BIRTH OF CATHERINE THE GREAT

BIRTH OF CATHERINE THE GREAT

Catherine the Great, was the longest-serving Russian monarch, reigning from 1762 to her death in 1796.

Catherine was born Sophie Frederike August von Anhalt-Zerbst on 21st April 1729, in Stettin – now modern Poland.

In 1744, 15-year-old Sophie was invited to Russia by Tsarina Elizabeth.
The unmarried and childless Elizabeth had chosen her nephew Peter as her heir, and was now in search of his bride.

Sophie, well trained by her ambitious mother and eager to please, made an immediate impact on Elizabeth.

The marriage took place on August 21, 1745, with the bride converting to Orthodox Christianity, now bearing the name Ekaterina, or Catherine.

At first, Catherine was viewed with suspicion in the Russian court.
Her foreign roots, lack of Russian culture and liberal attitudes were looked down upon.

However, she threw herself into Russian culture, and became adept at forming relationships within the Russian court.

Over time, Catherine’s foreign birth became less important, as she was increasingly seen as more capable than her husband Tsar Peter III – who was seen as weak, childish and incompetent.

There was little love between Catherine and her husband, their marriage was rocky from the start.
Though the young Prussian princess had been imported to produce an heir, eight years passed without a child.

Some historians believe Peter was unable to consummate the marriage, while others think he was infertile.

It was said that Catherine was soon engaged in various love affairs with top officials in the Russian court.
Despite this, Catherine and Peter did have one Paul, who would later succeed Catherine.

Just six months after becoming Tsar, Peter abdicated, and Catherine was proclaimed sole ruler.

However, what had began as a bloodless coup, soon turned deadly.
On July 17th Peter died, possibly at the hands of Alexei Orlov, the brother of Catherine’s current lover Gregory.

Though there is no proof that Catherine knew of the alleged murder before it happened, it cast a pall over her reign from the start.

Once Catherine had gained the throne, she proved to be an astute leader, gradually expanding Russia’s borders and continuing a process of gradual westernisation, begun by Peter the Great.

One example of her western approach, was to have herself and her family inoculated against smallpox.
This groundbreaking medical treatment had only recently been introduced in Europe.

It was a success and within a few years, over 2 million Russians had been inoculated from smallpox.

Catherine was also a great patron of the arts.
She became a collector of art and books and became friendly with leading literary figures of the day.

Catherine had little concept of democracy, but felt even powerful rulers should follow the rule of law, and aimed to improve the welfare of her subjects.

Catherine was famed for having many romantic relationships with members of her own court.
She bore several illegitimate children by different fathers.

A key relationship for Catherine was with Grigory Potemkin.
Their relationship was personal but also very important politically.

Potemkin was very capable from a military perspective, and proved to be a powerful leader in Russia.

Catherine was famously loyal to her lovers, both during their relationship and after it ended.
Always parting on good terms, she bestowed upon them titles, land, palaces and even people, gifting one former paramour with more than 1,000 serfs, or indentured servants.

Catherine’s reign was marked by vast territorial expansion, which greatly added to Russia’s coffers but did little to alleviate the suffering of her people.
Even her attempts at governmental reforms were often bogged down by Russia’s vast bureaucracy.

However, Catherine considered herself to be one of Europe’s most enlightened monarchs.
She wrote numerous books, pamphlets and educational materials aimed at improving Russia’s education system.

Given the empress’ shocking reputation, it’s perhaps not surprising that gossip followed her wherever she went, even to the grave….

After her death on 17th November 1796, her enemies at court began spreading various rumors about Catherine’s final days.
Some claimed that the all-powerful ruler had died while on the toilet.

Others took their lurid storytelling even further, perpetuating a myth that has endured for centuries.

Catherine, whose lustful life was an open secret, had died while engaging in a s3x act with an animal, usually believed to be a horse.
Of course, there is no truth to this rumor.

Though her enemies would have hoped for a scandalous end, the simple truth is that Catherine suffered a stroke in her bathroom, and died quietly in her bed the following day.

👑 This portrait of Russia’s Empress Catherine II, was painted in 1763 by Fyodor Rokotov