From childhood, she was extraordinarily beautiful and spent her youth at balls and entertainments. She lived in Moscow, and in the summer she would go to Pokrovskoye, Preobrazhenskoye, Izmaylovskoye, or Alexandrovskaya Sloboda. Her father was rarely present, and the upbringing of the future empress was managed by his sister, Princess Natalia Alexeyevna, or the family of A.D. Menshikov. She was taught dancing, music, foreign languages, how to dress, and etiquette.

After her parents' marriage, she received the title of Tsesarevna. In the will of Catherine I in 1727, her rights and the rights of her descendants to the throne after Peter II and Anna Petrovna were stipulated. In the last year of Catherine I's reign, the possibility of a marriage between Elizabeth Petrovna and her nephew Peter II, who was in love with her, was discussed at court. After the sudden death of Peter II from smallpox in January 1730, despite Catherine I's will, Elizabeth, being effectively illegitimate, was not considered a contender for the throne, which was taken by her cousin Anna Ioannovna. During her reign from 1730 to 1740, the Tsesarevna was in disgrace, but those dissatisfied with Anna Ioannovna and Biron placed their hopes on her.

Taking advantage of the decline in authority during the regency of Anna Leopoldovna, on the night of November 25, 1741, the 32-year-old Tsesarevna Elizabeth Petrovna, accompanied by Count M.I. Vorontsov, court physician Lestok, and music teacher Schwartz, appealed to the grenadier company of the Preobrazhensky regiment to follow her, as they had served her father. This led to a coup d'état that overthrew Ivan VI and his mother, regent Anna Leopoldovna.

Her reign was influenced by favorites such as the Razumovsky brothers, Shuvalovs, Vorontsovs, and A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin. The first document signed by the future empress was a manifesto asserting her rights as the sole legitimate heir to the throne. She wished to hold her coronation at the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin and on April 25, 1742, she crowned herself.

The main principles of her policy were a return to Peter's reforms. She abolished the state institutions that had arisen after her father's death, restored the role of the Senate, colleges, and the Chief Magistrate. In 1741, a decree was adopted recognizing Buddhism as a state religion. From 1744 to 1747, a census of the taxable population was conducted. In 1754, internal customs duties were abolished, which revitalized trade relations. The first Russian banks were established, and a tax reform improved the country's financial situation.

In social policy, the expansion of the rights of the nobility continued. In 1746, the right of nobles to own land and serfs was secured, and in 1760, landowners were granted the right to exile serfs to Siberia. Serfs were prohibited from conducting monetary transactions without the permission of landowners. The death penalty was abolished, and the practice of cruel torture was halted.

Under Elizabeth Petrovna, military educational institutions were reorganized, the network of primary schools was expanded, and gymnasiums were opened in Moscow and Kazan. In 1755, Moscow University was founded, and in 1760, the Academy of Arts. Cultural and scientific figures such as M.V. Lomonosov were supported. The newspaper "Moscow Vedomosti" and the magazine "Useful Amusement" began to be published.

Her domestic policy was stable and aimed at strengthening state power, marking the first step towards the policy of enlightened absolutism. The foreign policy was also active. In the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743, Russia gained part of Finland. In opposition to Prussia, she formed an anti-Prussian alliance with Austria. Russia participated in the Seven Years' War, and after the capture of Königsberg, East Prussia was annexed to Russia. The climax of military glory was the capture of Berlin in 1760.

In the final period of her reign, Elizabeth became less involved in state affairs, delegating them to her favorites. In 1744, she entered into a secret morganatic marriage with A.G. Razumovsky, who rose from court singer to manager of imperial estates. Rumors circulated that she had children, but information about them is unknown, leading to impostors claiming to be her children. Among them, the most famous was Princess Tarakanova.

After the decrees regarding serfs and landowners, there were more than 60 uprisings of monastery serfs, which were brutally suppressed. Her reign was a time of luxury and excess, with constant masquerade balls. Elizabeth Petrovna was a trendsetter, her wardrobe containing up to 12-15 thousand dresses, which now form the basis of the collection at the State Historical Museum in Moscow.

From 1757, her health deteriorated, she began to have hysterical fits, often lost consciousness, and developed non-healing wounds and bleeding. During the winter of 1760-1761, she only attended a major event once. Her beauty quickly faded, and she isolated herself, feeling depressed. Soon, her coughing up blood intensified. She confessed and received communion before her death on December 25, 1761.

Elizabeth managed to appoint her nephew Karl-Peter-Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp as her heir, who converted to Orthodoxy under the name Peter III Fyodorovich and made peace with Prussia. The body of the empress was buried on February 5, 1762, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.