b o o k wirtzerwe, near Dorpt, in Livonia. The year o f her birth is
'— ¡i— 5 uncertain; but, according to her own account*, ihe came into
the world on the 5th of April, 1689. Her original name
was Martha, which ihe changed for Catharine when ihe
•embraced the Greek religion. Gount Rofen, a lieutenant-
colonel in the Swediih fervice, who -owned the village of
Ringen, fupported, according to the cuftom of the country,
both the mother and the child, and was, for that reafon,
fuppofed by many perfons to have been her father. She
■loft her mother when ihe was but three years, old ; and, as
count Rofen died about the fame time, ihe was left in fo
deftitute a iituation, that the pariih-clerk of the village received
her into his houfe. Soon afterwards Gluck, Lutheran
minifter of Marienburgh, happening in a journey
through thofe parts ; to fee the foundling, took her under
his prote&ion, brought her up in his family, and employed
her in attending his children. In 170 1 , and about the
fourteenth year of her age f, ihe efpoufed a dragoon of the
Swediih garrifon of Marienburgh j. Many diiferent-accounts
are given of this tranfa£tion: one author § of great credit
affirms that the bride and bridegroom remained together
eight days after their marriage ; another ||, of no lefs aumight
have been willing to ratify the cur- and to him I am greatly obliged for
rent report in Elizabeth’s time in honour abridging the trouble .neceflary in fuch a
o f her friend and patronefs Catharine I . complicated inquiry.
It appears, however, as well from this in- * Baffevitz in Bufching IX. p . , , ,
telligence as from the information o f We- Some fay ilie was born fo early as t68t.’
her and Baflevitz, that fome real or pre- Bufching IX. 481.
tended relations o f Catharine L made their f Weber fays in her eighteenth year •' '
appearance at Peterfburgh during her reign, but if, according to her own account ihe
that they were acknowledged and promoted was born in 16S9, ihe was only thirteen
by her, and afterwards b y Elizabeth, not J Wurmb afiurcd Weber, that during
unwilling, perhaps, to believe, without in- her reiidence at Marienburgh ihe was a pat
quiry, her mother’s family to have been fern o f virtue and good behaviour which
nobly defeeuded. centradias the i-cport that Hie had been a
St.aroidt, in his Materiahen, &c. has col- common woman in Livonia,
letted in one point o f view great part o f § Weber,
ihe intelligence which relates to Catharine I. |{ Bruce, p. 74.
thority,
C A T H A R I N E I. , ^S-oi
thority, afferts, on the contrary, that the morning of the chap.
nuptials, her huiband being fent with a detachment for Riga, ■ V|L ■
the marriage was never confommated. Thus much is certain,
that the dragoon was abfent when Marienburgh fur-
rendered to the Ruffians'; and Catharine, who was referred
for a higher fortune, never faw him more %
General Bauer f, upon the taking of Marienburgh, faw
Gatharine among the prifoners; and, being fmitten with her
youth and beauty, took her to his houfe, where fhe fuper-
iritended his domeftick affairs, and was fuppofed to be his
miiftireis. Soon afterwards fhe was removed into the family
of prince Menzikof, who was no lefs firuck with the attractions
of the fair captive : with him ihe lived until 1704,
* What became o f her huiband is unknown.
Weber fays.; that. Catharine, for fome
time afteY ifie lived'with prince Menzikof,
ufed; toi inquire about her huiband, and
that ihe fent him occafionally,. though privately,
fmall prefentff j and that, in 1705,
he was- killed in a fkirmifh.
Gordon fays, that on the day o f his. marriage
he was killed in an encounter, for
from that time he was never heard of.
V o l. II. p. 255.
Motraye, who made many inqui ries about
him, concludes by faying, he could be af-
fured o f nothing from the common report
o f the country concerning the fate o f this
new-married man, it being fo variouily related.
f Weber relates, that marihal Shereme-
to f was the general who firit brought C atharine
into Ruffia. 1 ihould certainly have
fubmittedto his authority, i f Bruce had not
aiFerred that general Bauer was the perfon.
Bruce begins his narrative by faying “ as
“ general Bauer was the perfon by whofe
“ means the emprefs Catharine arrived af-
“ terwards to-fo great an h e igh t;” and
Bruce’ s authority muft be preferred in this
inftance, beeaufe he probably obtained .his
information from his uncle general Bruce,
who was intimately acquainted with general
Bauer, and cculd not be iniitaken in this
faa .
Perhaps this contradi&ion may be reconciled
by confidering, that although marihal
Sheremetof commanded the Ruffian.army in
Livonia, yet, as general Bauer was the next
in command, he might either have headed
the party which entered Marienburgh, or
have taken the fair prifoner under his protection.
Perfons have doubted whether fhe
were really the miftrefs o f general Bauer:
but when Bruce fays general Bauer “ gave
“ immediate orders for her fafety and recep-
“ f i°n into his houfe, o f which he gave her
“ whole charge, with authority over all
“ Ws fervants, by whom fhe was very much
“ beloved from her manner o f ufing them ;
“ the general afterwards often laid, his
“ houfe was never fo well managed as when
“ was with him,” p. 75. We can have
no doubt o f the fail, as otherwife a general
would hardly place a girl under fixteen at
the head o f his houihold.
VoL> L 4 B when,