Catherine ii of russia biography of abraham

Prussian Princess. The daughter of a minor German prince, she moved to Russia in and married Grand Duke Peter of Holstein, a grandson of Peter the Great and heir to the Russian throne, in While the marriage was fraught with difficulties, the precocious, intelligent, and extremely ambitious grand duchess managed to learn a great deal in her adopted country.

She learned Russian, survived court intrigues as well as successfully engaging in some , and by all accounts adapted quickly to Russia. She was required to convert from Lutheranism to Russian Orthodoxy before marrying Peter.

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While this might have dismayed some, Catherine displayed great devotion to both her new religion and nation. His reign, however, lasted only a few months. Peter was men-tally unstable and quite paranoid: he immediately antagonized the court, the Orthodox Church , and the leading elements in the army. He also planned to rid himself of Catherine.

Enlightened Reforms. Her first attempt at political reform in Russia, however, ended in failure.