border.

The village is known as the location of the signing of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca on 21 July 1774 between Count Pyotr Rumyantsev, representative of Empress Catherine the Great of the Russian Empire and Musul Zade Mehmed Pasha, representative of Sultan Abdul Hamid I of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty put an end to the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, which was devastating for the once-mighty Ottoman realm.

The Battle of Kozludzha (also known as the Battle of Kozludža or the Battle of Kozluca), fought on 20 June (Old Style - June 9) 1774 near the village of Kozludzha (now Suvorovo, Bulgaria), was one of the final and decisive battles of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). The Russians managed to rout the Ottoman army, scoring a major victory. This battle, alongside several others in this campaign, established the reputation of the Russian Lieutenant-General Alexander Suvorov as one of the brilliant commanders of his time. As a result of the council, however, the Russians did not undertake a further offensive beyond Balkan Mountains deep into Ottoman territory due to the bad local roads and the lack of provisions, which were available only until 12 July. The commander-in-chief General-Feldmarshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky was furious at the operational outcome and placed the responsibility for not moving the TO beyond Balkan mountains on Lieutenant-General Count Mikhail Kamensky, Suvorov's assistant at the battle of Kozludzha and the senior among the 6 generals (including Suvorov) who were at the council. Nevertheless, a peace treaty favorable to Russia would soon be signed—owing to the battle.

The Ottoman forces are estimated at 40,000. Russian numbers were much lower, 8,000 men who participated in the battle. All in all, Suvorov had about 19,500 men available. This is his corps (14,000), and part of Kamensky's forces (approximately 5,500 out of 11,000). The Ottoman forces were demoralized due to previous defeats and had poor logistics (including a year of withheld back pay).

The Kagul Obelisk (Russian: Кагульский обелиск) in Tsarskoye Selo is a commemorative obelisk. It is one of several such structures erected on behest of Catherine II of Russia in 1772 to commemorate Pyotr Rumyantsev's victory in the Battle of Kagul. Designed by Antonio Rinaldi, the dark grey-and-red marble obelisk stands in the landscape park of the Catherine Palace.

The inscription on the pedestal reads: "In memory of the victory at the Kagul River in Moldavia, July 21, 1770, under the command of Count Peter Rumyantsev the Russian army of seventeen thousand caused the Turkish Vizier Galil-Bey and his army of one hundred thousand and a half to flee to the Danube".

Count Nikolai or Nikolay Petrovich Rumyantsev (Russian: Никола́й Петро́вич Румя́нцев; 3 April 1754 – 3 January 1826), born in Saint Petersburg, was Russia's Foreign Minister and Chancellor of the Russian Empire in the run-up to Napoleon's invasion of Russia (1808–12). He was the son of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky from the Rumyantsev comital family.