Catherine the Great's Husband Peter III Ruled Over Russia—Until He Didn't

Hulu's The Great stars Elle Fanning as a Catherine the Great, years before she would earn that name. She arrives at the Russian court a naïve and bookish German Princess, and is immediately horrified by its uncultured residents and her frivolous ladies-in-waiting—but most of all, it's her new husband, Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), that she'd like to, er, eliminate.

But was the real Peter III actually so terrible, and their marriage such a disaster? Here's what you should know about the ill-fated monarch.

Peter III was born Karl Peter Ulrich in northern Germany in 1728.

He was born Charles Peter Ulrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp to Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, whose father was Peter the Great. Peter's parents died when he was young, and he was raised by (often cruel) tutors at the Holstein court.

His aunt, Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, adopted Peter at age 14 and named him her heir. He adopted the Russian name Pyotr Fyodorovich, and was forced to give up Lutheranism in favor of the Russian Orthodox faith.

From an early age, he demonstrated a strong interest in the military—but not so much in his studies.

He married the future Catherine the Great in 1745.

Empress Elizabeth arranged the pairing, and was anxious for Peter to have an heir. She chose Catherine (then a minor German Princess named Sophie), and the couple wed when Peter was 17 and Catherine was 16.

It was a miserable marriage from the start. Catherine described him in her memoirs as childlike and a little too interested in alcohol. Still, "She thought, ‘All right, I’ll marry this creep.’ The thought of the throne sustained her," the Empress's biographer Robert K. Massie told the New York Times. Massie also described Peter as "physically and psychologically afflicted," referencing his smallpox scarring and possible, much-speculated-over emotional or psychological condition.

Peter III had little interest in sex, amusing himself instead with toy soldiers and the like, and Catherine would later claim the marriage was never consummated—though Catherine did have children during their time together.

When he did come to power, his reign was short-lived.

Peter III—who never much liked the country he ruled over—quickly reversed many of his aunt's foreign policy positions, and resentment against him grew, setting the stage for his wife's takeover.

Six months after he ascended the throne, Catherine mounted a coup with the help of her lover Grigory Orlov, leading 14,000 soldiers on horseback to the Winter Palace and unseating her husband. Peter III was promptly placed in jail, and he died not long after.

Although some argue Peter III perished in a drunken brawl, it's widely believed that Alexei Orlov, Grigory's brother, killed him while he was behind bars. It's unclear if the murder was ordered by Catherine the Great, or carried out without her consent. "The circumstances and cause of death, and the intentions and degree of responsibility of those involved," Massie wrote, "can never be known."

You Might Also Like

• 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion

• What Your Favorite Champagne Brand Says About You

• Beauty Gurus Share Their Makeup Secrets for Older Women