Catherine the Great. A Childhood Without Love

Written by Margot Cleverly

Before ascending to the Russian throne as Catherine II the Great, she bore the name Sophia Frederica Augusta von Anhalt-Zerbst. She came from Szczecin and belonged to a minor German princely family. Her path to power was paved by her mother’s dynastic connections, though her childhood passed in an atmosphere of emotional coldness.

Beginnings in Prussian Szczecin

The future empress was born on May 2, 1729, in Szczecin, which then belonged to the Kingdom of Prussia. Her father Christian August held the office of Prussian field marshal and governor of the city, while possessing the title of Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her mother Joanna Elizabeth came from the Holstein-Gottorp dynasty.

Her father’s family had modest estates, placing the family in a difficult financial situation despite aristocratic titles. At home, young Sophia grew up surrounded by German and French languages. Her parents gave her the domestic nickname „Figchen,” also used in the form „Fieke.”

Difficult Relations with Her Mother

Joanna Elizabeth displayed striking emotional coldness toward her daughter. The ambitious and superficial woman openly manifested disappointment with the child, whom she considered physically unattractive. She called young Sophia ugly, accusing her of excessive seriousness and boyish manners.

The girl had dark hair, large blue eyes, and distinctive facial features with a long nose and pointed chin. Her mother attempted to correct her appearance using a special device for straightening shoulders and tightly lacing corsets. Joanna directed all her tenderness toward her younger son Frederick Augustus, born in 1730, while Sophia vainly tried to gain her approval.

Education of the Future Empress

Despite family tensions, the girl received thorough education meeting the standards of German courts. The main role in her education was played by French governess Elizabeth Cardel, called „Babet,” who surrounded her charge with care and protected her from maternal criticism. Sophia had access to private tutors in theology, history, geography, music, and painting.

Her surroundings considered her an intelligent child keenly interested in the world. Her father showed her warmer feelings, though military duties often kept him away from home. In 1739, ten-year-old Sophia met her future husband in Eutin – eleven-year-old Prince Charles Peter Ulrich, later Peter III, who already showed alcohol dependence and aroused her disgust.

Path to the Russian Court

Her mother’s dynastic connections opened the gates of power to Sophia. Joanna Elizabeth came from the Holstein-Gottorp family, from which Peter also descended, designated in 1742 as successor to the Russian throne by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Additionally, Joanna’s brother Adolf Frederick enjoyed the empress’s support as a candidate for the Swedish throne.

In January 1744, fourteen-year-old Sophia set out with her mother for Russia. To avoid protocol complications during passage through Prussia, they traveled under fictitious names of Countess Reinhold and her daughter. They reached Moscow on February 9, 1744.

Conversion and Betrothal

From the first days, Sophia manifested determination in winning the empress’s favor. With great enthusiasm, she began learning the Russian language and studying the principles of Orthodoxy, often devoting entire nights to this. Intense effort combined with harsh climate led to severe pleurisy.

When her life was in danger, she refused to receive a Lutheran pastor and demanded an Orthodox clergyman, which made a deep impression on Elizabeth. Sophia’s father, being a devout Lutheran, initially opposed his daughter’s conversion but ultimately yielded. On June 28, 1744, formal acceptance of Orthodoxy took place, along with which she received the name Yekaterina Alexeyevna. The same day she officially became engaged to Grand Duke Peter, who soon contracted smallpox that permanently disfigured his face. The wedding ceremony took place on August 21, 1745, in St. Petersburg.

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Margot Cleverly

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Margot's journey into women's history began with a box of forgotten letters in a Cambridge archive – suffragettes whose voices had been silenced for over a century. Since then, she's been on a mission to uncover the stories history overlooked.

What she writes about: Queens who ruled from the shadows. Scientists whose male colleagues took credit. Revolutionaries who risked everything. But also ordinary women – those who survived wars, raised families through upheaval, and shaped their communities in ways no one bothered to record.

Margot turns historical figures into real people. She writes with warmth and detail, making centuries-old stories feel surprisingly relevant. Rigorous research meets accessible storytelling – no dusty academic jargon, just compelling narratives backed by solid facts.

When she's not writing, you'll find her in regional archives, collecting oral histories, or visiting sites connected to the women she writes about.