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Born on April 21st, 1729
Catherine was born in Szczecin, Poland. Her birth name was Sophie Friederike Auguste. She had a younger brother who sadly died at the age of 12. Her and her mother didn't get along, and she saw marriage as a way to escape her mother. -
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Childhood
Catherine's parents had wanted a son, and they didn't pay that much attention to her. She spent a lot of time with and was close to her governess, Babette. -
Catherine Meets her Future Husband
At the invitation of Empress Elizabeth, Catherine went with her mother to Russia, The Empress wanted to see if Catherine and her son, Peter, would be a good match. -
Marriage into Russian Royalty
Catherine married Peter the Third. However, he was immature and the two of them didn't get along. He was abusive to her, and she started to drift away from him, coming up with her own pastimes. -
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Marriage to Peter
Her bad marriage led her to a string of lovers, and made her independent. She remained good friends with her lovers, and treated them well. Many of them were war heroes or generals. Her husband, Peter, also had affairs during their marriage. -
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Catherine's Interests
Because she so often needed to escape from her marriage, she developed new hobbies and pastimes. She was very cultured, and she read a lot, as well as appreciating novels and plays. She was both ambitious and smart, and this is what got her the throne. -
Birth of her Heir
Her son, Paul was finally born after her many years of marriage to Paul. There was speculation that Paul wasn't his father's son, but none of the rumors were ever proven true. Catherine didn't spend a lot of time raising her son. -
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Relationship With Her Son
Catherine didn't get along with her son, and they often argued. She didn't raise him, and he didn't approve of her need to control the power. She didn't want Paul to rule because she didn't think he would be a good ruler. In the end, she was right and he was assassinated. -
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Catherine's Son, Paul
Because she was known for having numerous lovers, people questioned whether Paul was actually Peter's son. No one knew if Catherine ever confirmed or denied these rumors. -
Catherine's Has Another Child
This time, Catherine had a girl, named Anna. Like with Paul, the girl was rumored to be the child of a man other than Peter. -
Anna Dies
Anna dies, sadly not even making it to two years old. Many people thought she was the child of Stanislaw Poniatowski. -
Catherine Takes Power
She threw her husband, Peter the Third out of power only to claim the throne herself. A few days after she took power, Peter turned up strangled to death. To this day, it is unclear whether or not Catherine had any part in her husband's death. -
Death and End of Power
Catherine ruled Russia and kept her throne until the day she died. She died in Petersbug, Russia. She was only 67 years old, and died of a stroke.