Tsarina Elisabeth Petrovna

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Please go to the following for images of 18th century Tsaritsas, including Elisabeth Petrovna:  http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/560093558VjgqEN .

Unfortunately for me your page is heavy for my computer, but I guess that
your images are great

[King François X]

Does anyone have a portrait of her when she was in her late teens/early twenties? when considered drop dead gorgeous?

[CountessKate]

Well, the last one in Kaiserin Alzbeta Sissi post is the portrait of Catherine II, not Elisabeth Petrovna.

In fact, I believe the Kaiserin is quite correct - Elizabeth Petrovna's portrait was the model for the later, equestrienne portrait of Catherine II by Vigilius Erichsen.  Elizabeth was similarly the beneficiary of a coup d'etat and was also keen to demonstrate her leadership of the Preobrazhenski Guards.  She also thought she had excellent legs and liked to show them off - particularly in the cross-dressing balls which were a unique feature of her court.

[agordon2000]

First Ivan and his wife Praskovia had no children till Sophia was deposed. Then they had five girls of which  three lived, Catherine, Ann and Praskovia. Peter can be understood well as CEO of Russia who thought his job as determined by God was to make Russia a financial powerhouse. For this the landlocked country needed a port. He tried initially to trade with Asia but the Black Sea was blocked by the Ottoman Empire so he went to Europe to get help to attack Turkey. No one was interested but the Poles were looking for an ally in attacking Sweden as Germany had pulled out. So Peter began to think of a European port and changing Russia to be a European power.The quick war lasted 21 years, he did not yet know the character of Charles XII the Lion of the North,  but put Russia on the world stage. In the meantime he made the infrastructure, customs and dress of Russia compatible for European trade.

Elizabeth took over in a coup thirteen years after her mother's death because her doctor convinced her that if she did not she would be put in a convent. This was not true but her predecessor was winning a war with France and her doctor who was French, was paid to get her to depose the rule of the baby Ivan VI, well at least the regent who was winning battles.

[Ally Kumari]

Is there any good book one could find about Elizaveta Petrovna? I always read about her in Catherine the Great´s bios, but she seems rather fascinating herself and I would like to know more.

[Maria Sisi]

She does appear to be quite an eccentric larger then life character herself doesn't she. The movies on Catherine really don't give Elizabeth her due. She played a much bigger role in shaping Catherine's position and character during the early years in Russia then they actually show.

I suppose she gets buried by history due to being followed by Catherine and not achieving the heights of amazing greatness either she or her father had.

[agordon2000]

Also Catherine the Great wrote about her in a somewhat nasty way, which may not have been true. She was the aunt of her husband who she also wanted to present badly. But she did say she was beautiful by standards of the day.