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Catherine Pavlovna of Russia

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In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Pavlovna.

Catherine Pavlovna of Russia (Russian: Еĸатерина Павловна; 21 May [O.S. 10 May] 1788 – 9 January
1819) was Queen of Württemberg from 30 October 1816 until her death in 1819 as the wife of William I of
Württemberg.

Catherine was born as the fourth daughter of

Emperor Paul I of Russia and Duchess Sophie Catherine Pavlovna
Dorothea of Württemberg. She firstly married
Duchess George of Oldenburg
Duke George of Oldenburg in 1809 until his death
in 1812, remarrying to William I of Württemberg in
1816.

Contents

Early life

First marriage

Queen consort of Württemberg

Death

Issue

Ancestry

Bibliography
Portrait by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein
Sources
Queen consort of Württemberg

Tenure 30 October 1816 – 9

Early life January 1819

Ekaterina was Born 21 May 1788

born in Catherine Palace, Saint

Tsarskoye Petersburg, Russian

Empire
Selo and
named after Died 9 January 1819
her (aged 30)
grandmother, Stuttgart, Württemberg
Catherine the
Burial Württemberg
Great.
Mausoleum, Stuttgart
Described as
beautiful and Spouse Duke George of
vivacious, she Oldenburg
(m. 1809; died 1812)​
had a happy
William I of Württemberg
1790s portrait by Dmitry Levitzky childhood
(m. 1816)​
and her
education was carefully supervised by her Issue Duke Alexander
mother. Ekaterina received the best education Georgievich of
and constantly furthered her education through Oldenburg
reading new literary publications and personal Duke Peter of Oldenburg

contacts with various outstanding persons. Princess Maria,

Countess of Neipperg
Known as Katya in the family, she was very close
Sophie, Queen of the
to her siblings, particularly her eldest brother
Netherlands
Tsar Alexander I. Throughout her life she would
maintain a close relationship with him. It was said House Holstein-Gottorp-
that she was Alexander's favorite sister and one Romanov
of the few persons he loved unconditionally. His
Father Paul I of Russia
letters to her are expressed in phrases like "I am
yours, heart and soul, for life", "I think that I love Mother Duchess Sophie
you more with each day that passes" and "to love Dorothea of
you more than I do is impossible". Although Paul Württemburg
and Maria Feodorovna were initially disappointed
Religion Russian Orthodox
at the birth of a fourth daughter, Ekaterina later
became her mother's favorite daughter.

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

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

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 Portrait of the Grand Duchess Ekaterina
of Württemberg. It was love at first sight for the couple. However, Pavlovna by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky,
1910. (Tver Museum)
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 eldest of whom was
barely eight years old. The children were dispersed across two different families, 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.

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 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 von 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 Württemberg (17 June 1818 – 3 June 1877); married King William
III of the Netherlands.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Catherine Pavlovna of Russia

8. Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp

4. Peter III of Russia
9. Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia
2. Paul I of Russia
10. Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
5. Catherine II of Russia
11. Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
1. Grand Duchess Catherine
Pavlovna of Russia
12. Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg
6. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg
13. Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis
3. Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg
14. Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
7. Princess Friederike of Brandenburg-
Schwedt
15. Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia

Bibliography

Arturo Beeche. The Grand Duchesses Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Catherine
Detlef Jena. Katharina Pawlowna. Großfürstin von Russland – Pavlovna of Russia.
Königin von Württemberg

W. Bruce Lincoln. The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russians

Sources

Guide 2 Women Leaders

Catherine Pavlovna of Russia

House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 10 May 1788 Died: 9 January 1819

German royalty

Preceded by Succeeded by
Queen consort of
Charlotte, Pauline
Württemberg
Princess Therese of
1816–1819
Royal Württemberg

Last edited on 24 October 2023, at 17:22

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