Catherine II was the Empress over the Russians, she is now one of the most interesting and interesting people ever written about in the pages of history during the eighteenth century. Historians have not always said good things about Catherine, and often people read about Catherine's private life, and ignore her achievements. The stories of her love affairs have been blown out of proportion and can be traced to many French writers in the years immediately after Catherine's death, when Republican France was fighting for its life against a Coalition that included Russia.
             Catherine's name was Sophia Augusta Frederika of Anhalt-Zerbest when she was born on April 21, 1729 in Stettin, then known as Germany, Now known as Poland. Her Father, Prince Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbest, a minor prince ling among the broken authority in Germany, had married the much younger princess Johanna of Holstein-Gottorp. The house of Holstein could lay claim to the crown of Sweden. Instead of making a better marriage, her family had arranged a match to this Prince of modest position. After Sophia was born her mother soon became board with the sheltered life of Stettin, where her husband was a high-ranking officer in the Prussian Army. As Johanna was related to many noble families in Germany, she decided to take every opportunity to travel to the courts of Zerbst, Hamburg, Brunswick, Kiel and even Berlin.
             Years before Johanna's brother Karl August of Holstein-Gottorp had gone to Russia to marry the princess Elizabeth Petrovina, who was the daughter of Peter the great. Before the wedding took place, the prince died of small pox, leaving Elizabeth depressed. Her sister Anna had married the Duke Karl Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp. Three months after giving birth to a son, Peter Ulrich, Anna died of tuberculosis. When Peter Ulrich was ten years old, his father died and the throne of Sweden was passed to his son. As the only survivin...