Cat's Historical Doodles

Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix was born on 6 June 1872 in Darmstadt; she was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his first wife, Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. As an infant, she was very pretty, with delicate features and long dark lashes. Her mother gave her the nickname of Sunny , due to her cheerful disposition, a practice later picked up by her husband. Out of her siblings, she was closest to Princess Marie ( May ), who was 2 years younger. Both of them enjoyed a happy childhood and were doted on by their elder siblings and mother, who adored her two younger daughters. In November 1878, diphtheria swept through the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. Alix, her three sisters, her brother Ernst ( Ernie ) and her father fell ill. Alix's mother Alice tended to the children herself, rather than abandon them to the doctors. Alice herself soon fell ill and died on 14th December 1878. Alix, Victoria, Irene and Ernst survived th...

Anastasia Mikhailovna was born on 28 July 1860, at the Peterhof Palace, St Petersbourg. She was the second of the seven children of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia and his wife, Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (née Cecilie of Baden). Known in the family as Stassie , Anastasia was the only girl among the seven children of the couple. She was an object of devotion: she was her father's favourite and she was spoiled by her six brothers. Mikhail was always occupied with his militaristic and governmental activities; Olga was a strict disciplinarian who showed little affection and raised the children with an iron fist. She was raised separately from the boys, only joining them on Sundays, when they were allowed to take a walk together. Anastasia grew up to be very independent, intelligent and strong-willed, with a happy and warm personality. Tall and slim, she had dark hair and green eyes, Her education was centred in languages and she could speak French, German and English,...

Anna Petrovna was born on 27 January 1708, in Moscow. She was the elder daughter of Emperor Peter I of Russia and Empress Catherine I of Russia. Anna was born out of wedlock, although her parents were married in 1712 and she was later legitimised. However, her early illegitimacy would pose challenges when time came for her to marry. Anna grew up in the houses of her aunt (on her father's side), Natalia, and Prince Alexander Menshikov. Although born illegitimate, Anna and her younger sister, Elizabeth, were awarded the titles of Princess ( tsarevna ) on 6 March 1711, and Crown Princess ( tsesarevna ) on 23 December 1721. Peter had planned to marry his daughters to foreign princes in order to gain allies for the Russian Empire. Anna and Elizabeth were educated with this in mind, learning literature, writing, embroidery, dancing, and etiquette. Anna would grow to become an intelligent and well-read girl who spoke four languages: French, German, Italian and Swedish. Foreign visi...

Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg was born on 2 May 1729, in Pomerania, Prussia. She was the eldest child of Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, and his wife, Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. Sophie had an uneventful childhood and, although she was a princess, her family had very little money. Sophie's rise to power was supported by her mother's wealthy relatives. The choice of Sophie as the wife of her second cousin, the future tsar Peter III, had the goal to strengthen the friendship between Russia and Prussia and to weaken Austria's influence. Sophie first met Peter at the age of ten...and she found him detestable! She disliked his pale complexion and his fondness for alcohol at such an young age. Empress Elizabeth loved Sophie who, on arrival in Russia in 1744, spared no effort to ingratiate herself not only with the Empress, but with her husband and the Russian people. On 28 June 1744, the Russian Orthodox Church receiv...

Darejan Dadiani, also known as Darya, was born on 20 July 1738. She was a daughter of Katsia-Giorgi Dadiani, a younger son of Bezhan Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia (Western Georgia). When she was 12 years old, Heraclius (then reigning in Kakheti) chose her as his third wife, one year after the death of his second wife. The wedding was lavishly celebrated at the court of the groom's father, Teimuraz II, King of Kartli, in Tbilisi. In 1762, Heraclius of Kakheti succeeded his father as King of Kartli, thus uniting both eastern Georgian kingdoms in one state. Between 1753 and 1782, Darejan had 23 children! She desired to secure the right of succession for her offspring against her husband's eldest living son of his second marriage, George, so she became involved in Georgian politics. During the last years of Heraclius' life, she became more involved and influential. In 1791, Darejan persuaded her husband to overturn the principle of primogeniture in favour of fraternal ...

Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine, better known as Charlotte, was born a princess of Prussia on 13 July 1798. She was the eldest surviving daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and his wife, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her childhood was marked by the Napoleonic wars and the death of her mother when she was just 12. On February 1814, Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich, the future Tsar of Russia, and his brother. Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich visited Berlin. Arrangements were made by the two families for Nicholas to marry Charlotte and strengthen the alliance between Prussia and Russia. On a second visit, Nicholas fell in love with Charlotte; the feeling was mutual. She wrote: I like him and am sure of being happy with him . By the end of this visit, they were engaged. On 9 June 1817, Princess Charlotte travelled to Russia. When she arrived in Saint Petersburg, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and took the Russian name of Alexandra Feodorovna. On her 19th birthday, ...