Not all stories of princesses, queens, and empresses are the same. The “how they came to be” tales are not always as glamorous as it may seem. That is certainly the case with this next woman in our blog series covering Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Women on Coins series. Despite the end of her story appearing to have worked out, the beginning was rough and tumultuous. Author Ron Guth will help us understand this a little more.
#92 – Empress Catherine I of Russia
Born Marta Elena Skavronska in the early 1680s, she was the daughter of a gravedigger from the province of Livonia in Sweden. Her mother’s name is unknown. Her father died of the plague when she was just two years old, and her mother died the same way the following year. She was left to be raised by her aunt and uncle. By 1702, she was engaged to be married to a young Swedish soldier but was kidnapped by the Russian army after their invasion.
After being taken, she became the household servant of the general and shortly after became the mistress of Alexander Menshikov. Menshikov was the friend of Tsar Peter I, or Peter the Great. He would eventually give Marta to the tsar as a way of gaining influence. Marta would eventually move to Moscow where she had her first of 12 children with Peter. Her new name became Catherine Alexeyevna and she was baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Peter was still married to his first wife but made Catherine his consort in 1711. This elevated Catherine to the rank of tsarina until February 9, 1712, when they finally got married and he would name her empress of Russia in 1724. Peter died shortly after in 1725, leaving Catherine to rule alone until her death in 1727.
Catherine was the first female ruler of Russia. Her reign only lasted three short years, making it so there are little Russian coins depicting her likeness. She never appeared on a coin with a face value below a half Rouble. She only appeared on one gold coin, the 2-Rouble piece.
According to Guth, collecting difficulty is easy but expensive. Russian coins are popular amongst collectors. Lower grade roubles start at around $500 and higher grades can cost around $1,500.