George Washington's World - Catherine of Russia

Catherine was born Sophia Augusta Frederica and wished she was a boy because she would be able to do all the fun things that the boys were allowed to do, and if she were a boy, they might have loved her as they loved her brother, their son.

But one night, her whole life was changed through one letter. A letter was sent to her to say that the great Empress of Russia would have Catherine's mother and her eldest daughter, Catherine herself, over to visit her. Some time later, they set out on their journey. It was a terrible journey, but Catherine didn't notice much because she could not wait to get to Russia.

a young Catherine of Russia

Finally, they reached Russia. They didn't get to see the Empress for a while, but when they finally did, the Empress welcomed Catherine warmly and became like a real mother to her. Her real mother left after a while, but Catherine stayed and determined to learn the language of Russia. One day, she got baptized and left feeling happy with her new name, Catherine of Russia.