After Choglokov’s death, Elizabeth appointed Count Alexander Shuvalov, chief of state security, to oversee the young court. His wife received the governess post. Catherine described the couple as “ignorant.”

In May 1754, Catherine was pregnant again and traveled slowly to St. Petersburg to protect her pregnancy. On September 20, after a difficult labor attended by the empress, she gave birth to a son. Elizabeth named him Paul, immediately took him away, and kept him in her own nursery. Catherine remained on the labor bed for three hours, denied water or fresh linen. She did not see Paul for nearly a week.

Six days later Elizabeth gave Catherine 100,000 rubles. Catherine was then obliged to lend the money back to Elizabeth so she could give Peter an equal sum. Seventeen days after Paul’s birth, Saltykov was sent to Sweden, then permanently to Hamburg. Heartbroken, Catherine stayed in bed for weeks. Elizabeth assumed complete care of Paul and kept him largely apart from Catherine, affecting her ability to bond with him.

During winter 1754-1755, Catherine remained in her cramped, drafty room, reading Tacitus, Montesquieu, and Voltaire. These works deepened her engagement with ideas of enlightened despotism and reshaped her political thinking, causing what she later described as a “singular revolution in my brain” (168). Catherine eventually learned of Saltykov’s affairs abroad. He visited once more, then departed her life permanently.

Having secured her position through Paul’s birth, Catherine resolved to improve her treatment and conditions. She purposely treated the powerful Shuvalov family with public contempt at a ball, to display her new power. When Peter confronted Catherine about this at the request of his chamberlain, half-drawing his sword, she calmly asked if he was challenging her to a duel, and he backed down. Peter was “confused and alarmed” by Catherine’s assertive behavior.

On Brockdorff’s advice, Peter brought Holstein troops to Russia, concealing the contingent’s size from the empress. Although Russian soldiers resented these soldiers, Peter constantly wore his Holstein uniform and drilled the troops. Catherine and the Russian court pointedly avoided the Holstein camp.

At an Oranienbaum ball in late June 1755, Catherine met the new English ambassador, Sir Charles Hanbury-Williams. They were mutually charmed. He introduced his young Polish secretary, Count Stanislaus Poniatowski. Poniatowski would become Catherine’s lover, and Hanbury-Williams her friend and political ally. Hanbury-Williams’s mission in Russia was renewing an Anglo-Russian treaty to protect Hanover from Prussia. After failing with Elizabeth and Peter, he found Catherine a natural ally who disliked Frederick. He cast himself as her mentor, and their friendship developed through “indiscreet” correspondence which broke protocol. Discovering Catherine’s financial troubles, Hanbury-Williams arranged substantial British treasury funds. Catherine accepted the money, viewing it as common political practice.

In September 1755, Bestuzhev signed the subsidy treaty with Hanbury-Williams. Alarmed, Frederick made his own deal with Britain. On January 16, 1756, Britain and Prussia signed the Convention of Westminster, triggering a major European realignment: Historic enemies France and Austria allied in May.

On August 30, 1756, Frederick invaded Saxony, starting the Seven Years’ War. Russia joined Austria against Prussia and Hanbury-Williams was forced to support Britain’s new ally. He secretly offered to act as Frederick’s agent, boasting he could use Catherine to delay Russian military efforts. In January 1757, Catherine revealed her anti-Prussian feelings in a letter to Bestuzhev, unaware her conversations with Hanbury-Williams were reaching Russia’s enemy via him.

Massie states that Poniatowski was charming and sophisticated but lacked originality and gravitas. He was remarkably innocent, having promised his mother not to drink, gamble, or marry before he was 30, and he was a virgin. His innocent devotion appealed to Catherine after her experience with Saltykov.

Catherine’s allies in the affair were Hanbury-Williams, Bestuzhev, and Lev Naryshkin. Naryshkin orchestrated contact through letters supposedly from him but written by Poniatowski. Poniatowski described Catherine at 25 as at the peak of her beauty. Lev arranged for Poniatowski to be led to Catherine’s open apartment door. As he was sexually inexperienced, Catherine took the lead.

In winter 1755-1756, Peter’s military obsession moved indoors with elaborate toy soldier rituals. When Catherine found a large dead rat hanging from a model gallows, Peter explained the rat was court-martialed and executed for eating two papier-mâché sentries. Catherine’s laughter angered him.

With the help of Lev Naryshkin, Catherine met secretly with Poniatowski, two or three times weekly. Peter’s primary mistress became Elizabeth Vorontsova, Catherine’s maid of honor, described by Massie as unattractive and ill-mannered but boisterous. The couple did not interfere in each other’s sexual affairs. In July 1756, Poniatowski was forced to leave Russia and Catherine campaigned to bring him back. He returned in December 1756 as Poland’s official minister.

In summer and autumn 1756, Elizabeth’s health declined alarmingly. Bestuzhev drafted a secret plan to make Catherine co-ruler upon Elizabeth’s death, and giving himself almost total power. Catherine reacted cautiously, calling the plan premature and recognizing the extreme danger of her position.

In spring 1757, Catherine challenged Brockdorff’s influence over Peter, when Brockdorff persuaded Peter to arrest a Holstein official unjustly, Catherine argued against this but was overruled. She warned Alexander Shuvalov that Brockdorff was dangerously influencing Peter.

Peter began relying on Catherine for Holstein’s administrative affairs, giving her signed authority. She suggested he attend the empress’s council meetings but he attended only once. Elizabeth finally granted Catherine an interview but became cold when Catherine mentioned Holstein’s involvement.

In midsummer 1757, Catherine gave a lavish Oranienbaum party for Peter, delighting the court and disarming her enemies. The new French ambassador l’Hôpital found Peter pro-Prussian and Catherine pro-English, reporting that influencing them was useless and lobbied for Hanbury-Williams’s recall to England. In October 1757, Hanbury-Williams departed and he died by suicide a year later.

In spring 1757, Russia, as Austria’s ally, was at war with Prussia. Commander General Apraksin, Bestuzhev’s friend, invaded East Prussia with 80,000 men, winning at Grossjägersdorf on August 17, but then abruptly retreated to the frontier. This “chaotic retreat” caused alarm in St. Petersburg. Bestuzhev asked Catherine to write Apraksin despite a ban on her correspondence, and she wrote three brief letters urging him to advance. It was revealed that the retreat had actually been secretly ordered by the St. Petersburg war council, with Elizabeth’s approval.

On September 8, 1757, Elizabeth publicly collapsed, likely from a stroke. After Elizabeth’s decline, St. Petersburg conflated Apraksin’s retreat with concerns about the succession. Peter was an unacceptable ruler to Russian society, and Paul only a 3-year-old boy. In January 1758, Apraksin was interrogated and turned over Catherine’s letters. He died of apoplexy before his sentencing, which would have acquitted him.

In spring 1757 Catherine became pregnant with Poniatowski’s child. Peter publicly questioned the child’s paternity. Catherine challenged Peter to swear he had not slept with her; frightened, he refused. On December 9, 1757, Catherine gave birth to a daughter. She asked for the name Elizabeth, but the empress named her Anna. The infant was immediately taken to the empress’s nursery.

Catherine arranged a secret alcove behind a screen in her own bedroom where friends, including Poniatowski, could visit during her recovery. Poniatowski continued nocturnal visits disguised as one of Peter’s musicians. Anna, always frail, died 15 months later. Catherine never mentioned her daughter’s death in her memoirs.

Bestuzhev’s enemies conspired against him. On February 14, 1758, he was arrested and stripped of all titles, along with three confidants. Catherine learned from Poniatowski of the arrest. Realizing she was implicated, Catherine remained composed.

Bestuzhev sent a secret note saying he had burned all incriminating papers, including the co-ruler proposal. The commission struggled to find evidence and Bestuzhev was eventually exiled without trial. The empress ended Catherine’s Holstein involvement and requested Poniatowski’s recall. Catherine burned all her private papers and letters.

Catherine defied Peter by attending a Russian play. She threatened to write Elizabeth that she was being confined and wished to be sent home to Germany. She wrote the letter, begging to be sent home as she had incurred Peter’s hatred and the empress’s displeasure. Catherine knew this was a calculated gamble; she did not want to leave Russia but knew it was the best way to counter her enemies. She could not be “offended and mistreated with impunity” (211). In her memoirs, Catherine described herself as having a man’s mind and a woman’s attractions.

Weeks later, Vladislavova was dismissed. The empress’s confessor, Father Dubyansky advised Catherine to continue asking to be sent home, as this could not be publicly justified. His intercession succeeded; Elizabeth summoned Catherine.

On April 13, 1758, Catherine confronted the empress. She fell to her knees and repeated her request to be sent home. Elizabeth accused her of meddling by writing to General Apraksin. Catherine admitted the transgression but insisted the letters contained no orders. Peter interjected with accusations, but his manner backfired, making Elizabeth more sympathetic to Catherine. Elizabeth ended the meeting, telling Catherine in a low voice she had more to say. Shuvalov returned to say the empress said, “not to worry too much […] she would have another conversation with me, alone and soon” (218).

Catherine waited weeks. On May 23, she was granted permission to see her children, then had her promised private audience with Elizabeth. Elizabeth demanded truth and Catherine promised to open her heart. At this climactic moment, Catherine’s memoirs abruptly end.

Poniatowski resisted recall and continued nightly visits to Catherine at Oranienbaum. On July 6, 1758, returning from a visit, he was caught by a drunken Peter and his entourage. He was seized and asked if he had slept with Catherine. Poniatowski denied it.

Catherine placated Peter by appealing to his mistress, Elizabeth Vorontsova. Poniatowski then appealed to Vorontsova during a ball. She arranged a meeting at Mon Plaisir. There Peter scolded Poniatowski for not being honest, fetched Catherine from bed, and announced all should be satisfied. The four spent the night chatting. Peter began orchestrating similar supper parties, then leaving Catherine and Poniatowski alone. Catherine found it degrading and feared the political danger of mutually acknowledged adultery. Poniatowski recognized he must leave.

Poniatowski’s memoirs included a final portrait of Peter as a “mad,” drunken fool who had more allegiance to Prussia than to Russia.