Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great truly was a magnificent ruler and leader despite her notorious reputation. ... Catherine met Peter Ulrich, her second cousin, in 1739, when she was ten years old. ... ” At fifteen, Catherine was always trying to gain the affection of everyone, including Peter. ... The royal family was quite happy, but Peter and Catherine were far from it. Peter would always tell Catherine how much more beautiful the other ladies of the court were and how much he loved them. This humiliated and hurt Catherine (Dillan). For nine years, Catherine compensated her loneliness by learning as much as she could. ... In 1752, Catherine met a nobleman named Sergei Saltylkov. ... In 1754, Catherine gave birth to Paul Petrovich. ... Sergei went to Sweden to announce the birth, and cheated on Catherine with numerous women. In early 1755, a new man entered Catherine’s life-Count Stanislaw August Poniatowski. ... In December, Catherine gave birth to a baby girl. ... Peter and Catherine’s relationship had gone from bad to worse, and the Empress Elizabeth’s health was declining.