In the vague and often difficult history of our countryThere are names of people who, by chance, are included in books telling about the development of Russia. Most often this happened with those individuals who, in fact of their birth, belonged to the royal family. This can be said about the princess, whose name is Ekaterina Ivanovna Romanova, says little about the modern man in the street. Meanwhile, there lived such a princess in Russia at the beginning of the 18th century.
Birth and childhood
Let's start with the fact that Catherine was lucky from the verychildhood. First of all, she was born in 1691 in the family of the young Tsar John Alekseevich, co-ruler of Peter the Great. Secondly, the little princess managed to survive, unlike her sister-after-age ones. Let's talk about the third luck of the young princess in more detail below.
As you know, everything is young and extremelythe sickly Tsar John Alekseevich and his wife Praskovya had 6 daughters, but only a few girls survived to adulthood. Tsarevna Ekaterina Ioannovna was one of those surviving children.
By the way, the godparents of the little princess were the most famous. They were her uncle Peter the Great and great-aunt, the sister of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Tatiana Mikhailovna.
Childhood little Catherine, especially before 1708year, proceeded in a quiet Moscow, under the walls of the Kremlin. The girl got stronger, by the time she moved to the new capital, which her royal uncle had founded, Ekaterina Ivanovna was already in good health. Photos of St. Petersburg at that time speak about the greatness of this city.
Marriage
Now it's time to talk about the third luck.little princess. Catherine was lucky that in her time the royal daughters were not held captive until her death, and did not marry, but found overseas suitors.
Причем эти изменения ввел ее дядя Петр Первый.Before him, the girls in the royal families were the decoration of the royal house, which no man, even from the most distinguished family could not take to himself. The princesses did not marry, because theirs were not according to their rank, and they did not favor overseas non-Christians then.
So the princesses lived their days, forever remaining old maidens, went to a pilgrimage, commanded their yard girls, embroidered and bored.
Екатерина Иоанновна, к счастью или несчастью для she herself escaped such a fate. She was married by a royal uncle who, in an effort to mend relations with the Mecklenburg court, betrayed his goddaughter to the ruler of the duke Carl Leopold.
By the way, Catherine was well educated for her time: she knew several languages, knew the history, was literate.
Wedding with a foreign spouse took place in 1716year in Danzig. The ceremony was magnificent. Peter the Great promoted that a marriage contract was drawn up between the spouses, suggesting that allied relations would be concluded between Russia and the Duchy of Mecklenburg.
Flight to Russia
However, on the mountain of a young wife her marriage with Karlproved unsuccessful. This was due to many reasons: the duke himself managed to quarrel with Peter, he treated his wife rudely and unceremoniously. Unaccustomed to such an appeal, Ekaterina Ioannovna, after 6 years, returned home with her young daughter, bearing the Protestant name Elizabeth Katerina Christina.
At home she was received with kindness and an understanding of her difficult situation. The princess never saw her husband again. He lost the throne and died in the fortress many years later.
Here Ekaterina Ivanovna after the death of her grandsonPeter the Great Peter Alekseevich could have become the empress herself, however, her younger sister Anna Ivanovna took this place by the decision of the senate. This was due to the fact that Catherine formally was still married, so her husband had the right to claim the Russian throne, which was unacceptable.
As a result, her widowed sister of the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna was elected to the throne.
Early death
However, the life of the princess at the court duringSister's reign was pretty good. In addition, Catherine Ioannovna, whose children died, with the exception of one daughter, should also rejoice in the fact that her childless sister-empress Anna appointed her daughter as the heir to the throne.
Елизавета Катерина Кристина получила в Orthodoxy name of Anna Leopoldovna. It was she who was destined to become Regent with the young Emperor John, who as a result of a palace coup would be sent to the side of the story by the daughter of Peter Elizabeth. But this event will only happen.
And Ekaterina Ivanovna died early: in 1733 at the age of 41 years.
