CATHERINE


Meaning of CATHERINE in English

n.

Russian Yekaterina Alekseyevna orig. Marta Skowronska

born April 15, 1684

died May 17, 1727, St. Petersburg, Russia

Second wife of Peter I and empress of Russia (1725–27).

A peasant woman of Baltic origin, she became Peter's mistress in 1702. In 1703, after the birth of their first child, she was received into the Russian Orthodox church and rechristened. She married Peter in 1712 and in 1724 was crowned empress-consort. After Peter's death (1725), she served two years as empress of Russia.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.