Peter III has a short and unpopular…

Peter III has a short and unpopular reign.

Although he is a grandson of Peter the Great, his father is the duke of Holstein, so Peter III has been raised in a German Lutheran environment.

Russians therefore consider him a foreigner.

Making no secret of his contempt for all things Russian, Peter creates deep resentment by forcing Prussian military drills on the Russian military, attacking the Orthodox Church, and depriving Russia of a military victory by establishing his sudden alliance with Prussia.

Making use of the discontent and fearing for her own position, Peter's wife, Catherine, deposes her husband in a coup, and her lover, Aleksei Orlov, subsequently murders him.

Thus, in June 1762 a German princess who has no legitimate claim to the Russian throne becomes Catherine II, empress of Russia.