In the play, the tyranny and terror of the Tsar are somewhat exaggerated theatrical effects. Historically, what Peter III did, eventually led to a revolution that overthrew him. His quiet and seemingly innocent wife became one of the most legendary emperors in Russian history. This article is not a plot, but an introduction to the background knowledge of several well-known Catherines in Europe and the United States.
History background:
1, Catherine the Great was not originally Russian
Catherine the Great, whose maiden name was Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst, was born in 1729, the eldest daughter of a poor Prussian prince. Sophie's mother's family, origin of blood, is quite prestigious and highly respected in the European royal family.
In 1741, Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in a coup at the Russian court. Unmarried and childless, Elizabeth chose her nephew Peter as her heir and was eager to find a noble wife for Peter. In 1744, 15-year-old Sophia and her mother came to Russia at the invitation of Elizabeth. It is said that Sophie's mother was later expelled from Russia by Queen Elizabeth for espionage because she liked to gossip at court.
Sophie, who was well-educated and wanted to fly to Gaozhi, studied Russian hard and converted to Orthodoxy, changing her name to Catherine. Sophie won Elizabeth's favor by being cautious in her words and deeds.
In August 1745, Catherine and Peter were married.
2. Suspicion of illegitimate children
Katherine and Peter's marriage was clouded from the start. Queen Elizabeth had hoped for an heir, but eight years had passed and the two had yet to conceive. Some historians believe that Peter was sexually dysfunctional, while others believe he was infertile. Due to the discord in their married life, both Peter and Katherine started having extramarital affairs. Catherine had an affair with Russian officer Sergei Saltykov.
In 1754, nine years after their marriage, Catherine gave birth to their eldest son, Paul. Rumors are swirling, and it is rumored that the eldest son's biological father is the officer Sergey, not Peter. Catherine also mentioned this rumor in her memoirs, even suggesting that it was acquiesced by Queen Elizabeth. Some historians, however, believe that Catherine's statement was meant to humiliate Peter, who was indeed the father of his eldest son, Paul.
3. Coup d'état
When Elizabeth died in January 1762, Peter succeeded to the throne as Tsar Peter III, and Catherine became Empress. Peter, eager to make a big political move, hastily ended the Russian-Prussian war, much to the resentment of Russia's military class. Peter's program of domestic reforms aimed at improving the lives of the poor also alienated the lower aristocracy.
The forces disaffected by Peter turned to support Katherine, and as tensions escalated, a plan to overthrow Peter took shape. In July 1762, Catherine announced a coup d'état, which was supported by the Russian army and arranged for the arrest of her husband, Peter III.
On July 9, just six months after becoming Tsar, Peter III was forced to abdicate and Catherine became the sole ruler. Then, an otherwise bloodless coup spiraled out of control. On July 17, Peter III was murdered by Alexei, the younger brother of Catherine's lover Gregory. While there is no evidence that Catherine knew about the murder in advance, it cast a shadow over her reign from the start.
4. Catherine's Lovers
Catherine is notoriously generous with her lover, both in progress and after. She always parted with them amicably, giving them titles, lands, palaces, and even serfs.
Stanislaw Poniatowski was one of Catherine's early lovers and the father of one of her children. Born into a Polish nobleman, Poniatowski had a relationship with Catherine (before Catherine was on the throne) while serving at the British embassy in St. Petersburg.
In 1763, long after their lover's relationship ended, a year after Catherine took power, she backed Poniatowski to become king of Poland. Later, because of Russian national interests, Catherine forced Poniatowski to abdicate, after which Russia split and dissolved the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that Poniatowski established.
This play:
Hulu's show, at the beginning of each episode, prompts, "This show occasionally conforms to historical facts":
In the play, the then-Russian Queen Elisabeth was treated in a false way, without mentioning the training of Catherine by Catherine's original family, depicting Peter as a bully and "inhumane", and depicting the newly debuted Catherine as a "no food" in Disney. The princess of "Fireworks on Earth"... These are actually not in line with historical facts. Therefore, the author who saw the fourth episode, although he knew about Catherine's later experience, could not guess how the following plot would proceed.
The gorgeous set in the play, the past of the fight between Russia and Sweden (Finland was still a vassal of Sweden at that time, so in the 18th century Russia and Sweden had many wars in the Baltic Sea because of territorial disputes), the extravagant tea party of the Russian nobles , the Tsar's obsession with territorial expansion, etc., these plots are in line with historical facts.
This drama is positioned as a comedy and a historical joke, and the audience can take this drama as an American filming of Russia's "The Legend of Zhen Huan", which is more ironic and erotic. The performances of several leading actors are remarkable, and the heroine Fanning is also more three-dimensional than the characters in Disney's drama. The presentation of the male protagonist is slightly thin, which may be related to the design of the script.
Recommendation index: ✸✸✸✸ (full score 5 points, personal review 4 points)
Literature references: Wikipedia and history.com
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