Catherine I (In Russian: Екатерина I Алексеевна) (April 15, 1684 – May 17, 1727), the second wife of Peter the Great, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death. She also functioned as co-ruler with her husband from 1724 until his death early in the next year.
The life of Catherine I was said by Voltaire to be nearly as extraordinary as that of Peter the Great himself. There are no documents that confirm the descent of Catherine. The commonly accepted version is that Catherine was born in Jakobstadt (Jēkabpils), in present-day Latvia, or in the village of Rigen near Dorpat. At the time this area was a province of Sweden. Originally named 'Marta Skavronskaya', she was the daughter of Samuel Skavronskaya, a Lithuanian peasant, and was probably a Catholic. Her mother has been listed on at least one site as Elisabeth Moritz. There is some speculation that her parents were runaway serfs. Some sources state her father was a gravedigger. Samuel and her mother died of plague around 1684, leaving five children. She taken by an aunt who sent her to be raised by Ernst Glück, the Lutheran pastor and educator who first translated the Bible into Latvian, in Marienburg. She was essentially a house servant. No effort was made to teach her to read and she remained illiterate throughout her life.
She was a very beautiful young girl and there are accounts that Frau Gluck, became fearful that Marta would become involved with her son. At the age of seventeen, she was married off to a Swedishdragoon, Johanne Raabe, with whom she remained for 8 days in 1702 at which point the Swedish troops were withdrawn from Marienburg. When Russian forces captured Marienburg the Pastor Gluck offered and was taken to Moscow to work as a translator for Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev. There are unsubstantiatable stories that Marta worked briefly in the laundry of the victorious regiment, and also that she was presented in her undergarments to the Brigadier General Adolf Rudolf Bauer to be his mistress. She definitely worked in the household of his superior, the Field Marshal Sheremetev. It is not known whether she was his mistress, or domestic help.
She then became part of the household of Prince Aleksandr Menshikov, the best friend of Peter the Great. Anecdotal sources suggest that she was purchased by him. Whether the two of them were lovers is highly disputed. It is said that at the time Menshikov was engaged to Darya Arseneev his future well loved wife. However it is clear that Menshikov and Marta formed a lifetime alliance, and it is possible that Menshikov who was quite jealous of Peter's attentions and knew his tastes, wanted to plant a mistress on whom he could rely. In any case, in 1703, while visiting Menshikov at his home, Peter met Marta, and shortly after, he took her as his own mistress. In 1705, she converted to Orthodoxy and changed her name to Yekaterina Alexeyevna. She and Darya accompanied Peter and Menshikov on their military excursions.
Catherine and Peter had three children before secretly marrying in 1707 none of whom survived. Only two of their children, Elizabeth (1709) and Anna (born 1708) lived to adulthood. Peter had moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1703. While the city was being built he lived in a two room log cabin with Catherine, where she did the cooking and caring for the children and he tended a garden as though they were an ordinary couple.The relationship was the most successful of Peter's life and a great number of letters exist demonstrating the strong affection between Catherine and Peter. As a person she was very strong, energetic, compassionate, charming and always cheerful. She was able to calm Peter in his frequent rages and was called in to attend him during his epileptic siezures.
Catherine continued to accompany Peter on his Pruth Campaign in 1711. There Catherine was said to have saved Peter and his Empire. Surrounded by overwhelming numbers of Turkish troops Catherine suggested before surrendering, her jewels and those of the other women be used in an effort to bribe the Grand Vizier Baltaji into allowing a retreat. Baltaji allowed the retreat, whether motivated by a bribe or considerations of trade and diplomacy. In any case Peter credited Catherine and proceded to marry her again, this time officially in February of 1712. He did this despite the fact that he was still married to Eudoxia Lopukhina whom he had banished to a nunnery against her will; and with whom he had a son Alexis Petrovich, later to be executed on his order. He gave Catherine the title of Empress. She was the first woman to have this title which effectively made her co-ruler. Up to this point the wife of the Tsar was known as his consort. Ultimately they had 11 children, all of whom died in childhood except for Anna and Yelizaveta:
Grand Duchess Natalia Petrovna (1718–1725) File:Molva.jpgThis monument in Catherinehof is said to have been erected by Catherine I to commemorate her executed lover, Willem Mons.
In 1724 Catherine was officially named co-ruler. The year before his death Peter and Catherine had an estrangement over her support of William Mons, brother of Peter's former mistress and secretary to Catherine; and his sister Matrena, one of Catherine's ladies in waiting. Peter had fought his entire life a somewhat hopeless battle to clear up corruption in Russia. Catherine had a great deal of influence on who could gain access to her husband. William Mons and his sister began selling their influence to those who wanted access to Catherine and through her Peter. Apparently this was overlooked by Catherine who was fond of them both. Peter found out, had Mons executed and his sister exiled. He and Catherine did not speak for several months. Rumors flew that she and Mons had an affair, there is no evidence to support this.
Peter died (28 January1725Old Style) without naming a successor. Catherine represented the interests of the "new men" that is commoners who had been brought to positions of great power by Peter based on competence. A change in government was likely to favor the entrenched aristocrats. For that reason during a meeting of a council to decide on a successor a coup was arranged by Menshikov and others in which the guards regiments with whom Catherine was very popular proclaimed her the ruler of Russia, giving her the title of Empress. Supporting evidence was "produced" from Peter's secretary Makarov and the Bishop of Pskov, both "new men" with motivation to see Catherine take over. The real power, however, lay with Menshikov, Peter Tolstoy and with other members of the Supreme Privy Council.
Upon Peter's death Catherine found her four siblings, Christina, Ann, Karl and Friederich, gave them the newly created titles of Count and Countess and brought them to Russia. Catherine was the first woman to rule Russia opening the legal path for a century almost entirely dominated by women including her daughter Elizabeth, and Catherine the Great, all of whom continued the policies of Peter the Great in modernizing Russia. She was said to be a just and even handed ruler. The supreme privy council concentrated power in the hands of one party, and for that reason was an executive innovation. In foreign affairs Russia joined the Austro-Spanish league to reluctantly defend the interests of Catherine's son in law the Duke of Holstein against England.She continued the work of Peter and established the Academy of Science, and built a great number of bridges in St. Petersburg. In general her policies were reasonable and cautious. She died just two years after Peter at the age of 38. The story of her humble origins was considered by later generations of Tsars to be a state secret.
