II.

Early Life

Originally named Sophie Fredericke Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst, Catherine was born in Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland). The daughter of a minor German prince, she moved to Russia in 1744 and married Grand Duke Peter of Holstein, a grandson of Peter the Great and heir to the Russian throne, in 1745. The marriage was an unhappy one, but the precocious, intelligent, and extremely ambitious grand duchess managed to learn much in her adopted country, surviving court intrigues (as well as, apparently, successfully engaging in some). Required to convert from the Lutheran faith to Russian Orthodoxy before marrying Peter, Catherine displayed devotion to her new religion and nation. Peter became Emperor Peter III of Russia upon the death of Empress Elizabeth in 1762, but lasted only a few months. Unstable and in effect impossible in personal relations, he immediately antagonized the court, the Orthodox Church, and the leading elements in the army. He also indicated plans to rid himself of Catherine. In July 1762 Catherine and the imperial guard led by her lover Count Grigory Orlov overthrew Peter in a palace coup, and Catherine was declared empress as Catherine II. Orlov’s brother Alexey killed Peter days later, perhaps inadvertently during a drunken argument. Catherine proceeded to rule Russia for 34 eventful years.