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.
Elena Palmer
Elena Palmer is the author of the biography „Peter III - The Prince of Holstein“ (Sutton Publishing, Germany, 2005), herein she is expressing reasonable doubt towards the common portrayal of Russian emperor Peter III. In her work Palmer is referencing and questioning Peter III's wife Catherine the Great's memoirs. According to Palmer's research Catherine initiated Peter's murder and
illegally succeeded his throne, while later characterizing him as an “idiot”, “drunkard of Holstein”, “good-for-nothing” in order to improve her own bad reputation among the people of Russia. Elena Palmer says: "Peter III was neither a drunkard nor a moron. His plans for the dramatic transformation of society reveal a young Emperor's vision that was far ahead of his contemporaries. Peter took a position of “enlightened absolutism”, which was very new and progressive for this period in Russian history. With his democratic approaches, Peter was in a position to lead Russia out of the impasse of feudalism and was able to create a new social order without bloodshed. He proved his fortitude with ambitious reforms and gave the country hope for economic and social advancements. There were no political reasons for Peter’s overthrow, as the people loved their Emperor and his supporters idolized him. Rather, the fate of Peter III was a family tragedy the likes of a Shakespeare drama. The queen’s lover killed her husband while she silently supported him in this treacherous act"