Catherine I
1684-1727
EMPRESS OF ALL RUSSIA 1725-1727
The first Empress of all Russia was the second wife of Peter the Great. Before
converting to the Orthodox faith, she was called Marta Skavronskaya, and was the
daughter of a Lithuanian peasant named Samuil. Employed as a servant by the minister Gluck of
Marienburg at 17, she married a Swedish dragoon. When Marienburg fell to Russian forces, Marta was
captured by Count B.P. Sheremetev and put to work in the regimental laundry. From Sheremetev, she
was passed on to Prince A.D. Menshikov, a favorite of Peter the Great. In 1703, Peter saw Marta at
Menshikov's home and took her as his mistress. In 1705, she converted to the Orthodox faith, and on
February 19, 1712, married Peter.
After the death of Peter, Catherine was placed on the throne by the guards regiments. Real power,
however, remained in the hands of Menshikov and the Supreme Privy Council.
She died on May 6, 1727, and was buried in the Cathedral of the St. Peter and St. Paul Fortress in
St. Petersburg.
Biography and image from The Florida International Museum WWW exhibit
"The Treasures of the Czars"
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