In 1745, after being received into the Russian Orthodox Church, and changing her name to Catherine, she married Grand Duke Peter, grandson of Peter the Great and heir to the Russian throne.

For Catherine the Great, jewelry was about much more than adornment. The formidable Russian empress — who reigned from 1762 ...

The longest-serving female ruler in Russian history and one of the most significant ... his father’s death and his mother’s new lovers. Taken from Catherine at birth and raised by his great aunt, ...

Catherine the Great moved to a foreign land as a teenager and became one of the most important leaders in history. Known for her long and prosperous reign over the Russian Empire, the empress ...

marking the start of Catherine’s misfortune. While there was great celebration over the birth of Catherine's second child, Prince Henry, in 1511, this male heir died soon after. In all she bore ...