The Psychotic Husband of Catherine the Great
“Mawage, Mawage is what brings us together today. Mawage, that bwessed awwangement. That dweam within a dweam”
The Princess Bride
Unless of course, your dream turns into a nightmare. Unfortunately, not all Princesses get to marry a perfect Prince Charming. That’s how it was for Catherine the Great, anyway. Her guy was a lunatic, a creep of the first degree. But let’s back up a little, back before the days of their unhappy mawage.
The Groom
This, my friends, is Charles Peter Ulrich, better known as Russian Emperor Peter III. Peter was born in Kiel, Germany on Feb 21, 1728. His father was Duke Charles Frederick and his mother the daughter of Peter the Great.
Now when your grandfather is called “The Great,” it gives people high hopes that you will inherit at least a small percentage of that greatness. No one wants to follow that with a name like “The Mediocre” or “The Dunce“. If that’s not enough pressure, he was also related to another emperor on his dad’s side, Charles XII of Sweden. Charles was a strong figure in his own right, with nicknames such as “The Lion of the North,” and “The Swedish Meteor.”
Maybe things would have gone differently for Peter, had tragedy not been his childhood playmate. His mother died shortly after his birth and his father when he was eleven. His upbringing, therefore, was directed by tutors and officials at the Swedish court. There he was to develop all those excellent leadership qualities inherited from those wonderfully smart grandpas of his, only things didn’t go quite the way they planned.
Academically Peter was a failure. He liked art well enough, and he was a pretty good painter, but kingdoms aren’t ruled by the point of a paintbrush. The training continued, however. They were determined that somehow Peter would be made fit to rule the Swedish throne. Finally, in October 1742, by a vote of parliament, 14-year-old Peter became the proud owner -to-be of the Swedish crown.
Good-bye my lovelies
Meanwhile, a power struggle was going on over in Russa which involved Peters Aunt Elizabeth, his mother’s sister. Despite never being expected to take the throne, Elizabeth managed to grab it, and she needed an heir. She herself had no children, so Peter was the next best thing. Say ta-ta to Sweden my Sweet, said Aunt Elizabeth, your coming to Russia.
Everything changed for Peter. Aunt Elizabeth changed his name to Pyotr Fyodorovich and his religion from Lutheran to Russian Orthodox. For a boy who was trained to love everything Swedish, suddenly switching his allegiance to Russa was difficult. Peter hated it. To complete his transformation to heir of the Russian throne the 17-year-old Peter would need a wife. Don’t worry, Aunt Elizabeth had the answer for that too.
The (un)Lucky Bride
16-year-old Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg got the news. She would be married to a future emperor. Although born into a minor Prussian aristocratic family, her mother knew people. Peter’s Aunt Elizabeth was one of them, and Elizabeth found Sophie utterly charming. Not only was she pretty, but intelligent as well. She read books on history, and politics, and was highly cultured. Just the kind of girl Peter needed at his side. And so it was that Sophie got a new husband. Like Peter, she also took on a new religion and a new name. From now on she would be known as Ekaterina Alekseevna or Catherine.
Unfortunately for Catherine, the guy was a dud. It seemed he wasn’t just an academic failure, but an emotional one as well. He was childish and immature, especially compared to Catherine. The two were as good a match as chocolate and liverwurst. On the night of their wedding, Peter left his lovely bride for the company of his friends. He spent Subsequent nights making her play soldier, his favorite obsession. In her memoirs, Catherine calls Peter an idiot and a drunk prone to brutality, and only interested in playing military leader. His only wish was to play with toys, dress up as a general, and have his servants pretend to be his soldiers. He was, she said, unfit to rule an empire. Not surprisingly, Catherine took on several lovers. But then again, so did Peter.
All Hail the Emperor
In December 1761, Aunt Elizabeth died, and Peter, now 34, took the throne as Peter III. Immediately things fell apart. He withdrew from the Seven Year’s War and became friends with the enemy, Prussia. Not a popular decision among his people since Russian was kicking their butts. He also had some crazy ideas about allowing religious freedom and disbanding his secret police.
Now, maybe that bit about freedom makes you think he was a decent guy. Maybe it even makes you want to overlook the fact he once court marshaled and hung a rat for chewing the head off one of his toy soldiers. Never the less, Peter’s actions were considered distorted and unreasonable. Russian society could hardly tolerate their new emperor and even dubbed him “The Betrayer.” Neurotic, rebellious, obstinate, unpredictable: all words they used in association with the new Emperor. And so, under the guidance of Catherine, a plot was hatched to remove him from the throne.
Of course, a new leader would be needed, and it was his most impeccable wife, Catherine who would fill the role. And so, on June 28, 1762, the army, senate, and synod, pledged their allegiance to her, declaring her the Empress of Russia. On hearing the news it was said Peter, devoid of friends and supporters, resigned himself to defeat like a little boy being sent to his room. Peter was assassinated nine days later.
For her part, Catherine went on to introduce sweeping reforms to Russia. She embraced the ideas of the Enlightenment, including those of Voltaire, and fostered the arts, and education. Russa was now free from Peter III, lunatic extraordinaire. Is it any wonder the world knows here as Catherine the Great?
It’s a fun story, but . . .
Is it true? Certainly, we see this version over and over. Poor innocent Catherine, married to that horrible monster. Yet, it’s possible that Peter was the bigger victim.
According to author Carol S. Leonard, we’ve all been duped. Immediately after Peter’s death, Catherine and her cohorts created an intense spin campaign. Catherine declared Peter’s overthrow was a result of his being a threat to the state and society. She even released a whole list of allegations demonstrating his abuse of power. Since most of everything written by or about him previous to her regime “went missing”, who would dispute her claims? Yet enough remains to prove much of what she said untrue.
Peter, it seems, was actually modernizing the country. He improved commerce and agricultural productivity, began church reforms, and freed nobles from their obligatory state service (resulting in more autonomy and economic independence). He required Aristocratic children to be properly educated and established technical schools for the middle and lower class. Along with his advisors, Peter went through all the old laws looking for ways to improve the government. And he did it all within six months. Oddly enough, despite all her criticism of his plans, Catherine continued much of what he started.
The Proof
A memoir by Charles T. de Laveaux, French counsel in St. Petersburg, is just one opinion of outrage over the negative portrayal of Peter. Although he admitted the emperor was irritable and impatient, he claims he was also generous and open. He insists Peter was “falsely represented practically everywhere as an imbecile and a ridiculous figure because of the manifestos of his treacherous wife.” A biography based on interviews with Russian statesmen in the 1770s and 80s confirms his opinion.
And what of his odd bedroom behavior? Well, once again we’re only getting Catherine’s side of the story. However, Catherine herself said the two were “happy enough to play together like children.” The fact is, if Peter’s only interest was playing soldier, he wouldn’t need a mistress to do it.
In truth, over the years Catherine’s memoirs went through several renditions, each version making Peter more of a monster, and her more of a saint. No one claims the guy was perfect, but let’s face it, if you want to win support for an overthrow you don’t do it by making your opponent look good. That’s something you learn in Coup d’é·tat 101.
Share the fantasy
And so, boys and girls, you have a choice. Of course, the popular version makes a great story, and I’m almost sad it probably isn’t true. However, there’s a lesson to learn here. History isn’t perfect, and neither are the people who tell its tale. And as a side note, if you don’t want to ruin a good story stop digging for answers.
Notes and Sources:
The Princess Bride Quote is from the movie, it’s different in the book.
There’s a lot more to this story, like the fact the couple had a son who some say was illegitimate. Unfortunately, it takes a book to cover all the details.
The following two sources are in defense of Peter III:
Reform and Regicide: The Reign of Peter III of Russia, Carol S. Leonard
The Making of Russian Absolutism 1613–1801, Paul Dukes (chapter 5 specifically)
Those which are middle of the road:
https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/bios/soviet-bloc/peter-iii-czar-of-russia
And those against:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/catherine_the_great.shtml
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