Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia (Russian: Екатерина Павловна; 21 May 1788 [OS 10 May 1788] – 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 in 1816.
Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovichi: Grand Duchesses Alexandra, Elena, Maria and Ekaterina Pavlovna. From a cameo made by Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna in 1790
Ekaterina was born in Tsarskoye Selo and named after her grandmother, Catherine the Great. 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 were still in progress, the childless Napoléon I 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 and his wife, Duchess Friederike of Württemberg. The couple resided in Tver, 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 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
Portrait of the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky, 1910. (Tver Museum)
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. She was again with her brother during the Congress of Vienna in 1815. She was not without influence upon his political acts during these trips. She also promoted the marriage between her youngest sister Anna and William II of the Netherlands 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; 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. 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 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 and become Queen of the Netherlands.
Death
In January 1819, six months after the birth of her youngest child, Ekaterina died at Stuttgart of erysipelas complicated by pneumonia. 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 in Rotenberg, Stuttgart, dedicated to her memory. William later married again; his next wife was his first cousin, Duchess Pauline Therese of Württemberg.
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This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations February 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions the patronymic is Pavlovna Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia Russian Ekaterina Pavlovna 21 May 1788 OS 10 May 1788 9 January 1819 later Queen Catharina Pavlovna of Wurttemberg was the fourth daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia and Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Wurttemberg She became the Queen of Wurttemberg upon her marriage to her first cousin Crown Prince William who eventually became King William I of Wurttemberg in 1816 Catherine PavlovnaDuchess George of OldenburgQueen consort of WurttembergTenure30 October 1816 9 January 1819Born 1788 05 10 10 May 1788Catherine Palace Saint Petersburg Russian EmpireDied9 January 1819 1819 01 09 aged 30 Stuttgart WurttembergBurialWurttemberg Mausoleum StuttgartSpouseDuke George of Oldenburg m 1809 died 1812 wbr William I of Wurttemberg m 1816 wbr IssueDuke Alexander Georgievich of OldenburgDuke Peter of OldenburgPrincess Maria Countess of Neipperg Sophie Queen of the NetherlandsHouseHolstein Gottorp RomanovFatherPaul I of RussiaMotherDuchess Sophie Dorothea of WurttemburgReligionRussian Orthodox Contents 1 Early life 2 First marriage 3 Queen consort of Wurttemberg 4 Death 5 Issue 6 Ancestry 7 Bibliography 8 SourcesEarly life Edit Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovichi Grand Duchesses Alexandra Elena Maria and Ekaterina Pavlovna From a cameo made by Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna in 1790 Ekaterina was born in Tsarskoye Selo and named after her grandmother Catherine the Great 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 EditWhile the Napoleonic Wars were still in progress the childless Napoleon I arranged his divorce from his beloved but aged wife Empress Josephine 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 and his wife Duchess Friederike of Wurttemberg The couple resided in Tver 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 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 Wurttemberg Edit Portrait of the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna by Sergey Prokudin Gorsky 1910 Tver Museum 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 She was again with her brother during the Congress of Vienna in 1815 She was not without influence upon his political acts during these trips She also promoted the marriage between her youngest sister Anna and William II of the Netherlands during this time In England Ekaterina met her first cousin the Crown Prince William of Wurttemberg It was love at first sight for the couple However William was married to Princess Caroline Augusta of Bavaria 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 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 died The day therefore marked her husband s accession as king and Ekaterina now Queen Katharina of Wurttemberg 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 and become Queen of the Netherlands Death EditIn January 1819 six months after the birth of her youngest child Ekaterina died at Stuttgart of erysipelas complicated by pneumonia 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 Wurttemberg Mausoleum in Rotenberg Stuttgart dedicated to her memory William later married again his next wife was his first cousin Duchess Pauline Therese of Wurttemberg Issue EditEkaterina 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 and had issueWith the King of Wurttemberg she had the following children Princess Maria Friederike Charlotte of Wurttemberg 30 October 1816 4 January 1887 married Count Alfred of Neipperg 1807 1865 eldest son of Count Adam Albert von Neipperg and his first wife Countess Teresa of Pola Treviso 1778 1815 stepson of Marie Louise Duchess of Parma Princess Sophie Friederike Mathilde of Wurttemberg 17 June 1818 3 June 1877 married King William III of the Netherlands Ancestry EditAncestors of Catherine Pavlovna of Russia8 Charles Frederick Duke of Holstein Gottorp4 Peter III of Russia9 Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia2 Paul I of Russia10 Christian August Prince of Anhalt Zerbst5 Catherine II of Russia11 Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein Gottorp1 Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia12 Charles Alexander Duke of Wurttemberg6 Frederick II Eugene Duke of Wurttemberg13 Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis3 Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Wurttemberg14 Frederick William Margrave of Brandenburg Schwedt7 Princess Friederike of Brandenburg Schwedt15 Princess Sophia Dorothea of PrussiaBibliography Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Catherine Pavlovna of Russia Arturo Beeche The Grand Duchesses Detlef Jena Katharina Pawlowna Grossfurstin von Russland Konigin von Wurttemberg W Bruce Lincoln The Romanovs Autocrats of All the RussiansSources EditGuide 2 Women LeadersCatherine Pavlovna of RussiaHouse of Holstein Gottorp RomanovCadet branch of the House of OldenburgBorn 10 May 1788 Died 9 January 1819German royaltyPreceded byCharlotte Princess Royal Queen consort of Wurttemberg1816 1819 Succeeded byPauline Therese of Wurttemberg Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Catherine Pavlovna of Russia amp oldid 1131210118, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
