Her First Time Wasn’t With Her Husband
Catherine’s lack of interest in her husband, Peter III, manifested in an affair with Sergei Saltykov, an officer of the royal court. Notably, Catherine claimed that Saltykov was the first man she ever slept with, casting doubt on the paternity of her first child, Paul. The intrigue surrounding Paul’s parentage intensified as historians debated whether he bore the DNA of Peter or Saltykov. Meanwhile, Peter himself was entangled in an extramarital affair with Elizaveta Vorontsova, fueling the strained dynamics of Catherine’s early marriage.
The complexities of Catherine’s personal life reflected the political and social intricacies of the Russian imperial court during this tumultuous period, setting the stage for the dramatic events that would follow.
