6.050 minSeason 4 • Episode 16
Latest1745. The reigning Empress Elizabeth Petrovna is infertile. The only heir is her feeble-minded nephew Peter III. Elizabeth cannot allow Peter to ascend to the throne, so she decides to marry the tsarevich, wait for the birth of her son, and then take the boy and raise him as a real Russian emperor herself. Brides are coming to St. Petersburg. Among them is the lovely Fike - the young Princess Sofia Frederica from the impoverished branch of the Prussian kings.
Production
Palaces so opulent you'll resent your apartment immediately
Costume
Every gown screams 'I have 47 servants and zero chill'
Acting
Marina Aleksandrova's transformation from pawn to predator
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Marina Aleksandrova actually played Catherine twice—first in 2005's 'The Sovereign's Servant' as a minor character, then returning to lead this series nearly a decade later.
The real Catherine wrote memoirs blaming everyone but herself; the series cleverly uses this unreliable narrator energy, making you question which version is 'true.'
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