PBS Empress of Russia- Catherine the Great Notes

Adelaide. F

Russia 1744: young German Princess (Sophia) Betrothed to Peter III- elected heir to the throne by Queen Elizabeth - Seized power in 1741 - Daughter of Peter the Great Travelled from Zerbst to St Petersburg - Built by serfdom under the reign of Peter the Great Ivan VI-legitimate heir (cousin of Elizabeth): Upon seizing the throne in a coup, Empress Elizabeth placed (the then baby) in captivity Guards were instructed that in the event of anyone trying to liberate him, he was to be killed Catherine: plucked out of obscurity- poor family Well connected, especially on mothers side: - Father: General in the Prussian Service Spoke French- national language Peter: Orphan- brought up by his teacher Grew up in Germany- Lutheran Religion (didnt like his entourage) He had a taste for all things German and Prussian His hero was King Frederick the Great- King of Prussia His known personality is mainly due to the Memoirs of Catherine in which he was portrayed as being a stupid childish imbecile, who idolized all things German (this is probably accurate) Peter and Catherine: Played together as pubescent children Peter never grew up (played with toy soldiers) Catherine did not need Peters favour for marriage but rather the Empress Elizabeths permission How Catherine changed in lieu of becoming the Wife of the Emperor of Russia (Peter III) Learned Russian Converted to Russian Orthodoxy AIM: please the people- become Russian in order for the people to accept her Given Russian name- Caterina After her baptism she was rewarded by Empress Elizabeth with a necklace and a jewel encrusted corset It was said that she recited her initiation beautifully and brought people to tears including Elizabeth Catherine had no power base of her own, not including her colossal charm which captivated numerous people Married: 17 Aug 1745 Aged 17- she committed herself to Peter for the rest of her life

PBS Empress of Russia- Catherine the Great Notes

Adelaide. F

If she displeased him he could have her incarcerated, placed in a convent and even murdered. Her purpose was to please Peter, the Empress and Russia Wedding Night: Catherine retired early and Peter remained at the Party Peter returned drunk and promptly fell asleep Catherine was incredibly resentful, bitter and hurt- this is believed to have had a profound effect on her - Believed to be the reason for her countless lovers and her dependence on their intellectual ability and need to be around her at all times It is believed that they never did consummate their relationships Married Life: Gave her Catherine a Greater insight into Peters personality - Torturing rats: telling Catherine that they had committed treason and had her stand outside the door with a musket as an acting guard Peter was frequently ill - Small pox: permanently scarred his face for life - Shaved head with an extraordinary wig - He became horrid to look at Catherine was caught in a loveless marriage - She was alone as her mother had been sent home in disgrace for upsetting Elizabeth through meddling in Russian political affairs - She had a voracious mind reading books that delved into modern political theories including the philosophical works of Voltaire - Intellectually Peter was no match for her The Heir Empress Elizabeth became impatient for an heir, wanting stability - Employed a supervisor who locked the couple in their room at night Rumoured that Peter had sexual problems however - In 1766: Peter began a very public sexual affair with a lady in waiting - Catherine I am indifferent to Peters sexual exploits however I am not indifferent to the Russian crown They had been married for 8 years and had not produced an heir Several stipulations were placed over Catherine and privileges were taken away in order to hasten her want to fall pregnant E.g. she was forbidden from writing to her mother Catherines First Lover Count Sergei Saltykov Russian Officer Madame Choglokova (Supervisor) - Encouraged Catherine on behalf of Elizabeth to engage in an affair to secure a child 1754- Gave birth to a boy - Elizabeth removed him after the birth to raise him as her own - Catherine was left alone after several hours of strenuous labour, having given Elizabeth what she wanted

PBS Empress of Russia- Catherine the Great Notes

Adelaide. F

- The paternity of the child was never questioned Saltykov delivered the news of the birth to the King of Sweden, leaving Catherine feeling abandoned Catherines Journey into Politics Charles Hanbury Williams- British Ambassador - Formed a friendship with Elizabeth - Stirred her interests in politics - They began a secret correspondence - He supported her ambitions to play and obtain a powerful political role - Their letters show a loving relationship- father/daughter (Catherine lost her father) - Influential on her - Catherine persuaded him to lend her ten thousand pounds to allow her to gain respect and place in the court Court: Slander took the place of wit and Any talk of politics was classified as treason Williams Protge: Stanislav Poniatowski an affair was encouraged - highly cultured - romantic relationship - however, this was the court where everything was politically motivated 1756- War between Prussia and Russia: Britain became the enemy as backed Prussia It became dangerous for the British Ambassador and his Protege to remain in Russia Catherine continued her correspondence with Williams - when the money ran out she promptly asked for an amount as substantial as the first sum - If her letters were found she could face treason 7 December 1757: Catherine gave birth to Poniatowskis child- a daughter When the Grand Chancellor was arrested for being a Prussian spy, Empress Elizabeth upped the scope of her search for spies and traitors Catherine was in danger and she destroyed the letters Some managed to find their way into Empress Elizabeths hands Catherine was suspected of being a Prussian Sympathiser recovered her power: first political triumph lesson learnt: she needed politically powerful allies Gregory Orlov: War Hero and politically powerful ally He was educated in the corps of cadets at St Petersburg, began his military career in the Seven Years' War, and was wounded at Zorndorf. While serving in the capital as an artillery officer he caught the fancy of Catherine and was the leader of the conspiracy which resulted in the dethronement and death of her husband Peter III (1762) He was not intellectual Provide political power to protect her

PBS Empress of Russia- Catherine the Great Notes

Adelaide. F

Catherine bore him a child (1761) 1761: Elizabeths health faded and impending crowning of Peter as King Elizabeth died - Catherine acted with the upmost respect while Peter reportedly acted childishly and with disrespect King Peter (III) Ordered that the war be over - Returned land - Adding insult to injury he dressed his soldiers in Prussian uniforms Opposition: Orlovs urged Catherine to take the throne in a coup Married to the King Lived separately Peter proposed a toast and called Catherine a fool- alerting people to his probable plans of placing her in a convent or having her murdered Catherine had 3 options 1. Share Peters fate 2. Be at his Mercy 3. Create own destiny The Coup Coup was almost ruined: - Guardsman involved in plot was captured - Alexei barged into her room at her Summer Villa- It is now or never She won the support of the Imperial Guards Regiment (politically powerful) She dressed in the male guard uniform (first meets Potemkin) Queen Catherine Peter was imprisoned and signed abdication papers Murdered- death was necessary to Catherines security The official reason for his death was haemorrhoids Survival Still not Guaranteed Ivan iv (Great Grandson Ivan 5th) - Legitimate heir to the throne - Prisoner no. 1 - Rumoured half wit Visited him to assess threat He was well aware of his position- Catherine reiterated Elizabeths order Ivan Coup Group of guardsmen decided to topple Catherine and replace her with Ivan - he was stabbed to death Catherines Russia Russia she inherited was considered poverty stricken- serfdom She aimed to create a better Russia that would rival Europe and bring credibility to her reign - Modern Russia: based on enlightened theories that she admired - Give Russia a position in Western Society - She shared political ideas with Voltaire

PBS Empress of Russia- Catherine the Great Notes

Adelaide. F

Small Pox outbreak: brought a child with smallpox and inoculated him 12 Oct 1788 she was inoculated and her royal court followed suit Expanded South to the Black Sea Foreign Policy Was interested in civilian developments

Love Life The Orlovs were intellectually no mark for her Potemkin (Love of her Life) - The Orlovs realised that if Potemkin began an affair with Catherine, it could threaten their own positions - Potemkin was beaten by Alexei and permanently scarred - Catherine carefully eased Orlov out of her life so as not to create an enemy - Orlov had been unfaithful to her thus providing a reason as to why the affair no longer suited her - He was provided with an estate Potemkin Catherine began a correspondence with him - Potemkin returned to St Petersburg Famous story concerning Gregory Orlov and Potemkin states that they met on the stairs, Orlov going down and Potemkin going up to Catherine Their relationship survives through letters and I regarded as one of the greatest political partnerships Potemkin was given the military to look after while Catherine dealt for with civilian and social developments Marriage Potemkin wanted security of his position and Catherine needed and craved constant companionship: It is supposed that they married in secret Public marriage may remind people of her husbands execution Would reduce her authoritarian control Peasants Revolt People were convinced that Peter III had returned Potemkin helped pan a strategy to tame the rebellion Catherine ordered for the poser to be killed as quickly as possible using the opportunity to demonstrate her compassion and to highlight that the cruelty of old was not part of her ruling Never lost her autocratic grip on people again realised that reforms were an essential in order to prevent another revolt from occuring July 1774- Ottomons and Russia sign a peace deal: gave two black sea ports Young secretary fell in love with Catherine 1776: Crisis in Potemkin and Catherines relationship Young secretary fell in love with Catherine-Zavadovsky Because it was an absolute monarch, the strain in their relationship was also a political problem

PBS Empress of Russia- Catherine the Great Notes

Adelaide. F

Menage en trios- relationship between Catherine, Potemkin and Secretary - The third member got younger as Catherine got older - Multiple lovers however Potemkin was a fixed partner Final trip south (before her death) Trip was designed to show her power, munificence and material wealth of the empire Based on Cleopatras famed cruise down the Nile Was not as successful as they had hoped for People tried to destroy her reputation by focusing on her sexuality - They were afraid of her success, showing they saw her as a threat - They portrayed her as a nymphomaniac - In 1790 a writer published a social commentary on Russia, talking about the plight of the common man and saying something needed to be done about serfdom - he was exiled to Siberia and all copies of the book were burned Potemkin dies while away from Catherine however letters that she had written to him were found opened in his pocket Death of Catherine the Great Drew legitimacy to her reign through the continuance of Peter the Greats work of expansion and her enlightened theories represented the greatest monarch of the Romanoff Empire died of a stroke Her son Paul became Emperor She was placed in the same coffin as Peter (I bet she would have loved that!)

The period of Catherine the Great's rule, the Catherinian Era, is often considered the Golden Age of the Russian Empire and the Russian nobility. The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country.