Ekaterina II (Catherine The Great), excerpt from her Memoirs

Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp was born in Kiel (present-day Germany) in 1728, the product of the marriage of Duke Karl-Friedrich and Peter the Great's daughter Anna. This put him in the line of succession for the Russian throne, and his childless aunt Elizabeth I proclaimed him the heir apparent in 1742. As a bride for the lad, who entered St. Petersburg court circles under the properly Russian name Peter III, Elizabeth selected a minor German princess: Sophia Augusta Fredericka Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst. The teenager arrived in Russia in 1742, was baptized into Orthodoxy as Ekaterina (Catherine), and was married in 1745. Intelligent and precocious, she found little about her husband attractive and soon distanced herself from him both physically and intellectually. A series of quasi-clandestine, court-level lovers gave her powerful political allies; in 1762, four months after Peter had taken the throne, Catherine's supporters overthrew and murdered him in her name. Despite this uneasy start, Catherine went on to be the best example Russia ever produced of a so-called "enlightened despot." The text excerpted below was probably written circa 1755. It gives her autobiographical account of her childhood, her betrothal and marriage to Peter, and the falling out the new Imperial couple soon experienced.

1. How does Catherine describe herself as a child? What effect might her physical problems and upbringing have had on her as a young adult?

2. How does Catherine describe her initial encounters with Peter III? What happened/didn't happen between them?

3. Catherine describes both herself and Peter as total sexual innocents when they were married. Does her self-ascription ring true to you? If so, how can we reconcile it with Catherine's later reputation? While it is not true that she was crushed to death during intercourse with a horse (see http://www.snopes2.com/sex/bestial/catherin.htm), from early adulthood she does seem to have had a well-developed sexuality that she indulged enough to have become the target of much popular innuendo (see http://www.undelete.org/woa/woa05-02.html).

4. More abstractly, how do we reconcile the naive, self-effacing Catherine of this excerpt with the powerful enlightened despot she later proved to be?

I was born on April 21st, 1729 (forty-two years ago) at Stettin in Pomerania. I was told later that, a son having been more desired, my arrival as the first-born had given rise to some disappointment. My father, however, showed more satisfaction at the event than all the rest of the entourage. My mother almost died in bringing me into the world and it took her nineteen irksome weeks to recover.

My wet-nurse was the wife of a Prussian soldier; site was only nineteen, gay and pretty. I was placed in the care of a lady who was the widow of a certain Herr von Hohendorf and acted as companion to my mother.

I was told that the lady showed so little sense in her treatment of me that I developed an unaccountable obstinacy. She also showed little sense regarding my mother and was soon dismissed. She was very abrupt and fond of raising her voice; she succeeded so well in her method that I never did as I was told unless the order was repeated at least three times and very loudly.

My father, whom I saw very seldom, considered me to be an angel; my mother did not bother much about me. She had had, eighteen months after my birth, a son whom she passionately loved, whereas I was merely tolerated and often repulsed with violence and temper, not always with justice. I was aware of all this, but not always able to understand what I really felt about it.

At tire age of seven I was suddenly seized with a violent cough. It was the custom that we should kneel every night and every morning to say our prayers. One night as I knelt and prayed I began to cough so violently that the strain caused me to fall on my left side, and I had such sharp pains in my chest that they almost took my breath away.

Finally, after much suffering, I was well enough to get up and it was discovered, as they started to put on my clothes, that I had in the meantime assumed the shape of the letter Z; my right shoulder was much higher than the left, the backbone running in a zigzag and the left side falling in. The women who attended me, also my mother's women, whom they consulted, decided to break the news to my father and my mother. The first step undertaken was to swear everybody to secrecy concerning my condition. My parents were distressed to see one of their children lame, the other cripple. Finally after consulting several experts in strict confidence, it was decided to summon a specialist in matters of dislocation.

They searched for one in vain; they were loath to ask the only man who knew anything about it, as he was the local hangman. For a long time they hesitated. Finally, under a pledge of great secrecy, he was called in. This man, after examining me, ordered that every morning at six, a girl should come to the on an empty stomach and rub my shoulder and backbone with her saliva. Then he proceeded to fabricate a sort of frame, which I never removed day or night except when changing my underclothes, and every other day he came to examine the in the morning. Besides this they made me wear a large black ribbon which went under the neck, crossed the right shoulder round the right arm, and was fastened at the back. I do not know whether it was because of all these remedies or that I was not meant to become a cripple, but after eighteen months I began to show signs of straightening out. I was ten or eleven when I was at last allowed to discard this more cumbersome framework.

At the age of seven all my dolls and other toys were taken away, and I was told that I was now a big girl and therefore it was no longer suitable that I should have them. I had never liked dolls, and found a way of making a plaything out of anything, my hands, a handkerchief, all served that purpose. The trend of my life went on as before and this deprivation of toys must have been a mere question of etiquette, as no one interfered with me in my games.

I began to grow taller and the extreme ugliness with which I was afflicted was beginning to disappear when I went to visit the future King of Sweden, my uncle, then Bishop of Lubeck. (1)

I do not know if I was actually ugly as a child, but I know that I was so often told that I was and that because of this I should try to acquire wit and other merits that until the age of fourteen or fifteen I was convinced that I was a regular ugly duckling and tried much more to acquire these other virtues than rely upon my face. It is true that I have seen a portrait of myself, painted when I was ten, excessively ugly -- if it was a good likeness, then I was not being deceived.

The Grand Duke had shown some interest in me during my illness and continued to do so after I recovered. While he seemed to like me, I cannot say that I either liked or disliked him. I was taught to obey and it was my mother's business to see about my marriage, but to tell the truth I believe that the Crown of Russia attracted me more than his person. He was sixteen, quite good-looking before the pox, (2) but small and infantile, talking of nothing but soldiers and toys. I listened politely and often yawned, but did not interrupt him and as he thought that he had to speak to me and referred only to the things which amused him, he enjoyed talking to me for long periods of time. Many people took this for affection, especially those who desired our marriage, but in fact we never used the language of tenderness. It was not for me to begin, for modesty and pride would have prevented me from doing so even if I had had any tender feelings for him; as for him, he had never even thought of it, which did not greatly incline me in his favour. Young girls may be as well brought up as you could wish, but they like sweet nonsense, especially from those whom they can hear it without blushing.

The next day, St. Peter's Day, (3) when my betrothal was to be celebrated, the Empress's portrait framed in diamonds was brought to me early in the morning, and shortly afterwards the portrait of the Grand Duke, also encircled with diamonds. Soon after, he came to take me to the Empress who, wearing her crown and Imperial mantle, proceeded on her way under a canopy of massive silver, carried by eight major-generals and followed by the Grand Duke and myself. After me came my mother, (4) the Princess of Homburg, and the other ladies according to their rank.

Towards St. Peter's Day the whole Court returned from Peterhof (5) to town. I remember that on the eve of that feast I suddenly had the fancy to have all my ladies and maids sleeping in my room. For that purpose I had my mattress as well as theirs stretched out on the floor and that is how we spent the night, but before we went to sleep we had a prolonged discussion on the difference between the sexes.

I am certain that most of us were extremely innocent; for myself I can testify that though I was more than sixteen years old. I had no idea what this difference was; I went so far as to promise my women to question my mother the next morning about it; they agreed that I should do so and we went to sleep. Next day I put the question to my mother and was severely scolded.

At last all the preparations for my wedding were almost completed and the day was fixed for August 21st of this year 1745. In vain did the doctors point out to the Empress that the delicate Grand Duke, who had only just recovered from a severe illness, had not yet reached puberty and that it would be wise to wait another few years.

The nearer my wedding-day approached, the more despondent did I become, and often found myself crying without quite knowing why; I tried to conceal my tears as much as I could, but my women, who were constantly with me, could not help noticing my distress and tried to divert me. On the eve of the 21st we moved from the Summer (6) to the Winter Palace. (7) Until then I had lived in the stone building in the Summer Palace which gives on to the Fontanka (8) behind the pavilion of Peter I. In the evening my mother came to my rooms. We had a long and friendly talk, she exhorted me concerning my future duties, we cried a little together and parted very tenderly.

On the day of the ceremony I rose at 6 a.m. At eight the Empress ordered me to her apartments where I was to be dressed. I found a dressing-table prepared in her State bedroom and her Court ladies were already there. First came the hair-dressing and my valet was busy curling my forelock when the Empress came in. I rose to kiss her hand; as soon as she had embraced me, she began to scold my valet and forbade him to curl my fringe.

She wanted my hair to be flat in front because the jewels would not stay on my head if the forelock was curled. Having said this, she left the room. My man, who was obdurate, would not give up his curled forelock. He persuaded Countess Rumiantsev (9) who herself affected curly hair and did not care for smooth dressing, to speak to the Empress in favour of the forelock. After the Countess had gone three or four journeys between the Empress and my valet, while I remained an impartial spectator of what was going on, the Empress sent word, not without anger, that he could do as he wished.

When my hair was dressed, the Empress came to place the Grand Ducal crown on my head and told me I could wear as many jewels as I wanted, both hers and mine. She left the room and the Court ladies continued dressing me in my mother's presence. My dress was of a silver moiré, embroidered in silver on all the hems, and of a terrible weight.

I would have been ready to like my new husband had he been capable of affection or willing to show any. But in the very first days of our marriage I came to a sad conclusion about him. I said to myself: "If you allow yourself to love that man, you will be the unhappiest creature on this earth; with your temperament you will expect some response whereas this man scarcely looks at you, talks of nothing but dolls or such things, and pays more attention to any other woman than yourself; you are too proud to complain, therefore, attention, please, and keep on a leash any affection you might feel for this gentleman; you have yourself to think about, my dear girl." This first scar made upon my impressionable heart remained with me for ever; never did this firm resolution leave my noddle, but I took good care not to tell anybody that I had resolved never to love without restraint a man who would not return this love in full; such was my disposition that my heart would have belonged entirely and without reserve to a husband who loved only me and who would not have subjected me to taunts as this one did.

I have always considered jealousy, suspicion, mistrust, and all that follows them as the greatest misery, and maintained that it depended on the husband whether his wife loved him; if a woman has a kind heart and gentle disposition, a husband's courtesy and good nature would soon win her....

Notes:

1. Adolph August Frederich Holstein-Gottorp, younger son of Karl-Friedrich, chosen as heir apparent to the childless King Frederick I of Sweden in 1743. Reigned 1751-1771.

2. Smallpox, a childhood attack of which left Peter badly scarred.

3. June 29th.

4. Johanna Elizabeth of Holstein-Gottorp.

5. Peter the Great's extravagant shoreline palace complex (among other excesses, there are 144 gilded fountains), on the Gulf of Finland opposite the island of Kronstadt not far from St. Petersburg.

6. A garden/palace ensemble built 1704-1714 in St. Petersburg by Peter, who lived there with his family from May to October.

7. Peter I's palace on the Neva River embankment in St. Petersburg, extensively reconstructed by Catherine II.

8. A small tributary of the Neva River, forming one boundary of the Summer Palace compound.

9. Wife of Count Petr Rumiantsev-Zadunaiskii (later commander-in-chief of Catherine's Army).