Editing Elizabeth of Russia (section)

==Early life==
===Childhood and teenage years===
[[File:Elizabeth of Russia in youth (1720s, Russian museum).jpg|thumb|Young Elizabeth in the 1720s, painted by [[Ivan Nikitich Nikitin]].]]
Elizabeth was born at [[Kolomenskoye]], near [[Moscow]], [[Russia]], on 18 December 1709 ([[Julian calendar|O.S.]]). Her parents were [[Peter the Great]], [[Tsar]] of Russia and [[Catherine I of Russia|Catherine]].{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} Catherine was the daughter of Samuel Skowroński, a subject of [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. Although no documentary record exists, her parents were said to have married secretly at the [[Old Trinity Cathedral|Cathedral of the Holy Trinity]] in [[Saint Petersburg]] at some point between 23 October and 1 December 1707.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=46}} Their official marriage was at [[Saint Isaac's Cathedral]] in Saint Petersburg on 9 February 1712. On this day, the two children previously born to the couple ([[Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia|Anna]] and Elizabeth) were legitimised by their father{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=46}} and given the title of [[Tsarevna]] ("[[princess]]") on 6 March 1711.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} Of the twelve children born to Peter and Catherine (five sons and seven daughters), only the sisters survived to adulthood.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=50}} They had one older surviving sibling, crown prince [[Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia|Alexei Petrovich]], who was Peter's son by his first wife, noblewoman [[Eudoxia Lopukhina]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

As a child, Elizabeth was the favourite of her father, whom she resembled both physically and temperamentally.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=23}} Even though he adored his daughter, Peter did not devote time or attention to her education; having both a son and grandson from his first marriage to a noblewoman, he did not anticipate that a daughter born to his former maid might one day inherit the Russian throne, which had until that point never been occupied by a woman; as such, it was left to Catherine to raise the girls, a task met with considerable difficulty due to her own lack of education. Despite this, Elizabeth was still considered to be a bright girl, if not brilliant,{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=283}} and had a French governess who gave lessons of [[mathematics]], arts, languages, and sports. She grew interested in [[architecture]], became fluent in [[Italian language|Italian]], [[German language|German]], and [[French language|French]], and became an excellent dancer and rider.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} Like her father, she was physically active and loved [[horseriding]], [[hunting]], [[Sledding|sledging]], [[Ice skating|skating]], and [[gardening]].{{sfn|Cowles|1971|p=66}}

From her earliest years, Elizabeth was recognised as a vivacious young woman, and was regarded as the leading beauty of the [[Russian Empire]].{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} The wife of the British ambassador described Grand Duchess Elizabeth as "fair, with light brown hair, large sprightly blue eyes, fine teeth and a pretty mouth. She is inclinable to be fat, but is very genteel and dances better than anyone I ever saw. She speaks German, French and Italian, is extremely gay, and talks to everyone..."{{sfn|Cowles|1971|pp=66–67}}

===Marriage plans===
[[File:Alexei Grigorievich Razumovskiy.PNG|thumb|190px|Elizabeth probably secretly married [[Alexei Razumovsky]], a Ukrainian-born chorister]]
With much of his fame resting on his effective efforts to modernise Russia, Tsar Peter desired to see his children married into the royal houses of Europe, something which his immediate predecessors had consciously tended to avoid. Peter's son Aleksei Petrovich, born of his first marriage to a Russian noblewoman, had no problem securing a bride from the ancient house of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]]. However, the Tsar experienced difficulties in arranging similar marriages for the daughters born of his second wife. When Peter offered either of his daughters in marriage to the future [[Louis XV]], the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]]s of [[Kingdom of France|France]] snubbed him due to the girls' post-facto legitimisation, and her mother, a Polish commoner.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=50}}

In 1724, Peter betrothed his daughters to two young princes, first cousins to each other, who hailed from the tiny north German principality of [[Holstein-Gottorp]] and whose family was undergoing a period of political and economic turmoil. Anna Petrovna (aged 16) was to marry [[Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp]], who was then living in exile in Russia as Peter's guest after having failed in his attempt to succeed [[Charles XII of Sweden|his maternal uncle]] as King of Sweden and whose patrimony was at that time under Danish occupation.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 50}} Despite all this, the prince was of impeccable birth and well-connected to many royal houses; it was a respectable and politically useful alliance.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 58}} In the same year, Elizabeth was betrothed to marry Charles Frederick's first cousin, Charles Augustus of Holstein-Gottorp,{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 58}} the eldest son of [[Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin|Christian Augustus, Prince of Eutin]]. Anna Petrovna's wedding took place in 1725 as planned, even though her father had died ({{OldStyleDate |8 February | 1725 | 28 January}}) a few weeks before the nuptials. In Elizabeth's case, however, her fiancé died on 31 May 1727, before her wedding could be celebrated. This came as a double blow to Elizabeth, because her mother (who had ascended to the throne as Catherine I) had died just two weeks previously, on 17 May 1727.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

[[File:SerovElizabethDepartingOnAHunt.jpg|thumb|left|''Peter II and Princess Elizabeth Petrovna Riding to Hound'' by [[Valentin Serov]]]]

By the end of May 1727, 17-year-old Elizabeth had lost her fiancé and both of her parents. Furthermore, her half-nephew [[Peter II of Russia|Peter II]] had ascended the throne. Her marriage prospects continued to fail to improve three years later, when her nephew died and was succeeded on the throne by Elizabeth's first cousin [[Anna of Russia|Anna]], daughter of [[Ivan V of Russia|Ivan V]]. There was little love lost between the cousins and no prospect of either any Russian nobleman or any foreign prince seeking Elizabeth's hand in marriage. Nor could she marry a commoner because it would cost her royal status, property rights and claim to the throne.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 59}} The fact that Elizabeth was something of a beauty did not improve marriage prospects, but instead earned her resentment. When the Empress Anna asked the Chinese minister in Saint Petersburg to identify the most beautiful woman at her court, he pointed to Elizabeth, much to Anna's displeasure.{{sfn|Cowles|1971|p=67}}

Elizabeth's response to the lack of marriage prospects was to take Alexander Shubin, a sergeant in the [[Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment]], as her lover. When Empress Anna found out about this, she banished him to [[Siberia]]. After consoling herself, Elizabeth turned to coachmen and footmen for her sexual pleasure.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 59}} She eventually found a long-term companion in [[Alexei Razumovsky]], a kind-hearted [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] [[Cossack]] with a good [[Bass (voice type)|bass voice]]. Razumovsky had been brought from his village to Saint Petersburg by a nobleman to sing for a church choir, but the Grand Duchess purchased the talented serf from the nobleman for her own choir. A simple-minded man, Razumovsky never showed interest in affairs of state during all the years of his relationship with Elizabeth, which spanned from the days of her obscurity to the height of her power. As the couple was devoted to each other, there is reason to believe{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} that they might even have married in a secret ceremony. In 1742, the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] made Razumovsky a [[count]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In 1756, Elizabeth made him a [[prince]] and [[field marshal]].{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 59}}