Catherine Pavlovna of Russia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia (russian: Екатерина Павловна; 21 May 1788
S 10 May 1788 S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...
– 9 January 1819) later Queen Catharina Pavlovna of Württemberg, was the fourth daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia and Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. She became the Queen of Württemberg upon her marriage to her first cousin Crown Prince William who eventually became
King William I of Württemberg King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
in 1816.


Early life

Ekaterina was born in Tsarskoye Selo and named after her grandmother,
Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
. Described as beautiful and vivacious, she had a happy childhood and her education was carefully supervised by her mother. Ekaterina received the best education and constantly furthered her education through reading new literary publications and personal contacts with various outstanding persons. Known as Katya in the family, she was very close to her siblings, particularly her eldest brother Tsar Alexander I. Throughout her life she would maintain a close relationship with him. It was said that she was Alexander's favorite sister and one of the few persons he loved unconditionally. His letters to her are expressed in phrases like ''"I am yours, heart and soul, for life",'' ''"I think that I love you more with each day that passes"'' and ''"to love you more than I do is impossible".'' Although Paul and Maria Feodorovna were initially disappointed at the birth of a fourth daughter, Ekaterina later became her mother's favorite daughter.


First marriage

While the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
were still in progress, the childless
Napoléon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
arranged his divorce from his beloved but aged wife Empress Joséphine in order to marry a princess of high birth, get connected to royalty and beget the much desired heir. While the divorce itself did not happen until 1810, Napoleon was on the lookout for a new wife for some years previous to that, and seriously considered Ekaterina as a candidate - in addition to everything else, such a marriage would also provide strategic advantage by drawing the Russians to his side. The matter was broached or hinted at by the French delegation, at the behest of Talleyrand, at a meeting between them and the Russians at Erfurt in 1808. Ekaterina's family was utterly horrified, and the Dowager Empress immediately arranged a marriage for her daughter to her nephew, Duke George of Oldenburg. Thus, Ekaterina was married to her first cousin Duke George of Oldenburg on 3 August 1809. George was the second son of
Peter, Duke of Oldenburg Peter I or Peter Frederick Louis of Holstein-Gottorp (german: Peter Friedrich Ludwig von Holstein-Gottorp) (17 January 1755 – 21 May 1829) was the Regent of the Duchy of Oldenburg for his incapacitated cousin William I from 1785 to 1823, and th ...
and his wife, Duchess Friederike of Württemberg. The couple resided in
Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...
, where George had been appointed governor general. Catherine lived a lavish court life and entertained with balls, grand dinners and similar events in the pattern of the Imperial court, to create "a Small Saint Petersburg" in Tver. The couple were quickly blessed with two sons: Peter George in 1810 and Konstantin Friedrich Peter 1812. Although the match had been arranged by their families, Ekaterina was devoted to her husband and the marriage was harmonious. It was said that he was not handsome but Ekaterina cared for him deeply, and his death in 1812, due to typhoid fever, was a very severe shock to her. They had been married barely three years, and Ekaterina, now the mother of two infant sons, was only 24 years old. While residing in Tver with George, Ekaterina supported
Nikolay Karamzin Nikolay Mikhailovich Karamzin (russian: Николай Михайлович Карамзин, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ kərɐmˈzʲin; ) was a Russian Imperial historian, romantic writer, poet and critic. He is best remembered for ...
to write his later famous historical work. Tsar Alexander adopted reactionary ideas from a patriotic group which she dominated. In 1812, some conspirators who planned to depose Tsar Alexander had the ambitions to put her on the throne as Empress Catherine III. In 1812, she supported the suggestion to summon a national militia and formed a special regiment of chasseurs which took part in many of the great battles of the era.


Queen consort of Württemberg

Following the death of her husband, Ekaterina spent much of the next few years with her siblings, especially her brother the Tsar with whom she had a very close relationship. During 1813–1815, she travelled to England with her brother Tsar Alexander I to meet the
Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...
. She was again with her brother during the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
in 1815. She was not without influence upon his political acts during these trips. She also promoted the marriage between her youngest sister
Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...
and
William II of the Netherlands William II ( nl, Willem Frederik George Lodewijk, anglicized as William Frederick George Louis; 6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849) was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg. William II was the son of William ...
during this time. In England, Ekaterina met her first cousin, the Crown Prince William of Württemberg. It was love at first sight for the couple. However, William was married to Princess
Caroline Augusta of Bavaria Princess Caroline Augusta of Bavaria (german: Karoline Auguste; Mannheim, 8 February 1792 – 9 February 1873 in Vienna) was Empress of Austria by marriage to Francis I of Austria. She was a daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and P ...
; he took the drastic step of divorcing her. The background to this turn of events is that William and Caroline Augusta had hastily married each other in order to avoid a political marriage devised by Napoleon. They had never got on with each other, and both of them claimed, at the time of seeking an annulment, that their marriage had never been consummated. The annulment was duly granted by the papacy on grounds of non-consummation. Shortly afterwards in 1816, Caroline Augusta married Francis I of Austria and became Empress Consort of Austria. Very early in the year 1816, Ekaterina was married to the newly divorced William. The wedding was held in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. The couple immediately had a daughter, Marie Frederikke Charlotte, who was born on 30 October 1816, perchance the very day on which Ekaterina's father-in-law
Frederick I of Wurttemberg Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederic ...
died. The day therefore marked her husband's accession as king, and Ekaterina, now Queen Katharina of Württemberg, became active in charity works in her adopted homeland. She established numerous institutions for the benefit of the public. She supported elementary education and organized a charity foundation during the hunger of 1816. In 1818, she gave birth to another daughter, Sophie Frederike Mathilde, who would marry Ekaterina's nephew
William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...
and become Queen of the Netherlands.


Death

In January 1819, six months after the birth of her youngest child, Ekaterina died at
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
of
erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright red rash, t ...
complicated by
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
. She was thirty years old, and left behind four children. The children were dispersed across two different families, the eldest of whom was barely eight years old. After her death, her surviving husband built
Württemberg Mausoleum The Württemberg Mausoleum is a mausoleum located on the Württemberg, in the Rotenberg borough of Untertürkheim, in Stuttgart. It was designed by Giovanni Salucci for King William I of Württemberg to house the remains his second wife, Cathe ...
in Rotenberg, Stuttgart, dedicated to her memory. William later married again; his next wife was his first cousin, Princess Pauline of Württemberg.


Issue

Ekaterina had two sons with Duke George of Oldenburg: * Duke Peter Georg Paul Alexander of Oldenburg (30 August 1810 – 16 November 1829) * Duke Konstantin Friedrich Peter of Oldenburg (26 August 1812 – 14 May 1881); married
Princess Therese of Nassau-Weilburg , image = NassauTeresia.jpg , image_size = , caption = , spouse = , issue = Alexandra, Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of RussiaDuke NicholasDuchess Cecile Duke AlexanderDuchess CatherineDuke George Duke Constantine ...
and had issue With the King of Württemberg, she had the following children: * Princess Maria Friederike Charlotte of Württemberg (30 October 1816 – 4 January 1887); married Count Alfred of Neipperg (1807-1865), eldest son of Count
Adam Albert von Neipperg Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
and his first wife, Countess Teresa of Pola-Treviso (1778-1815), stepson of
Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma french: Marie-Louise-Léopoldine-Françoise-Thérèse-Josèphe-Lucie it, Maria Luigia Leopoldina Francesca Teresa Giuseppa Lucia , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Maria Theresa of ...
. * Princess Sophie Friederike Mathilde of Württemberg (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877); married King
William III of the Netherlands William III (Dutch: ''Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk''; English: ''William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis''; 19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until his death in 18 ...
.


Ancestry


Bibliography

*Arturo Beeche. ''The Grand Duchesses'' *Detlef Jena. ''Katharina Pawlowna. Großfürstin von Russland - Königin von Württemberg'' *W. Bruce Lincoln. ''The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russians''


Sources


Guide 2 Women Leaders
{{Authority control 1788 births 1819 deaths People from Pushkin, Saint Petersburg People from Tsarskoselsky Uyezd House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov Crown Princesses of Württemberg Duchesses of Oldenburg Queens consort of Württemberg Princesses of Württemberg Russian grand duchesses Burials at the Württemberg Mausoleum 18th-century people from the Russian Empire 19th-century people from the Russian Empire 18th-century women from the Russian Empire 19th-century women from the Russian Empire Daughters of Russian emperors Children of Paul I of Russia