Peter the Great
Peter the Great ruled over Russia with an iron fist for almost half a decade. Born in 1672, he ascended onto the Romanov throne in 1689 and stayed there until his death in 1725. Undoubtedly, Peter I – the ‘Great’ part was added later – was a fascinating man. At once progressive and enlightened and also autocratic and cruel. He viewed the Russian people as little more than children who needed a heavy hand to keep them in their place. However, his private life, and above all, his unquenchable thirst for female company, show him to have been lonely, even insecure.
As was common for young royals, Peter was married off at the age of just 16. However, he hated his wife Eudoxia. While Peter was bright and inquisitive – indeed, he traveled the world in search of the latest learning – his first wife was boring, argumentative and dumb. She did, however, give Peter three children. Once her duty had been fulfilled, he sent her off to a convent, where she would remain for 30 years until she was finally pardoned and released by her grandson, Peter II.
Peter’s second marriage was an altogether happier union. Indeed, by all accounts, he genuinely adored and respected Tsarina Catherine. He would invite her along on his travels and she would be by his side for all formal occasions. They were together for 23 years, including 13 as man and wife. But this doesn’t mean he was faithful to her. Nobody knows quite how many lovers he had, but it was a lot. Peter slept with Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting, with her friends or, if he got desperate, with prostitutes. There’s even evidence to suggest he slept with a hunchbacked simpleton one time, though he preferred aristocratic ladies.
Though undoubtedly a cad and an unapologetic lothario, Peter made an effort to treat his lovers well. Those that were married would find that their husbands were awarded land or titles, while his favorites would be lavished with gifts. But, as with so many ‘players’, Peter was quite the hypocrite. When he learned that his wife had become close to a male secretary, he had the handsome German aristocrat in question, executed and his head preserved in a jar. The jar was then presented to Catherine, and may even have been placed by her side of the bed – a constant reminder that, while the Tsar could play the field, she was expected to remain loyal at all times.