Catherine the great has gone down in history as one of the most impressive female leaders of all time. But she didn't start out that way!

Despite being born to a noble, bitter mom in doesn’t-exist-anymore Prussia (what we call Germany and Poland today), Catherine became an even-keeled, sociable woman fit for royalty, thanks to her love of learning and charismatic personality.

Since Catherine eventually winds up in Russia, our drink of choice for this episode is the classic Moscow Mule, which is our snarky way of saying neigh to the horse-effing rumors and proclaiming her love of stallions as strictly nonsexual.

In this episode, we learn that Catherine’s birth name was actually Sophie, and we discuss why her pain-in-the-ass mom treated her like garbage instead of the fantastic empress she would become. We dive into her betrothal process and how she met her future hubby as an alcoholic 11-year-old child yet still agreed to marry him years later despite hella red flags.

We follow her dangerous journey east and how her wise decision to embrace the culture, language, and religion of Mother Russia won over the Empress and people, but not so much her highly immature husband, who went from threatening to beat her to not touching her in bed for nine years. More on their toxic pairing in Part 2!

Believe us when we say you’ll want a Moscow Mule or three for this one, so throw together two ounces of vodka, half an ounce of lime juice, and then six ounces of ginger beer (or sub-club soda if you wish).

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

Overcoming stage mom drama with a French friend
Meeting the alcoholic orphan duke/future Russian Tsar Peter III
Creepy uncle’s proposal vs. strategic diplomatic move
RuPauls, pneumonia, and winning Empress Elizabeth’s approval
‘Til death do us part, even in a loveless marriage

Must-listen moments:

[00:39:00] King Frederick decides that Catherine would be a great wife for the future Czar. So Prussia and Russia, at this point in time, were on the brink of war. So securing the next czarina of Russia to be a Russian princess was a huge diplomatic move.

[00:49:00] You needed to know your etiquette, and you needed to know the dances. You have to be dressed for the right occasion. It could be a little overwhelming for even the most seasoned socialite…it didn't stress Catherine out. If she was stressed out, she never showed it. It seemed like she'd been trained for this her whole life.

[01:10:00] They were dancing, having a pleasant enough dance, and he's just like, you know what I read in the law books recently? Once you're my wife, I can beat you, and so long as I don't kill you, I can beat you all I want. And it’s absolutely factual.

More about Catherine the Great:

Part 2 https://pod.fo/e/dd88d

Part 3 https://pod.fo/e/dd88c

Part 4 https://pod.fo/e/dd88b

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Catherine the Great, part 1