Princess fike portrait. How Empress Catherine became great
The topic of this article is the biography of Catherine the Great. This empress reigned from 1762 to 1796. The era of her reign was marked by the enslavement of the peasants. Also, Catherine the Great, whose biography, photos and activities are presented in this article, significantly expanded the privileges of the nobility.
Origin and childhood of Catherine
The future empress was born on May 2 (according to the new style - April 21), 1729 in Stettin. She was the daughter of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the Prussian service, and Princess Johanna-Elisabeth. The future empress was related to the English, Prussian and Swedish royal houses. She received her education at home: she studied French and German, music, theology, geography, history, and danced. Opening such a topic as the biography of Catherine the Great, we note that the independent nature of the future empress manifested itself already in childhood. She was a persistent, inquisitive child, had a penchant for mobile, lively games.
Baptism and wedding of Catherine
Catherine, together with her mother, was summoned by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to Russia in 1744. Here she was baptized according to the Orthodox custom. Ekaterina Alekseevna became the bride of Peter Fedorovich, the Grand Duke (in the future - Emperor Peter III). She married him in 1745.
Hobbies of the Empress
Catherine wanted to win the favor of her husband, the empress and the Russian people. Her personal life, however, was unsuccessful. Since Peter was infantile, there was no marital relationship between them for several years of marriage. Catherine was fond of reading works on jurisprudence, history and economics, as well as French enlighteners. All these books have shaped her worldview. The future empress became a supporter of the ideas of the Enlightenment. She was also interested in the traditions, customs and history of Russia.
Personal life of Catherine II
Today we know quite a lot about such an important historical person as Catherine the Great: biography, her children, personal life - all this is the object of research by historians and the interest of many of our compatriots. For the first time we get acquainted with this empress at school. However, what we learn in history lessons is far from complete information about such an empress as Catherine the Great. A biography (grade 4) from a school textbook omits, for example, her personal life.
Catherine II in the early 1750s began an affair with S.V. Saltykov, Guards officer. She gave birth to a son in 1754, the future Emperor Paul I. Nevertheless, rumors that Saltykov was his father are unfounded. In the second half of the 1750s, Catherine had an affair with S. Poniatowski, a Polish diplomat who later became King Stanislaw August. Also in the early 1760s - with G.G. Orlov. The Empress gave birth to his son Alexei in 1762, who received the surname Bobrinsky. As relations with her husband deteriorated, Catherine began to fear for her fate and began to recruit supporters at court. Her sincere love for her homeland, her prudence and ostentatious piety - all this contrasted with the behavior of her husband, which allowed the future empress to gain authority among the population of St. Petersburg and the high-society metropolitan society.
Proclamation of Catherine as Empress
Catherine's relationship with her husband continued to deteriorate during the 6 months of his reign, eventually becoming hostile. Peter III openly appeared in the company of his mistress E.R. Vorontsova. There was a threat of arrest of Catherine and her possible expulsion. The future empress carefully prepared the plot. She was supported by N.I. Panin, E.R. Dashkova, K.G. Razumovsky, the Orlov brothers and others. One night, from June 27 to 28, 1762, when Peter III was in Oranienbaum, Catherine secretly arrived in St. Petersburg. She was proclaimed in the barracks of the Izmailovsky Regiment as an autocratic empress. Other regiments soon joined the rebels. The news of the empress's accession to the throne quickly spread throughout the city. Petersburgers greeted her with delight. Messengers were sent to Kronstadt and the army to prevent the actions of Peter III. He, having learned about what happened, began to send proposals for negotiations to Catherine, but she rejected them. The empress personally went to St. Petersburg, leading the regiments of the guards, and received on the way a written abdication of the throne by Peter III.
More about the palace coup
As a result of a palace coup on July 9, 1762, Catherine II came to power. It happened in the following way. Because of the arrest of Passek, all the conspirators rose to their feet, fearing that under torture they might be betrayed by the arrested person. It was decided to send Alexei Orlov for Ekaterina. The Empress at that time lived in anticipation of the name day of Peter III in Peterhof. On the morning of June 28, Alexei Orlov ran into her bedroom and told her about Passek's arrest. Ekaterina got into Orlov's carriage, she was brought to the Izmailovsky regiment. The soldiers ran out to the square on the drum beat and immediately swore allegiance to her. She then moved to the Semyonov regiment, which also swore allegiance to the Empress. Accompanied by a crowd of people, at the head of two regiments, Catherine went to the Kazan Cathedral. Here, at a prayer service, she was proclaimed empress. Then she went to the Winter Palace and found the Synod and the Senate there already assembled. They also swore allegiance to her.
Personality and character of Catherine II
Not only the biography of Catherine the Great is interesting, but also her personality and character, which left an imprint on her domestic and foreign policy. Catherine II was a subtle psychologist and an excellent connoisseur of people. The Empress skillfully chose assistants, while not being afraid of talented and bright personalities. Therefore, Catherine's time was marked by the appearance of many prominent statesmen, as well as generals, musicians, artists, and writers. Catherine was usually restrained, tactful, and patient in dealing with her subjects. She was an excellent conversationalist, she could listen carefully to anyone. By her own admission, the Empress did not possess a creative mind, but she caught worthwhile thoughts and knew how to use them for her own purposes.
There were almost no noisy resignations during the reign of this empress. The nobles were not subject to disgrace, they were not exiled or executed. Because of this, the reign of Catherine is considered the "golden age" of the nobility in Russia. The Empress, at the same time, was very vain and valued her power more than anything in the world. She was ready to make any compromises for the sake of her preservation, including to the detriment of her own convictions.
Religiosity of the Empress
This empress was distinguished by ostentatious piety. She considered herself the protector of the Orthodox Church and its head. Catherine skillfully used religion for political interests. Apparently, her faith was not very deep. The biography of Catherine the Great is marked by the fact that she preached religious tolerance in the spirit of the times. It was under this empress that the persecution of the Old Believers was stopped. Protestant and catholic churches and mosques. Nevertheless, the conversion to another faith from Orthodoxy was still severely punished.
Catherine - an opponent of serfdom
Catherine the Great, whose biography interests us, was an ardent opponent of serfdom. She considered him contrary to human nature and inhumane. Many sharp statements on this issue were preserved in her papers. Also in them you can find her reasoning on how serfdom can be eliminated. Nevertheless, the empress did not dare to do anything concrete in this area because of the fear of another coup and a noble rebellion. Catherine, however, was convinced that the Russian peasants are spiritually undeveloped, so there is a danger in granting them freedom. According to the empress, the life of the peasants is quite prosperous with caring landowners.
First reforms
When Catherine came to the throne, she already had a fairly definite political program. It was based on the ideas of the Enlightenment and took into account the peculiarities of Russia's development. Consistency, gradualness and consideration of public sentiment were the main principles for the implementation of this program. Catherine II in the first years of her reign reformed the Senate (in 1763). His work became more efficient as a result. The following year, in 1764, Catherine the Great carried out the secularization of church lands. The biography for the children of this empress, presented on the pages of school textbooks, surely acquaints schoolchildren with this fact. Secularization significantly replenished the treasury, and also eased the situation of many peasants. Catherine in Ukraine liquidated the hetmanship in accordance with the need to unify local government throughout the state. In addition, she invited German colonists to the Russian Empire to develop the Black Sea and Volga regions.
The foundation of educational institutions and the new Code
In the same years, a number of educational institutions were founded, including for women (the first in Russia) - the Catherine School, the Smolny Institute. In 1767, the Empress announced that a special commission was being convened to create a new Code. It consisted of elected deputies, representatives of all social groups of society, except for serfs. For the commission, Catherine wrote "Instruction", which is, in fact, the liberal program of the reign of this empress. However, her calls were not understood by the deputies. On the smallest issues they argued. deep contradictions between social groups revealed during these discussions, as well as the low level of political culture among many deputies and the conservatism of most of them. The established commission was dissolved at the end of 1768. The empress appreciated this experience as an important lesson that introduced her to the moods of various segments of the population of the state.
Development of legislative acts
After the Russian-Turkish war ended, which lasted from 1768 to 1774, and the Pugachev uprising was suppressed, a new stage of Catherine's reforms began. The empress began to develop the most important legislative acts herself. In particular, a manifesto was issued in 1775, according to which it was allowed to start any industrial enterprises without restrictions. Also in this year, a provincial reform was carried out, as a result of which a new administrative division of the empire was established. It survived until 1917.
Expanding the topic "Brief biography of Catherine the Great", we note that in 1785 the Empress issued the most important legislative acts. These were letters of grant to the cities and the nobility. A charter was also prepared for the state peasants, but political circumstances did not allow it to be put into effect. The main significance of these letters was associated with the implementation of the main goal of Catherine's reforms - the creation in the empire of full-fledged estates on the model Western Europe. The diploma meant for the Russian nobility the legal consolidation of almost all the privileges and rights that they had.
Recent and unrealized reforms proposed by Catherine the Great
Biography ( summary) of the empress of interest to us is marked by the fact that she carried out various reforms until her death. For example, education reform was continued into the 1780s. Catherine the Great, whose biography is presented in this article, created a network of school institutions based on the classroom system in cities. Empress in last years of her life continued to plan major transformations. The reform of the central administration was scheduled for 1797, as well as the introduction of legislation on the succession to the throne in the country, the creation of a higher court based on representation from the 3 estates. However, Catherine II the Great did not have time to complete the extensive reform program. Her brief biography, however, would be incomplete if we did not mention all this. In general, all these reforms were a continuation of the reforms begun by Peter I.
Catherine's foreign policy
What else is interesting about the biography of Catherine the Great? The empress, following Peter, believed that Russia should actively act on the world stage, pursue an offensive policy, even to some extent aggressive. After accession to the throne, she broke the alliance treaty with Prussia, concluded by Peter III. Thanks to the efforts of this empress, it was possible to restore Duke E.I. Biron on the throne of Courland. Supported by Prussia, in 1763 Russia achieved the election of Stanisław August Poniatowski, his protege, to the Polish throne. This, in turn, led to a deterioration in relations with Austria due to the fact that she feared the strengthening of Russia and began to incite Turkey to war with her. On the whole, the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 was successful for Russia, but the difficult situation inside the country encouraged her to seek peace. And for this it was necessary to restore the old relations with Austria. In the end, a compromise was reached. Poland fell victim to it: its first division was carried out in 1772 by Russia, Austria and Prussia.
The Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace treaty was signed with Turkey, which ensured the independence of the Crimea, which was beneficial for Russia. The empire in the war between England and the colonies of North America took neutrality. Catherine refused to help the troops of the English king. A number of European states joined the Declaration on Armed Neutrality, created at the initiative of Panin. This contributed to the victory of the colonists. In subsequent years, there was a strengthening of the positions of our country in the Caucasus and in the Crimea, which ended with the inclusion of the latter in the Russian Empire in 1782, as well as the signing in the following year of the Treaty of St. George with Erekle II, King of Kartli-Kakheti. This ensured the presence of Russian troops in Georgia, and then the annexation of its territory to Russia.
Strengthening of authority in the international arena
The new foreign policy doctrine of the Russian government was formed in the 1770s. It was a Greek project. Its main goal was to restore Byzantine Empire and the announcement by Emperor of Prince Konstantin Pavlovich, who was the grandson of Catherine II. Russia in 1779 significantly strengthened its authority in the international arena, participating as an intermediary between Prussia and Austria in the Teschen Congress. The biography of Empress Catherine the Great can also be supplemented by the fact that in 1787, accompanied by the court, the Polish king, the Austrian emperor and foreign diplomats, she traveled to the Crimea. It became a demonstration of the military power of Russia.
Wars with Turkey and Sweden, further partitions of Poland
The biography of Catherine the Great continued with the fact that she started a new Russian-Turkish war. Russia was now acting in alliance with Austria. Almost at the same time, the war with Sweden also began (from 1788 to 1790), which tried to take revenge after the defeat in the Northern War. The Russian Empire managed to cope with both of these opponents. In 1791 the war with Turkey ended. The Peace of Jassy was signed in 1792. He secured the influence of Russia in Transcaucasia and Bessarabia, as well as the annexation of Crimea to it. The 2nd and 3rd Partitions of Poland took place in 1793 and 1795 respectively. They put an end to Polish statehood.
Empress Catherine the Great, short biography which was examined by us, died on November 17 (according to the old style - November 6), 1796 in St. Petersburg. So significant is her contribution to Russian history that the memory of Catherine II is kept by many works of domestic and world culture, including the works of such great writers as N.V. Gogol, A.S. Pushkin, B. Shaw, V. Pikul and others. The life of Catherine the Great, her biography inspired many directors - the creators of such films as "Caprice of Catherine II", "Royal Hunt", "Young Catherine", "Dreams of Russia", " Russian rebellion" and others.
Even during her lifetime, Catherine II was awarded the title of Great, which has survived to this day. The German princess has become a phenomenon Russian history. In her character, at first glance, incompatible qualities were combined: sin and virtue, subtlety of artistic taste and baseness, the triumph of reason and enlightenment, and cruel despotism. The kaleidoscope of events that took place around Catherine, her domestic and foreign policy, formed into a majestic picture of the sovereign rise of the Russian Empire.
On April 21, 1729, Sophia Augusta Frederica (for household Fike) was born - the future Russian Empress. The newborn came from a rather noble and ancient family of the princes of Anhalt-Zerbst. It cannot be said that the family had great prosperity, the Principality of Zerbst brought minimal income. By mother, Sophia belonged to a no less noble and ancient family - she was the offspring of the younger branch of the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp. But even from the side of the mother, the family could not count on material support, since the house of the sovereigns of Olderburg (from where the Holstein-Gottorp branch originates) was also in crisis.
At the age of 9, she met her second cousin and part-time future husband, Duke of Holstein-Gottorsp Karl Peter. Although then no one thought about connecting the two offspring of poor princely families, the universe had other plans. So there were circumstances that Elizaveta Petrovna, the aunt of Karl Peter of Holstein, sat on the Russian throne. Being unmarried and having no children, Elizabeth declared her nephew her heir. By the way, he did not make the most pleasant impression on the Empress. But what can you do, he was the closest relative. Now Elizabeth faced another task: her nephew must be married and the ruling family continued.
Sophia, having arrived at the court with her mother, did everything possible to please the reigning empress. She converted to Orthodoxy, naming herself Ekaterina Alekseevna, studied the Russian language, literature, features of the court and Russian life. She wanted to become Russian, so that the Russians would love her. Catherine strengthened her position at court, and after her wedding with Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich Romanov (the same Karl Peter Holstein-Gottorp), a high position was finally assigned to her.
Unfortunately, such a marriage triumph turned into a real drama for Catherine: as a bride and groom, the young people doted on each other, but after the wedding there were more and more moments for disagreements and quarrels. AT intimate life the spouses also did not go well, only after 9 years Catherine brought an heir to the Russian crown - Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. After their relationship with her husband completely cooled.
After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter ascended the throne, he was considered a stranger, they did not show much trust and respect. He was not a tyrant or Russophobe, as portrayed in popular historical novels. On the contrary, his reforms were aimed at improving the lives of the subjects of the empire. However, even through competent reforms, Peter failed to win the respect of the elite of society and society as a whole, which led to his overthrow. Of course, another palace coup did not take place without the knowledge of Catherine, who skillfully took matters into her own hands. She knew she was destined to reign. Having enlisted the support of his favorite Orlov and his brother - brave guardsmen, brave men and revelers. With extensive ties to the military, she overthrew her husband. Realizing that she could not stay on top if her husband was alive, Catherine, without the slightest hesitation, ordered Peter to be killed.
So, a new empress ascended the throne. Despite the fact that the events surrounding this were marked by blood and dirt, the top of society recognized her right to the crown. It is even surprising with what joy the news of her accession was accepted.
Having ascended the throne, Catherine had no practical experience in governing the state, however, the empress, who loved to read from childhood, learned a lot from books. useful information about it. Inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, she made a great contribution to lawmaking. At first, elements of the legislative legacy left after Peter III came in handy for her. Under Catherine, liberties and freedom were granted to the Russian nobility, which in more was freed from bureaucratic and judicial arbitrariness. Catherine did not forget about the nascent third estate, and published a "Letter of Letters to the Cities." Under her, the peasants were finally enslaved. Through serious reforms in public administration, Catherine strengthened her sole power.
But successes in the domestic political arena cannot be compared with achievements in foreign policy. Catherine sought to strengthen the position and influence of Russia in Europe, ensure the security of the southern borders and gain access to the Black Sea. During her reign, Russia significantly expanded its territories: after the three divisions of the Commonwealth, Russia received Belarus, Lithuania, Volyn and Courland; Eastern Georgia began to be under the protectorate of Russia.
Did Catherine cope with the management of a huge state herself? Without a husband and support? Of course not, Catherine became famous for the number of her favorites. They changed one after another. We will not mention all of them, as their number is approaching 20 (if not more), only the most interesting ones.
It is worth noting that Catherine the Great became famous not only for political victories, but also for personal conquests. The Empress was very loving and until her old age she enjoyed the attention of men. Previously, they were tested by the ladies-in-waiting and the doctors of the Empress: for impotence and venereal diseases. However, the question arises why Catherine did not remain faithful to her lawful husband?
Let's start with the fact that Peter was a little unlucky with physiology: he suffered from phimosis - a narrowing of the foreskin, in which the head of the penis is not exposed. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve a healthy erection. With such a disease, only surgical intervention akin to circumcision can help. Obviously, if Peter wanted offspring, and indeed a legal wife, he would have had the operation long ago, but the Grand Duke was busy with much more interesting things: playing with soldiers. Catherine also had to take part in unusual fun; she spent more than one night in the bedchamber at the door with a gun, like a sentry. In this post, she was periodically replaced by her husband.
It is not surprising that a young girl did not expect such entertainment from her husband. So I found salvation in the arms of others. The first secret lover was Sergei Vasilyevich Saltykov. From him she gave birth to Grand Duke Paul. In her intimate "Memoirs" she does not hide this fact. By the way, after the birth of Pavel Sergey Vasilyevich, he was forcibly sent to Sweden as an envoy. In fairness, it is worth noting that he himself did not particularly strive to return to his homeland.
Having lost the attention of the father of her child, Catherine did not long be sad and sad. Stanislav August Poniatowski appeared on her way. A handsome man, stately and noble, Stanislav arrived in Russia in the retinue of the English ambassador. The young empress could not resist him, and it so happened that she gave birth to Grand Duchess Anna from him. Peter III himself was perplexed how Catherine became pregnant, he doubted his paternity, nevertheless he recognized the girl as his daughter. After Poniatowski left Russia, Catherine did not forget him. With her help, he later became King of Poland.
The vacant place in the heart of the Empress was taken by the dashing Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov. He helped her overthrow Peter. The affair with Orlov lasted 12 years, under the roof of the imperial palace a great and bright feeling arose. They had a child - Bobrinsky Alexei Grigorievich. Catherine only once refused Orlov when he proposed to her. Offended, Grigory decided to recoup and created a whole harem, but Catherine was not a bastard, as a truly wise woman, she did not pay attention to the performance arranged by Orlov. So he soon stopped his antics.
Nothing lasts forever, not even an affair with Orlov. He was replaced by Alexander Semenovich Vasilchikov. But the affair with him did not last long, as soon the empress considered the new lover narrow-minded and boring. A quick infatuation gave way to another long romance. This time with the son of a Smolensk nobleman - Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin. It is believed that they even entered into a secret marriage. Potemkin was an irreplaceable adviser and loyal subject. Even after the end of the novel, he retained the friendship and respect of the Empress.
In total, the number of Catherine's lovers was 21, and maybe more, who knows. The latter was 22 years old, while the Empress was already 61 years old. The number of her lovers, and indeed the loving nature of the Empress, became the reason for many myths and tales. So one of them says that the Great died from the fact that she wanted to copulate with a stallion. It is clear that these are all "fairy tales", but who will take away the imagination of the people?
In fact, the Empress died of apoplexy. She was found unconscious, paralyzed in her dressing room. A few hours after the discovery, doctors pronounced him dead.
At birth, the girl was given the name Sophia Frederica Augusta. Her father, Christian August, was the prince of the small German principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, but he won fame for his achievements in the military field. The mother of the future Catherine, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp Johanna Elizabeth, cared little about raising her daughter. And because the girl was raised by a governess.
Catherine was educated by tutors, and, among them, a chaplain who gave the girl religious lessons. However, the girl had her own point of view on many questions. She also mastered three languages: German, French and Russian.
Entry into the royal family of Russia
In 1744, the girl goes with her mother to Russia. The German princess becomes engaged to Grand Duke Peter and converts to Orthodoxy, receiving the name Catherine at baptism.
August 21, 1745 Catherine marries the heir to the throne of Russia, becoming a princess. However family life was far from happy.
After long childless years, Catherine II finally gave birth to an heir. Her son Pavel was born on September 20, 1754. And then heated debate flared up about who really is the boy's father. Be that as it may, Catherine hardly saw her first-born: shortly after birth, Empress Elizabeth takes the child to be raised.
Seizure of the throne
On December 25, 1761, after the death of Empress Elizabeth, Peter III ascended the throne, and Catherine became the wife of the emperor. However, it has little to do with state affairs. Peter and his wife were frankly cruel. Soon, due to the stubborn support he provided to Prussia, Peter becomes a stranger to many court, secular and military officials. The founder of what today we call progressive internal state reforms, Peter also quarreled with the Orthodox Church, taking away church lands. And now, six months later, Peter was deposed from the throne as a result of a conspiracy that Catherine entered into with her lover, Russian lieutenant Grigory Orlov, and a number of other persons, in order to seize power. She successfully manages to force her husband to abdicate and take control of the empire into her own hands. A few days after the abdication, in one of his estates, in Ropsha, Peter was strangled. What role Catherine played in the murder of her husband is unclear to this day.
Fearing herself to be thrown off by the opposing forces, Catherine is trying with all her might to win the favor of the troops and the church. She recalls the troops sent by Peter to the war against Denmark and in every possible way encourages and gives gifts to those who go over to her side. She even compares herself to Peter the Great, whom she reveres, declaring that she is following in his footsteps.
Governing body
Despite the fact that Catherine is a supporter of absolutism, she still makes a number of attempts to carry out social and political reforms. She issues a document, "Instruction", in which she proposes to abolish death penalty and torture, and proclaims the equality of all people. However, the Senate resolutely refuses any attempts to change the feudal system.
After finishing work on the "Order", in 1767, Catherine convenes representatives of various social and economic strata of the population to form the Legislative Commission. The commission did not leave a legislative body, but its convocation went down in history as the first time that representatives of the Russian people from all over the empire had the opportunity to express their ideas about the needs and problems of the country.
Later, in 1785, Catherine issues the Charter of the Nobility, in which she radically changes politics and challenges the power of the upper classes, in which most of the masses are under the yoke of serfdom.
Catherine, a religious skeptic by nature, seeks to subjugate the Orthodox Church to her power. At the beginning of her reign, she returned land and property to the church, but soon changed her views. The empress declares the church a part of the state, and therefore all her possessions, including more than a million serfs, become the property of the empire and are subject to taxes.
Foreign policy
During her reign, Catherine expands the borders of the Russian Empire. She makes significant acquisitions in Poland, having previously seated her former lover, the Polish prince Stanislaw Poniatowski, on the throne of the kingdom. Under the agreement of 1772, Catherine gives part of the lands of the Commonwealth to Prussia and Austria, while the eastern part of the kingdom, where many Russian Orthodox live, goes to the Russian Empire.
But such actions cause extreme disapproval of Turkey. In 1774, Catherine makes peace with the Ottoman Empire, according to which the Russian state receives new lands and access to the Black Sea. One of the heroes of the Russian-Turkish war was Grigory Potemkin, a reliable adviser and lover of Catherine.
Potemkin, a loyal supporter of the policy of the empress, himself proved himself to be an outstanding statesman. It was he, in 1783, who convinced Catherine to annex the Crimea to the empire, thereby strengthening her position on the Black Sea.
Love for education and art
At the time of Catherine's accession to the throne, Russia for Europe was a backward and provincial state. The Empress is trying with all her might to change this opinion, expanding the possibilities for new ideas in education and the arts. In St. Petersburg, she establishes a boarding school for girls of noble birth, and later free schools open in all cities of Russia.
Catherine patronizes many cultural projects. She is gaining fame as an ardent collector of art, and most of her collection is exhibited in her residence in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage.
Catherine, passionately fond of literature, is especially favorable to the philosophers and writers of the Enlightenment. Endowed with literary talent, the empress describes her own life in a collection of memoirs.
Personal life
The love life of Catherine II became the subject of many gossip and false facts. The myths about her insatiability have been debunked, but this royal person really had many love affairs in her life. She could not remarry, because marriage could shake her position, and therefore in society she had to wear a mask of chastity. But, far from prying eyes, Catherine showed a remarkable interest in men.
End of reign
By 1796, Catherine had absolute power in the empire for several decades. And in the last years of her reign, she showed all the same vivacity of mind and strength of spirit. But in mid-November 1796, she was found unconscious on the bathroom floor. At that time, everyone came to the conclusion that she had a stroke.
The great Russian Empress Catherine II survived until the next night, but she never regained consciousness. November 17, 1796 she died. Her son, Pavel, ordered to put the remains of his father next to her coffin, arranging a funeral for Peter III, which he was not awarded after the murder. Catherine II and Peter III are buried in the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.
Catherine II made a significant contribution to the development of the Russian Empire, carrying out educational reforms and encouraging the development of the arts. During her reign, she expanded the borders of the state with the help of the military power of the empire and her own diplomatic talent.
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The significance of Catherine II for Russian history is so important that she can be compared with Peter I, nicknamed the Great. The accession of new lands to the empire, the expansion of the strategic and economic capabilities of the state, impressive military victories achieved by skill, but not by numbers at sea and on land, new cities that have become outposts of Russia in the south - this is just a short and incomplete list of the achievements of this outstanding ruler. But it is enough to understand why Catherine 2 was called the Great.
Decisiveness, manifested in the most severe moments, the ability to take risks and even to commit a crime, if necessary, to achieve a serious goal - these qualities, turned to the benefit of Russia, were part of her character.
The biography of Catherine the Great began in 1729. The family from which Frederica came was noble, but not rich. And Fike, as she was called at home, would have been one of the many European noblewomen whose fates have sunk into oblivion due to their mediocrity, if not in Russia. In 1741, she came to power and she was the aunt of Peter Holstein, the future Emperor Peter III, the grandson of the betrothed Frederica.
They were destined to get married, although they did not feel sympathy for each other. Neither the groom nor the bride shone with external beauty.
It was acquired by the future empress after the rite of Orthodox baptism. The German Frederika not only changed her religious confession, she sincerely wanted to become Russian, and she succeeded. She learned the language to perfection, although until her last days she spoke with a slight accent.
There are several versions of the answer to the question: "Why was Catherine 2 called the Great even when she did not fully prove herself as a statesman?"
Unsuccessful family life, especially its intimate side, forced both spouses to seek comfort on the side. The aristocrat Saltykov, then the gentry Poniatowski, became Catherine's lovers with the tacit permission of her husband, who granted his wife freedom, without depriving her, however, of herself. Then it was the turn of Orlov, a brave and daring man.
In 1761, Empress Elizabeth died, and the question arose of who would rule Russia. Peter III was by no means that infantile and narrow-minded teenage man, as he was described in numerous works of art. Having mastered the science of government, he could well be king, at least in such a calm country as the empire was in the Elizabethan era. However, one of the reasons why Catherine 2 was called the Great was precisely that she was not satisfied with the situation in which everything was going according to the thumb. An idea of a conspiracy ripened in her head, as a result of which Peter III abdicated the throne, and was later killed.
The iron grip of the empress allowed her to suppress the Pugachev rebellion, win the war with Turkey, resolve the Polish issue, conclude foreign policy alliances beneficial for the country and deal with enemies.
The Golden Age is the period when Catherine the Great ruled Russia. The biography of the individual and the history of the country are intertwined and form a single whole.
The expansion of the empire's borders to the south, the accession to it of fertile lands and harbors favorable for the creation of ports ensured foreign trade turnover and food abundance. The victory of Ushakov's squadron in the Chesme Bay, the capture of the Crimean Peninsula, Bessarabia, the defeat of the Turks at Rymnik, the foundation of such cities as Odessa, Kherson, Nikolaev, Ovidiopol and other outposts of Russia on the southern borders - all these facts eloquently explain why Catherine 2 was called the Great.
On the vast expanses of the Internet there are many materials, both artistic and documentary, about the fate of the most significant of the empresses of Russia - Catherine the Great. I think you should not repeat yourself and put her biography in the post.
But among the many materials, attention stopped on the site www.ekateryna.ru, made by Vladislava Kolesnikova and also dedicated to Catherine II. I read with pleasure the material “The Young Empress”, dedicated to the biography of Princess Sophia Frederica Augusta until the moment she became the wife of Peter III and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. The material is interesting, I advise you to read it. So I decided to collect a gallery of portraits of young Catherine and place it together with quotes from the article "The Young Empress" with sincere gratitude to the author for the interesting site and materials on it.
Catherine II the Great (Ekaterina Alekseevna)
at birth Sophia Frederick Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst
Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg
Louis Caravaque Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna 1745. Portrait Gallery of the Gatchina Palace.
Empress of All Russia (1762-1796). The period of her reign is considered the golden age of the Russian Empire.
The mother of Sophia Frederica Augusta, Johanna Elisabeth, was very upset that a girl was born, and rarely bent over the cradle. A year later, Johanna had a boy. All maternal pride and tenderness, which the daughter was deprived of, falls upon the son. “They hardly tolerated me,” Catherine later writes in her Memoirs, “very often angrily and even evilly reprimanded, and not always deservedly. I rarely saw my father, and he considered me an angel; my mother took little care of me." By the way, Sophia had two brothers - Wilhelm Christian Friedrich (1730-1742) and Friedrich August (1734-1793), and sister Elizabeth Augusta Christina (1742-1745).
Johanna introduces her daughter to the salons very early. He takes her with him to balls, banquets and masquerades, which were held in the noble houses of the district. Despite her childhood, they dress her, according to the custom of that time, in dresses of an adult cut, and Fikkhen, as Sophia was called in the family, soon begins to amaze those around her with a lively mind and resourceful answers. In a dress with fizhma and a neckline on a flat chest, with angular arms sticking out of a cloud of lace, with a powdered head, she once appeared at a reception before the King of Prussia, Frederick William I; not in the least embarrassed, she refuses to put her lips to the field of the robe of the august person. "He has such a short camisole that I can't reach the edge!" she exclaims in excuse. The King solemnly remarks: "The girl is ill-mannered!" And she was only four years old.
At the age of seven, she nearly died of pneumonia. When she recovered and was able to get out of bed, a severe curvature of the spine was discovered. "My right shoulder became higher than the left, the spine went in a zigzag, and a notch formed in my left side." Doctors announced that they could not fix this mysterious curvature. They called the chiropractor. It turned out to be none other than the executioner of the city of Stettin. Without hesitation, this terrible man orders that a virgin come to the patient every day at six o'clock in the morning and, on an empty stomach, rub her shoulder and back with her saliva. Then he made a corset, which Fikhyun wears day and night and takes off only during the change of clothes. This torment has been going on for nearly four years. And now, by the age of eleven, her back straightens, her health improves, and she feels healthier and happier.
In 1739, her parents took her to Kiel to participate in a celebration hosted by her mother's cousin, Adolf Friedrich of Holptein-Gottorp (later King of Sweden). Pompous Johanna watches with a beating heart as her ten-year-old daughter exchanges a few words with the young Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein, who is said to be one of the possible contenders for the throne of Sweden or Russia. And the boy, a year older than Fikkhen, is a sickly and ugly little bastard. It's unpleasant to talk to him. He hasn't read anything and is only interested in war games. A conspiratorial whisper reaches Fikhyeon: the ladies are slowly weighing the chances of connecting two children.
When she was in her thirteenth year, she was a slender, folded girl, the gleam of her dark blue eyes makes the interlocutor forget about the long nose and pointed chin. “That terrible ugliness with which I was endowed gradually left me,” she wrote.
On December 6, 1741, the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth I, ascended the Russian throne. Johanna immediately wrote a letter to the tsarina with congratulations and assurances of devotion. Receives a favorable response. A month later, a new surprise: the Empress summons the young Karl Peter Ulrich from Kiel and proclaims him her heir. At the end of 1742, Fikkhen arrived with his mother in Berlin and posed for a portrait of the excellent French artist Antoine Pen. The task of the painter is this: to give the portrait, in addition to similarity, a maximum of grace. The licked and sugary portrait was supposed to convey to the Empress Elizabeth the physical virtues of the girl. The portrait is sent to St. Petersburg. All this fuss turned Fikkhen's head. She understands more and more that she is becoming a bargaining chip in the big game of diplomats: “All this worried me very much, and deep down I prepared myself for an alliance with him (with Karl Peter Ulrich), because of all the suitors offered to me, he was the best match ". She is gaining patience, realizing that she must have many rivals and that enterprising ambassadors send portraits of the most noble brides in Europe to St. Petersburg. She does not care that Karl Peter Ulrich is ugly and stupid. In her plans for the future, love does not play any role. She is interested in the throne, not the bed.
Anna Rosina de Gask (née Lisevski) Princess Sophia Augusta Friederike, in the future Catherine II 1742
However, already at the age of thirteen she shows remarkable sensuality. She is often seized by a sudden fire of desire, tenderness, craving for sensual touch, the cause of which she cannot explain. This extreme excitement seizes her especially at night. Then she sits astride the pillow and, as she herself later admits, "gallops" in bed "to the point of complete exhaustion." These nocturnal jumps relieve excitement and calm the nerves. The tension passes, she again becomes a sensible girl, thinking only about a career, and not about love.
One of her uncles, Georg Ludwig, seduced by the freshness of a girl who has just come out of childhood, begins to court her. He is ten years older than her, fooling her with passionate confessions and taking her away from her parents in order to break innocent kisses. Fiqhyun is flattered and doesn't resist. After all, this is a sign that not only daddy, but also other men can like her. Maybe cousin Karl Peter Ulrich will agree to what Uncle Georg Ludwig is striving for? But weeks pass, and the Russian court remains silent. Driven to the extreme by the girl's restraint, Georg Ludwig immediately proposes to her to marry him. Fikchen oscillates between the dream of Russia and German reality.
On January 1, 1744, a messenger rode up from Berlin and handed over a packet of letters to Prince Christian August. The prince sorts out the mail and hands his wife an envelope with the inscription: "Personally! Very urgent! Her Excellency Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst, in Zerbst Castle." Johanna breaks the seals, begins to read, and joyful excitement seizes her. The letter was written by Brummer, chief marshal of the court of Grand Duke Karl Peter Ulrich in St. Petersburg: "By the urgent and special order of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, I inform you, madam, that her Highest Sovereign wishes that Your Highness, together with the Princess, the eldest daughter, immediately arrived in Russia, in the city where the imperial court will take place ... Your Highness should understand what true reason impatience with which Her Imperial Majesty wishes to see her and the Princess, the eldest daughter, about whom so many good things are said ... "The Empress does not officially speak of marriage, she simply invites her to come to visit. Fikkhen is invited to the court of Russia for a test. If she If it doesn’t work, she will be returned to Germany and the shame of the failed engagement will fall on the whole family.
On January 10, 1744, nine days after receiving an invitation in the castle, Johanna and Fikkhen set off. Squeezing herself into the carriage, she herself still does not believe that she has actually parted with childhood, with notebooks and girlfriends, and is rolling in a carriage jumping on potholes towards a future full of mysteries, towards the glory and power that she so dreamed of. In order to outwit the intriguers of the opposite camp in Russia, it was decided that both princesses would go under assumed names. Johanna's document says: "Countess Reinbeck". The four heavy carriages in which the mother, daughter, their retinue and luggage are traveling are very uncomfortable and poorly suspended. Wrapped in furs, with a face masked to protect the nose and cheeks, the women ride in semi-consciousness. The hauls are long, monotonous and tiring. At Prussian postal stations the food is not palatable and the rest is precarious. As Johanna writes: “The rooms for travelers were not heated, and we had to huddle in the stationmaster’s own room, which was little different from a pigsty: husband, wife, guard dog, chickens and children slept side by side in cradles, beds, behind the stove and on mattresses on the floor". Fiqhyun has indigestion from a large number drunk beer. Beyond Memel, the road gets even worse. In Jelgava, where the exhausted travelers finally arrived, there is a Russian garrison. His chief, Colonel Voeikov, introduces himself very courteously to Johanna, shows her the city and informs her that he has been instructed to accompany her to Riga. The next day, approaching Riga, Fikkhen and mother startle frightened from a lot of shots. Voeikov explains that this firing is a salute of the local garrison in their honor. Still not recovering from the unexpected change of scene, Johanna and Fikkhen quickly change clothes and head to the salons, where a rather motley society awaits them. Fikkhen eagerly peers into this new world. Everyone around speaks French and German, and yet she is in Russia! In the homeland of Peter the Great and, perhaps, in her future homeland. Finally, she is where she wanted to be. From that day on, every step she takes matters. The main thing is not to stumble, not to make a mistake.
Georg Christoph Grooth Portrait of Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna.
On February 3, they arrived in St. Petersburg, and the sleigh stopped at the porch of the Winter Palace.
Johanna immediately and with pleasure plunges into the atmosphere of court intrigues.
The French Ambassador, the Marquis de La Chétardie, a former lover of the Empress, reports that February 10 is the birthday of the Grand Duke. If you quickly drive the horses, you can reach Moscow by this day. The Empress will be pleased with such diligence. Johanna, excited by intrigue, asks Naryshkin to hurry up with his departure. Seventy miles from Moscow, sixteen horses are harnessed to the sleigh of two princesses. Passing at a furious speed some village, the sleigh touches the corner of the building. An iron bar falls from the roof of the carriage and strikes Johann on the head and shoulder. She screams loudly, and her first thought is that the mission is failing. Sophia reassures her: nothing is visible, not even a bruise. But two Transfiguration grenadiers remained in the snow with bloodied heads. They sat on the limber of the sleigh and took the brunt of the blow. Peasants gather around the stopped train, whispering: "They are taking the betrothed to the Grand Duke."
On February 9, at about eight o'clock in the evening, a motorcade of thirty sleighs reaches Moscow and stops in the Kremlin, in front of the wooden porch of the royal chambers. From the moment when Johanna received an invitation from Elizabeth of Russia in Zerbst, fifty days have passed. And now she will meet a woman before whom the whole empire trembles. As soon as they managed to put themselves in order, Grand Duke Karl Peter Ulrich came running. At the sight of him, Fikkhen's heart sank painfully. A long face, bulging eyes, a limp mouth are all signs of degeneration. In her memories, he did not look so ugly and sickly. Has he really changed since that meeting? Or, without realizing it, she idealized his features? In any case, he shows great joy at the sight of his aunt and cousin. Having greeted the arrival in German, he invites them to proceed to her Imperial Majesty. Elizabeth, turning her gaze to Sophia, is pleasantly surprised by her freshness, humility and intelligent expression. First impression: excellent choice. Fool Peter will receive a royal gift in bed. Will he be able to make this girl happy? No matter!
George Christopher Groot Portrait of Great Princess Ekaterina Alekseevny.
The next day, February 10 (21), on the birthday of the Grand Duke, the Empress presents Fikkhen and her mother with the Order of St. Catherine. The Empress showers blessings on both princesses. The dizziness from the success of the first days passes quickly, and Sophia watches, learns, tries to understand the whole ins and outs of everyone. She understands that in order to move freely in this brilliant and false environment, it is necessary to learn all the secrets of the court. The polite interest shown by Sophia in a conversation with Peter aroused confidence in him, and he admits that he finds her very sweet, like a relative, but loves another, Mademoiselle Lopukhina, unfortunately, expelled from the court after her mother, suspected of conspiracy, had her tongue cut out and exiled to Siberia. He naively admits that he would gladly marry Mademoiselle Lopukhina, but resigned himself to the fact that he would have to marry her, Sophie, since the aunt wanted so. “Blushing, I listened to his speeches about intermarriage and thanked him for his premature trust,” Catherine writes, but deep down I was surprised at his imprudence and unreasonable statements about many things.
Georg-Christoph Groot Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna with a fan in her hands.
From the point of view of heartfelt feelings, she does not have to wait for anything good. She foresaw this when she was still going to Russia. This journey is not to meet with great love, but to fulfill political goals. She is not yet fifteen, but, unlike her mother, she does not participate in secular flutter and intrigue, she is preparing for the future thoroughly, stubbornly and without noise. First of all, Sophia understood: in order to please the Empress, to attract the nobility to her side, to win the sympathy of bureaucratic and petty people, she must become as Russian as if she had been born on this earth. If her foolish cousin, Grand Duke Peter, turns the whole environment against himself, always demonstrating German manners, she diligently and successfully studies the Russian language and Orthodoxy. Simon Todorsky, an intelligent and cultured priest-theologian, rector of the Ipatiev Monastery, is engaged in her religious education.
The desire to "Russify" her is so great that the teacher of the Russian language Adadurov does not praise her student's efforts. For the sake of improving her knowledge of the Russian language, Sofia gets up at night and in a nightgown, sits barefoot in front of notebooks to memorize entire lists of words. The result is a cold. Sophia lies in a chill, clattering her teeth, sweating profusely, complaining of pain in her side and listening to her mother swear at the doctors. They want to bleed the patient, but Johanna objects. It was because of the bloodletting, she says, that her brother, the empress' fiancé, died. We decided to report to Elizabeth. She at this time forgives sins in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Five days later, she arrives with her confidant Lestocq. He pulls Johanna, who dared to disobey the doctors, and orders her to bleed. As soon as the bloodletting began, Sophia faints. She comes to her senses in the arms of the Empress. Despite extreme weakness, he feels his salvation. Now she has a mother. This is Elizabeth of Russia. To encourage her courage, Elizabeth gives her a diamond necklace and earrings. According to Johanna, twenty thousand rubles. However, in her desire to cure the girl as soon as possible, the empress prescribes one bloodletting after another. In twenty-seven days, sixteen bloodlettings. Johanna objects. The Empress orders to isolate the guest in the chambers allotted to her.
Meanwhile, all the courtiers learn that the princess fell ill because she studied Russian at night. In a few days, she becomes the favorite of everyone who is repelled by Grand Duke Peter's manner of extolling everything German. Seeing that the patient's condition is not improving, the mother wants to call the Lutheran pastor. All in the heat, exhausted by bloodletting and hunger, Sophie, with her last strength, speaks barely audibly, but with unexpected determination: "No need. Better call Father Simon Todorsky. I want to talk to him." And indeed, Simon Todorsky, with his Orthodox religion, managed to console the Lutheran, such a young and tender bride of the Grand Duke. The Empress is moved to tears. Sophia's words are carried throughout the capital. Little by little, despite bloodletting and potions, Sophia is getting better. Finally the disease is defeated. On April 21, 1744, on her birthday, she appears in public. “I was thin as a skeleton,” she will write later. I grew up, my face was long, pale as death, my hair fell out. To myself, I seemed like a ugly monster and did not recognize myself.
Georg Christoph Grooth Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. between 1745 and 1749
Having matured during her illness, Sophie feels closer to the world of adults than to the childhood games of her cousin, a lover of tin soldiers and gossip. A badly brought up boy, not loved by anyone, a rude man, treats her not as a bride and not even as a girl. He has no respect for her. But besides, he is looking for a meeting with her. Sophia tries to be gentle with pitiful Peter, with all his squint, pallor and thinness. Will there be feelings between them? No, the Grand Duke treats marriage with the same indifference as if it were a new dress. “My heart didn’t bode well for me,” Catherine writes in her Memoirs. “Only ambition moved me. Something in my soul said without a shadow of a doubt that I myself would achieve my goal and become the Russian Empress.”
Alexei Antropov Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. 1753 GRM
Finally, by decree of the Empress, the day of Sophia's baptism in Orthodox faith June 28, 1744. And on the day of Peter and Paul, the betrothal of the new convert to Grand Duke Peter will take place. As these events approach, Sophia becomes increasingly overcome by a mixture of excitement and anxiety. She reads in Russian with a strong German accent "fifty pages to the fourth part of the sheet" and in a firm voice, without hesitation, recites the Creed by heart. The empress has tears in her eyes from excitement; the courtiers, of course, try to keep up and also shed tears. Amidst the general emotion, Sophia wants to look happy, calm and strong: "I held on well, and I was praised for it." On that day, she changes her name. Of course, she could be baptized under the name Sophia, common in this country. But the empress objected: she disliked the memory of her aunt, the half-sister of Peter the Great and the formidable regent Sophia, who, for her unbridled lust for power, had to be imprisoned in a monastery. But Catherine is the name of the mother of the Empress. What is a bad choice? When she leaves the church, she receives a diamond necklace and a brooch from the Empress. Tired of the ceremony, she asks permission not to attend the dinner. She needs to save her strength before the upcoming festivities.
Unknown artist Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna.
On the morning of the next day, the day of the betrothal, after dressing, she goes to Elizabeth, and she receives her with a crown on her head and in an imperial mantle on her shoulders. Archbishop Ambrose of Novgorod performs the betrothal ceremony. It lasts four hours and everyone is standing. Catherine's legs are numb. She shakes from fatigue. Finally, the young exchange rings. "What he gave me was worth twelve thousand rubles, Catherine will write later, and what I gave him was fourteen thousand." An artillery salute is heard. The bells of all the churches in Moscow are ringing with might and main. The young Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst became the Grand Duchess of Russia, Her Imperial Highness.
Unknown artist Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna.
After the festivities, the empress's beneficences continue with a vengeance. Gifts: jewelry, precious fabrics, thirty thousand rubles for petty expenses of the new Grand Duchess. This amount stuns Catherine. She never had any pocket money. She immediately sends part of the money to her father so that he can treat his younger brother. Now Catherine has her own court, carefully selected by the Empress. Now, if the Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst wants to see her daughter, she must wait until she is reported. According to etiquette, Johanna is obliged to treat with respect the one who just yesterday could have calmly slapped "for bad behavior." Feeling humiliated by this turn in the hierarchy, she complains about everything and everyone.
In the chambers of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess they have fun as much as they can, play hide and seek, run, jump, dance, and even dismantled the harpsichord to make a slide out of its cover for skiing and sliding. Indulging in children's amusements, Catherine tries to win the favor of the one who will soon become her husband. The Empress understands this very well and encourages the girl in her desire to conquer the groom. “I was revered as a child,” she writes in her Memoirs. “I was very afraid of not pleasing and did everything to win over those with whom I had to live. deity, devoid of flaws; therefore she said that she loved me almost more than the Grand Duke.
Indeed, the Empress appreciates in the Grand Duchess a mixture of seriousness and fun, will and humility. At that time, Catherine, mastering the art of a statesman, loves dancing. Every day at seven o'clock in the morning, a dance teacher, the Frenchman Lande, comes to her with his violin and teaches her the steps that have just become fashionable in France. At four o'clock in the afternoon he comes again. And in the evenings, at balls and masquerades, Catherine delights the court with the grace of her movements. By the way, some masquerades were of dubious taste. So, the empress ordered that on Tuesdays men dressed in women's clothes, and women in men's. Ridiculously clumsy, in huge dresses with fijma, the men cursed the empress's whims to themselves, and the women were in despair, which looked very unfavorable in tight men's robes.
Georg-Christoph Groot Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna in a hunting suit. 1740s
And then the Grand Duke caught measles. “After this illness,” Catherine writes, “he grew up in body, but remained a child in mind.” When he was recovering, he amused himself by forcing footmen, dwarfs, and even Catherine to do drills in front of his bed.
“I enjoyed his trust and knew about his childishness,” Ekaterina writes, “so I couldn’t make comments to him; I didn’t react to his actions and words.” Her exceptional gentleness disarms Peter. He does not have any feelings for her, he just feels good in her company. How much they have in common! They are the same age, both speak German, both ended up in this foreign country, which they know poorly and where both must learn the art of government under the highest shadow of the empress.
As soon as the Grand Duke recovers, the court moves from Moscow to St. Petersburg. At the Khotilovo station, the Grand Duke began to shake. The heat intensifies. There are spots on the face. The patient has all the signs of smallpox. To protect Catherine from infection, her mother decides to continue the trip with her, leaving the Grand Duke in the care of his own court. At the same time, he sends a courier to the Empress, who has already reached St. Petersburg. Having learned the news, Elizaveta urgently goes back to Khotilovo and spends six weeks next to the patient.
At the end of January 1745, the Empress traveled to St. Petersburg with her nephew. As soon as the travelers arrived at the Winter Palace, between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, Catherine was led into a large hall, where her fiancé was waiting for her. In the semi-darkness, she sees with horror in front of her something like a scarecrow. Peter is very drawn out, and his face is pitted with pockmarks. With eyes sunk deep into their sockets, he looked like a dead man. “His features grew,” Catherine writes, “and his head was all swollen; it was clear that he would remain so; his hair was cut off, and the wig was large, which made him even uglier. Approaching me, he asked if I recognized him I murmured congratulations on his recovery, but the fact is that he has become terribly ugly. Shocked by this short meeting, Catherine runs back to her chambers and there, in the arms of her mother, loses her senses.
On February 10, on the birthday of the Grand Duke (he was sixteen years old), the empress decides not to show Peter to the court, so smallpox disfigured him; she invites Catherine to dine with her alone "on the throne". Fearing that the girl will reject such a disfigured suitor and terminate the betrothal due to involuntary disgust, the queen doubles her tenderness for her. The courtiers, who have recently drifted away from Catherine a little, notice the warming of relations between the Grand Duchess and the Empress and immediately begin to sing in unison.
Unknown artist Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. about 1758
Meanwhile, the Grand Duke suffers from the fact that, due to illness, he fell in the eyes of the bride. And the more beautiful, sweeter, more fun, more spontaneous she is, the deeper he sinks into the awareness of his ugliness. At times, he feels a perverse sense of joy at what disgusts her. The friendship that she shows towards him seems to him just a courtesy or even a deliberate pretense. He is jealous that she is blossoming and becoming more feminine, while he feels so weakly a man next to her. The former Swedish dragoon Romberg instructs him that in the family the wife should be silent and tremble, waiting for her husband's decision. Peter gives the bride the words of the dragoon. At the same time, he makes her understand that in time he will command her. She is not surprised or offended. Let him speak. Her hobby is horseback riding, she learns this art in the arena of the Izmailovsky regiment. And to strengthen the body, on the advice of doctors, he drinks milk and seltzer water in the morning.
Georg-Christoph Groot Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna on horseback. 1744
Suspecting that hostility is growing between the betrothed, the empress wants to speed up the marriage. The court doctors delicately advise her not to rush. In their opinion, the Grand Duke was not mature enough to enter into a relationship with a woman; in the state in which he is, he cannot prolong the race; we must give him time to become a man in the full sense of the word. The Empress does not listen to advice.
Catherine thinks with horror about the approaching event, which she so longed for. It's been a year and a half since she came to Russia. “The closer the wedding date was,” she later wrote, “the sadder I became and often cried, without knowing why.”
She is so innocent that even on the eve of the wedding she does not know exactly what is the difference between a man and a woman and what mysterious task a man must solve when he finds himself in the same bed with a woman.
The Grand Duke, for his part, is also trying to be enlightened about what to do when you get married. Servants, his usual advisors, describe in strong terms the mechanism of bodily bonding.
Around these two confused people, the whole court is feverishly preparing for the wedding.
Ivan Argunov Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna.
After repeated postponements, the wedding day is finally set for August 21, 1745.
At six o'clock in the morning on August 21, 1745, the empress comes to Catherine during her morning bath: she wants to see the girl naked and without embellishment, because from now on she will be the embodiment of the hopes of the Russian court. The examination gave a positive result. While she is dressed with solemn deliberation, a dispute takes place between the Empress and the hairdresser: Elizabeth considers it necessary to make the bride a flat bun on top of her head, and the hairdresser is a supporter of a curled tuft. In the end, they agree to a curled tuft in the hope that it will not disturb the balance of the crown. Ceremony dress in silver brocade with wide skirt, bodice pulled up and short sleeves; roses embroidered with silver along the seams, along the edges and along the train; a cape of silver lace is attached to the shoulders; all the attire is so heavy that Catherine in it moves with difficulty.
By order of the queen, she wears bracelets, earrings, brooches, rings and other jewelry to make a dazzling impression on the crowd. And, finally, the Empress puts on her dark, slightly wavy hair the Grand Duke's crown. She is very heavy. The desire not to bend her head costs Catherine constant efforts.
At three o'clock a cortege of one hundred and twenty carriages sets off in the direction of the Church of Our Lady of Kazan. After the church ceremony, which lasted several hours, dinner and a ball. Catherine is exhausted.
Georg Christoph Groot Portrait of Tsarevich Peter Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. 1740s
At nine o'clock, Empress Elizabeth, surrounded by the highest dignitaries of the court, maids of honor and court ladies, as well as Johanna and several close associates, escorts Catherine and Peter to their wedding chambers. Resting from heavy jewelry, freed in her movements, but with a beating heart, Catherine inspects the front bedchamber, where the sacrifice is to be performed.
In a pink shirt, specially ordered in Paris, she is waiting for shock, pressure, pain, revelation. He does not take his eyes off the door, from where a formidable and inexorable creature should appear: a husband. But time passes, and the door does not open. After about two hours, anxiety seizes her. In her Memoirs, Ekaterina describes her experiences in this way: "Maybe we should get up? Or stay in bed? I don't know."
Around midnight, the maid comes and announces that the Grand Duke has ordered dinner for himself. This means that while she lies and counts the minutes in anticipation of her husband, he feasts with close associates and servants. And finally, having eaten and drunk, the newly-minted husband appears "under the fly" with a grumpy grin and declares: "My servant would like to look at us in bed." After that, she lies down and immediately falls asleep next to her young wife, and she, staring into the darkness, does not know whether to rejoice at her or be sad that she was not interested.
Georg Christoph Grooth Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna 1745
Since he got the right to approach, Peter avoids any opportunity to be alone with her. Catherine writes in her Memoirs: “In the very first days after the wedding, a cruel thought came to my mind:“ If you love this man, you will be the most unfortunate creature on earth; according to your character, you will want to go back; this man almost does not look at you, says only about the soldier's service, but at the same time he looks at any woman but you; you are too proud to make a fuss about it; so refrain from affection for this gentleman, madam; but think better of yourself. In my tender heart this imprint has been preserved for a long time, and this reasoning has never left me.
The misunderstanding between Catherine and Peter quickly grows. At night he upsets her, during the day he leads her to despair. Physically underdeveloped due to numerous illnesses suffered in childhood, the Grand Duke suffers morally from the fact that he cannot satisfy his young wife, and, in order to assert himself, pretends that he is attracted to other women. Did she know that he was still a virgin at the same time?
This couple of newlyweds at first touched the empress, but for some time began to get on her nerves. She was in a hurry to marry them to ensure the future of the dynasty, and now that they have established themselves as heirs to the throne, she treats them with distrust and almost with hostility.
The courtiers, seen in favor of Catherine, are removed under various pretexts. The Empress wants only reliable, devoted people to surround the grand ducal couple. As Catherine writes - "it was pure whim, the desire to cause harm just like that, without the slightest reason."
Nine months have passed since the wedding, and Catherine is still not pregnant. The Empress sees this as a personal insult. And to blame for this, in her opinion, only the Grand Duchess, who failed to arouse desire in her husband. She summons Catherine to her and rudely throws this accusation in her face. "She said that it was my fault that the marriage did not bear fruit." Catherine naively retorts that a woman cannot be held responsible for such a failure. The Empress shuts her up, claiming she can. She has experience on her side! He raises his voice and continues the interrogation. "She said that it was not her fault if I did not love the Grand Duke, that she did not marry me against my will, that she is well aware that I loved another, in a word, a thousand terrible things that I will not even remember." The unexpected appearance of the Grand Duke brings relaxation. Elizabeth, gritting her teeth, turns away. Half-hearted with fear, Ekaterina retires to her quarters, asks for a bloodletting, lies down in bed and cries for the rest of the day.
Anna Rosina de Gask (née Lisevski) Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. 1756
On the advice of Bestuzhev, from that day on, the Empress arranges an unbearable life for the young. She decides to rein them in, isolate and politically neutralize them. At this time, Catherine is getting closer to Andrei Chernyshev. Andrei, Peter's favorite, becomes Catherine's favorite too. Even when she was a bride, she had a kind of love fencing with this young man, which amused them both.
Peter loves ambiguity and encourages his fiancee to these playful games. Talking with Andrei about Catherine, he jokingly calls her "your betrothed."
After the marriage, the Grand Duchess calls her boyfriend the Russian word "son", and he calls her "mother". This friendship, slightly tinged with coquetry, does not go unnoticed by other courtiers. Fearing a scandal, Catherine's faithful servant Timofei Evreinov implores her to be more careful. She innocently objects and speaks of good and pure friendship, to which he replies: "What you call good and pure friendship with a person who is devoted and helpful to you, others call love!" Struck by such a judgment, she realizes with fear and joy that, against her will, a tender feeling was born in her.
Alexei Antropov Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. 1760
Series of messages " ":
Part 1 -
Part 2 - THE ROMANOVS IN PAINTING (PART 57 - THE TRANSFORMATION OF PRINCESS FIKE INTO GRAND DUCHESS EKATERINA ALEXEEVNA.)
Part 3 -