Russian Empire
Though the Empire was only officially proclaimed by Tsar Peter I following the Treaty of Nystad (1721), some historians would argue that it was truly born either when Ivan III of Russia conquered Veliky Novgorod in 1478, or when Ivan the Terrible conquered the Khanate of Kazan in 1552. According to another point of view, the term "Tsardom", which was used after the coronation of Ivan IV in 1547, was already a contemporary Russian word for empire.
Maria Ananina
Maria Ananina was the daughter of an officer Ananin. In 1756, the Imperial Theatres was founded in Saint Petersburg by the empress Elizabeth of Russia. Previously, foreign actresses had performed in Russia in the French, Italian and German theater companies that visited Russia, but the acting profession had not been practiced by Russian women. A proclamation from the Russian Senate 30 August 1756 allowed for the hiring of women actors to the newly founded Russian theatre, and directly afterward, the first two actresses was hired. Maria Ananina and her sister Olga Ananina, who thereby became the first professional actresses in Russia; shortly after, they were joined by Agrafena Musina-Pushkina.