Catherine the Great Part 2: From Good to Great | 59

Even The Royals

Wondery

Society & Culture

4.4 • 844 Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Part One, Catherine the Great transformed from an eager-to-please princess into an ambitious leader focused on bringing Russia out of the dark ages. But when it becomes clear that her husband Peter isn’t going to step up and help, Catherine decides it’s time to take matters into her own hands. With the support of her newest lover, Catherine stages a coup and takes over. But once she’s in the top spot, she realizes that maintaining her ideals is easier said than done – and that she’ll have to get ruthless to make it work.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Wonderie Plus subscribers can listen to Even the Royals early and ad-free right now.
0:04.1	Join Wonderly Plus in the Wonderry app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:07.5	A quick note about our show.
0:09.4	We do a lot of research for our stories, but we also aren't your high school history class,
0:13.3	so some details and scenes are dramatized.
0:16.1	And while this story takes place during the Enlightenment, our language can get down and dirty.
0:20.8	So listeners,
0:21.6	please be advised.
0:32.4	It's February 1755 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
0:36.4	25-year-old Catherine walks into a grand ballroom looking gorgeous in a blue velvet dress.
0:42.4	Today is her husband Peter's 27th birthday, but it's also Kat's first public appearance in five months.
0:49.4	After giving birth to her son Paul, Catherine was confined to her room so she could, quote, recover. Empress
0:55.8	Elizabeth took advantage of this and conveniently began raising Kat's son as her own. At first, Kat
1:02.4	wasn't allowed to leave her room. Then she was too depressed to leave. But eventually, she dusted herself
1:07.9	off and got back out there. And even though the last couple months have been an emotional hellhole,
1:13.1	Catherine is actually in a pretty good place now.
1:15.8	She did her job and gave Peter an heir.
1:18.0	Her spot in the Russian court is more secure than ever.
1:21.0	So, she tightened up her corset and came to this party to show everyone she's doing just fine.
1:26.7	And good for her, because honestly,
1:28.2	one minor hiccup usually sends the two of us into a complete spiral. Yeah, that's an
1:32.3	understatement. Yeah. Catherine approaches a group of courtiers. They're shocked to see her after
	...

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