Catherine

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## Empress Consort of Russia

Catherine Alexeievna Romanova

32 (reality)

**Catherine** (born **Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst**), is the main protagonist of *The Great*. In "The Great", when her lady-in-waiting tells her that Russia does not use primogeniture to determine the line of succession to the Russian throne, herself, Marial and Count Orlo start a coup d'état in order to overthrow her husband, Peter III and establish an Enlightened Russia.

## Appearance

Catherine is a fresh-faced girl in her early twenties. She frequently wears her blonde hair in an aristocratic updo. Her favorite colors to wear are pastels and florals, a contrast to the dark clothing favored in the Russian court.

## Personality

Upon arriving to Russia, she was innocent minded about love, obliviously presenting a disgusted Peter with a piece of evergreen to symbolize their eternal bond. Her bubbly and optimistic personality was quickly tested by the violence and chaos of Peter's court. After only a few days in Russia, wherein she was beaten, almost drowned, and had her dream of a school for girls crushed, she became suicidal. She tells Mariel that she'd felt "like god had spat her on this earth for greatness". When Mariel asks why she was born a woman, then, she answers "for comedy, I guess." Mariel then tells her that if Peter dies, Catherine will become queen, and exits the room after leaving a bucket for Catherine to drain her blood to minimize the mess of her suicide. Catherine drops the knife and resolves to overthrow Peter.

As Catherine advances her coup, she hones her beauty and charisma to gather followers for her cause, insisting that she will create a more enlightened Russia. After failing to seduce--it was her first time doing so, at Mariel's insistence--palace intellectual Orlo, she eventually wins his loyalty by demonstrating their shared fondness for enlightenment era philosophers. She eventually recruits Velementov, the disillusioned leader of the Russian army, by promising that she can bring meaningful change.

Catherine demonstrates that she has the same ruthlessness and cunning as the rest of the cast.

## Family

Template:Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov-Ascania Tree

In the show, Catherine is one of four daughters. Her sister Nina is married to the king of Portugal with multiple children, her sister Donna is married to the king of Spain and her sister Angela was due to marry the king of France, until she was refused because of Catherine's coup, which overthrew her husband.

Historical:

* Christian August of Anhalt (father)
* Joanna Elisabeth Holstein Gottorp (mother)
* William Christian Frederick (brother)
* Frederick Augustus (brother)
* Auguste Christine Charlotte (sister)
* Elisabeth Ulrike (sister)
* Two miscarriages
* Paul Petrovich Romanov 'Paul I' (son recognized as Peter's, implied by Catherine to be Sergey Saltykov's)
* Anna Petrovna Romanova (daughter recognized as Peter's, implied by Catherine to be Sergey Saltykov's)
* Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky (illegitimate son by Grigory Orlov)
* Elizabeth Grigorievna Temkina (alleged illegitimate daughter by Grigori Potemkin)
* Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt 'Natalia Alexeievna' (daughter-in-law, Paul's first wife)
* Stillborn son (grandson)
* Princess Sophia of Württemberg 'Maria Feodorovna' (daughter-in-law, Paul's second wife)
* Alexander Pavlovich Romanov 'Alexander I' (grandson)
* Louise Maria Auguste of Baden 'Elizabeth Alexeievna' (granddaughter-in-law, Alexander's wife)
* Konstantin Pavlovich Romanov (grandson)
* Juliane Henriette Ulrike of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 'Anna Feodorovna' (granddaughter-in-law, Konstantin's wife)
* Alexandra Pavlovna Romanova (granddaughter)
* Joseph Anton John Baptiste of Austria (grandson-in-law, Alexandra's husband)
* Elena Pavlovna Romanova (granddaughter)
* Friedrich Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (grandson-in-law, Elena's husband)
* Maria Pavlovna Romanova (granddaughter)
* Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (grandson-in-law, Maria's husband)
* Catherine Pavlovna Romanova (granddaughter)
* Peter Friedrich Georg of Oldenburg (grandson-in-law, Catherine's first husband)
* Friedrich Wilhelm Karl of Württemberg 'Wilhelm I' (grandson-in-law, Catherine's second husband)
* Olga Pavlovna Romanova (granddaughter)
* Anna Pavlovna Romanova (granddaughter)
* Willem Frederik George Lodewijk of the Netherlands 'Willem II' (grandson-in-law, Anna's husband)
* Nicholas Pavlovich Romanov 'Nicholas I' (grandson)
* Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine of Prussia 'Alexandra Feodorovna' (granddaughter-in-law, Nicholas's wife)
* Michael Pavlovich Romanov (grandson)
* Friederike Charlotte Marie of Württemberg 'Elena Pavlovna' (granddaughter-in-law, Michael's wife)

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## References

1. ↑ Pre-Love Hurts
2. ↑ Said by Peter in "The Beaver's Nose"
3. ↑ As of 1761

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