For Catherine the Great, jewelry was about much more than adornment. The formidable Russian empress - who reigned from 1762 to 1796 after overthrowing her own husband, Peter III - understood that ...

Minister Panin is Catherine’s chief minister and Prince Paul’s tutor, but his loyalties ultimately lie with the Crown Prince. Panin is the closest ... Taken from Catherine at birth and raised by his ...

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.

Read on to find out where Catherine the Great’s royal gems ended up after her death in 1796. The Imperial Crown of Catherine II the Great. Found in the collection of State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.