Catherine II of Russia: Reinterpreting the Influences of Her Early Years in the then-Germanies

psychobiography article

Peter W. Petschauer

Abstract

This essay argues that Catherine II’s upbringing in the then-Germanies profoundly influenced her reign. Significantly, her family’s hierarchically high position among the European royal houses allowed her to be considered for marriage to Russia’s Imperial heir, Peter III. In terms of the history of childhood, one may fit her into the transition from the abandoning to the intrusive mode.

Keywords:

Anhalt-Zerbst, Catherine II, Catherine the Great, early sibling displacement, history of childhood, military socialization, political leaders, psychobiography, psychohistory, St. Petersburg (Russia)

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About the author

Peter W. Petschauer

Peter W. Petschauer, PhD, New York University, taught at Appalachian State University, 1968-2006. (Now a writer and poet.) Initially courses in European and Russian History, later women and children.

Several administrative positions.

Also chair of Appalachian’s faculty senate and then chair of UNC-System’s faculty assembly.

Now on two arts-related boards at ASU and on two boards of psychohistorical journals.

Books: Faustina. Ein freies Mädchen und eine gefangene Fürstin. Das einzigartige Paar auf dem Römerhof bei Erlstätt (Faustina. A free girl and a captive duchess. The unique pair on the Roman farm near Erlstätt), 2025;Was man so Alles lernt, (All the Things one Learns) 2024; In Troubled Times Beauty. Listen to Rarely Heard Voices (poetry), 2022; An Immigrant in the 1960s. Finding Hope and Success in New York City; Hopes and Fears. Past and Present (poetry); A Perfect Portrait, about a young female artist in 18^th-century Weimar; In the Face of Evil. The Sustenance of Traditions; The Father and the SS.

Articles, etc.: over 250 articles in journals and collections, several hundred presentations/ lectures.

; peterpetschauer.com

How to cite this article

Petschauer, P. W. (2025). Catherine II of Russia: Reinterpreting the influences of her early years in the then-Germanies. Clio’s Psyche, 32(3), 326-336.

https://doi.org/10.70763/cebd648f9146a6345d604ab093b02c73