Dec 29 2008
Catherine the Great - an example of endurance
Much has been written about the achievements of Catherine the Great as an empress and about her love affairs. This post is dedicated to the 16 years of misery she endured until her husband Peter III became Tsar and Catherine was closer to power.
She was born in 1729 as the German princess Sophia Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst. At the time, Elisabeth was Empress of Russia and through family ties she had heard about Sophia. She was looking for a bride for her nephew Peter, who was 14 and heir to the throne. Elisabeth thought, that Sophia might be a suitable wife for Peter and invited her and her mother to Russia. Sophia said good bye to Germany and her name, when she became engaged to Peter and came to live in Russia.
Peter however had a deeply disturbed personality. He was physically and mentally retarded and on top of it, prone to illnesses such a measles and small pox which left him unattractive. After her marriage in 1745, Catherine spent the next 16 years practically in a golden prison, exposed to a childish as well as violent husband. He adored Prussia and Frederic the Great was his hero. He spent his time dressing up dolls and servants, playing war games and even forcing his wife to participate. He also drank heavily and had the crudest manners. Catherine had no family and support in Russia and as a way out of her personal unhappiness, she learned languages and devored books, anything from Plato to Voltaire. Although it seems, that the Empress Elisabeth was fond of Sophia she did nothing to improve her fate. She was extremely concerned because the marriage remained childless. She blamed Catherine, until a medical examination revealed that a defect resulting from the measles Peter had suffered was the cause. A minor operation was performed and Catherine became pregnant, giving birth to a son in 1754.
However, Elisabeth insisted on the child being brought to her quarters and educated there. Catherine never was allowed to spend time with her son. But she endured her 16 years of misery with courage and determination which can only cause the greatest admiration. Her de facto ‘excile’ only ended when Elisabeth died in 1761 and Peter became Tsar. He did of course not last long and, with the help of the army and the Orlovs, Catherine overthrew him and seized the throne herself.
