Peter III of Russia
Empress Elizabeth arranged for Peter to marry his second cousin, Sophia Augusta Frederica (later Catherine the Great), daughter of Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst and Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. The young princess formally converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Ekaterina Alexeievna (i.e., Catherine). They married on 21 August 1745. The marriage was not a happy one but produced one son, the future Emperor Paul, and one daughter, Anna Petrovna (20 December 1757 – 19 March 1759). Catherine later claimed that Paul was not fathered by Peter: that, in fact, they had never consummated the marriage. During the sixteen years of their residence in Oranienbaum, Catherine took numerous lovers, while her husband did the same in the beginning.
Young Catherine
The year is 1744, and the beautiful young Catherine (Julia Ormond) is torn from her homeland to marry Peter (Reece Dinsdale), the heir to the Russian throne. However his aunt, Elizabeth, Empress of Russia (Vanessa Redgrave), rules the empire with an iron hand, and Peter proves neither fit for the throne nor the marriage bed. Treated as an outsider and at great risk from enemies who influence her husband, Catherine takes a lover and bears his child. Now, with help of her friend Sir Charles Williams (Christopher Plummer), she must take the throne by force if she, her young son Paul, and the Russian Empire are to survive.Primetime Emmy Awards