A member of the influential Vorontsov family, Yekaterina Romanovna married Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Dashkov in 1759. After Catherine's husband, Peter III, succeeded Empress Elizabeth (d. Jan. 5, 1762 【Dec. 25, 1761, O.S.】), Princess Dashkova became part of a faction that sought to remove Peter from the throne. The Princess joined an intrigue to overthrow Peter III and to make Catherine the regent for her young son, Paul. Later, she participated in the coup d'etat that placed Catherine on the Russian throne.

Despite her political support, the Princess' relations with the Empress were not cordial, and Dashkova spent much of her time during the late 1760s and 1770s abroad. After returning to St. Petersburg in 1782, however, the Princess was appointed by Catherine to direct the Petersburg Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1783 she also became the first president of the Russian Academy, which was founded at her suggestion to promote the study and use of the Russian language. Under her supervision, it produced a Russian dictionary. Dashkova also edited a monthly journal and wrote dramas. Her prominence ended in 1796 when Paul I, successor to Catherine, deprived the Princess of her offices and compelled her to leave St. Petersburg.