Княгиня Екатерина Долгорукова: Фаворитка және әйелі Александр II

Mistress and morganatic wife of Tsar Alexander II
the fiancée of Peter II of Russia

Princess Catherine Dolgorukova (Lang ru; 14 November 1847 [O. S. 2 November 1847]15 February 1922) was a Russian aristocrat and the daughter of Prince Michael Dolgorukov and Vera Vishnevskaya. Catherine was a long time mistress of Tsar Alexander II and later, as his morganatic wife, was given the title of Princess Yurievskaya (Светлейшая княгиня Юрьевская). Alexander and Catherine already had three children when they formed a morganatic marriage on 18 July 1880 [O. S. 6 July 1880], after the death of the Emperor's wife, Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, on 3 June 1880 [O. S. 22 May 1880]. A fourth child had died in infancy. Catherine became a widow with the assassination of Alexander II on 13 March 1881 [O. S. 1 March 1881] by members of Narodnaya Volya.

Catherine was the elder daughter of Prince Michael Mikhailovich Dolgorukov (1816 1865) and his wife, Vera Gavrilovna Vishnevskaya (1820 1867). She had one younger sister, Princess Marie Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Countess von Berg (1850 1907). Catherine was a direct descendant of Anastasia Romanova (d. 1655), the wife of Prince Boris Mikhailovich Lykov Obolensky (d. 1648), one of the Seven Boyars of 1610. Anastasia was the daughter of Nikita Romanovich (Никита Романович; born c. 1522 – 23 April 1586), also known as Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin Yuriev, who was a prominent boyar of the Tsardom of Russia. His grandson Michael I (Tsar 1613–1645) founded the Romanov dynasty of Russian tsars. Anastasia was the paternal aunt of Tsar Michael I of Russia and the paternal niece of Tsaritsa Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina Yurieva of Russia.

One contemporary described the young Catherine as "of medium height, with an elegant figure, silky ivory skin, the eyes of a frightened gazelle, a sensuous mouth, and light chestnut tresses." Catherine's nephew in law Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia wrote: "[I] couldn't take my eyes off her – I liked the sad expression of her beautiful face and the radiance of her rich blonde hair." Some courtiers described Catherine as "vulgar and ugly". Konstantin Pobedonostsev wrote that "the eyes, by themselves, would be attractive, I suppose, only her gaze has no depth – the kind in which transparency and naïveté meet with lifelessness and stupidity "