Original subtitles

TV Channel Russia

Written by Arif Aliev Art director Vladimir Menshov

Directed by Alexandr Baranov, Ramil Sabitov Camera - Maxim Shinkorenko

Production Designers Sergey Vorobjev, Sergey Onipenko

Music by Nikolai Rostov

Make-up Artists Marina Dedova, Ilona Levitskaya

Leading Editor Nadezhda Tarnovskaya

Leading Producer Alexei Kublitsky

Producers - Alexandr Akopov Ekaterina Efanova, Natalia Shneiderova

Empress Elizaveta I - Yulia Aug

Grand Duke Pyotr Fyodorovich, Emperor Peter III - Alexandr Yatsenko

Count Bestuzhev - Vladimir Menshov Count Lestocq - Konstantin Lavronenko Count Razumovsky - Alexandr Lazarev (Jr.)

Prince Saltykov - Rinal Mukhametov Captain Orlov - Sergey Strelnikov

Princess Johanna - Isabel Schosnig Count Shuvalov - Nikolai Kozak General Apraksin -Vitaly Kravchenko

Jemma - Elena Shamova Pimen - Ivan Dobronravov Matrena - Svetlana Korchagina

Prince Ponyatovsky - Aleksei Vorobyev Brekdorf - Maxim Kerin Betskoy - Kirill Rubtsov

Frederick II - Hartmut Krug Mardefelt - Vitus Eisenach Chetardie - Patrick Roullier Rollin

Nanny of Tsar Ivan VI - Valentina Talyzina

With Marina Alexandrova as Ekaterina II

EKATERINA

There's no hurry for you, young graces. Be off. They'll do without you.

Why is that?

You're not married, no children. There are rules.

In olden days, unmarried women were forbidden to even talk to the bride.

Does it matter if we are unmarried?

We are maids of honor to Ekaterina Alekseyevna!

Is it a surprise for you? The entire court knows it already.

I'm sorry to disappoint you. Times are changing as well as the rules.

I wonder how long you're going to be in attendance.

Burn incense!

Don't you know what to do?

I bless you at this holy hour on the wedding night.

Thank you.

Where is Pyotr?

Don't just stand there. Go get His Highness!

Hold the line! Heel!

Idiot!

I love him.

Troops!

Fall in!

Slope arms!

Your Highness, I think it would be better if you entered alone.

I will enter as Frederick the Great does!

Forward march!

Come on!

Gentlemen, please.

Follow me!

Follow me!

Don't be unreasonable, gentlemen!

Go away, gentlemen. It's late.

Follow me!

Let’s go!

Help yourselves, gentlemen.

Feel at home.

Take your seats.

I didn't invite you here, gentlemen.

My beloved husband is to stay but the rest of you...

To have courtiers present on the wedding night

is an old custom quite common among royalty in Europe.

But it's not common here in Russia. Please, leave us, gentlemen.

Sergey Vasilyevich,

please, help me.

I ask you to leave the room, gentlemen.

Thank you.

I'm not dressed, Prince.

I beg your pardon.

Your Excellency...

Don't, Your Excellency! Go to the actresses!

It’s too long a way.

Not at all, Your Excellency.

You just reach the side wing and then go downstairs...

Really?

I can forget myself and scream.

You can try.

Matryona, let's have a bit of fun.

Hey, fellas, let's drink to the happiness of the newlyweds!

Hoorah!

Pimen, do you think Her Highness loves Pyotr Fyodorovich?

They say you get used to it and you'll like it. That's not the point.

The point is that one day she'll be the queen of Russia!

She needs love, Pimen. I know, Her Highness has a tender heart.

She is so kind to us. And she took us along too.

I want her to be really happy and have love as we do.

I think they are great in making love right now.

I saw a rose bush in the garden completely covered with flowers.

I want to show it to you.

I’ve seen that bush.

Well, Pimen.

All right. Let's go.

Have I frightened you?

Not at all.

Sorry, Ekaterina Alekseyevna,

but I cannot perform my husbandly duties.

You can!

You surely can!

Don't you understand?

When we have a child, Aunt will take it away! She will!

Look at me!

She'll take it from us.

And not only that. She'll bring him up and make him her heir!

Pyotr Fyodorovich, I ask you to love me.

Pyotr Fyodorovich, I ask you to love me.

Be quiet! You don't understand anything.

She won't need me anymore.

Nor you. I'll be imprisoned and you cloistered as a nun.

I'm scared, I'm not a hero.

Listen...

Nothing can be between us.

Listen, nobody will ever take my baby away from me.

You are the heir to the throne, and I am your legal wife,

and we won't allow them to do it!

Take pity on me. Leave me alone.

Pyotr Fyodorovich! I’m yours completely!

I love you with all my heart!

I love you, believe me!

Stop it!

About turn! Forward march! One!

Two! One! Two!

About turn! Forward march!

One! Two! One! Two!

About turn! One!

Two! One! Two! One! Two!

Your Highness, my name is Mikhail Lomonosov.

Welcome to my laboratory.

It's really a nice laboratory, Your Highness.

You think so?

I did a research on the nature of pain and its true cause.

I would like to discuss it with you.

Pyotr Fyodorovich studied the behavior of rats.

Please, don't interrupt me.

How do you know what I’ve studied?

I'm sorry.

Your Highness, I would be happy to study your research.

Your Majesty!

I am told that the newlyweds sleep separately.

They do, Your Majesty.

No attempts to know her as his wife since the day of the wedding.

Since the day of the wedding?

For ten days they’ve not been sleeping together?

Lock them up in the bedroom till the morning and don't give the key to the maid.

But then the maid wouldn't be able to get in.

Why would she need to?

They may want something during the night.

I thought to make you my chamber maid,

but now I have doubts.

You're stupid and defiant.

I'll lock them up, Your Majesty.

Why don't you let me read this?

Are you interested in biology?

In biology too. I love to read.

It's stuffy here, isn't it?

Are you unwell?

No, I am fine.

Let's go out into the garden.

Today was a good day.

Why?

I learned a lot about you.

Under other circumstances, we could have made a perfect couple.

But my aunt is a terrible woman.

You don't know it but I do.

She holds a boy, the legitimate emperor, imprisoned in the fortress.

She forbids anyone to talk to him. He was never taken for a walk. He has no toys.

I think it's just rumors.

You may think so but I’ve seen him.

I gave him a tin soldier.

He'll die in the fortress. As soon as we have a son, we'll die too!

And our boy will be presented instead of that boy!

It's scary.

We have to defend ourselves and make our own counter-play.

Are you ill?

No.

I feel a little dizzy but I’m fine.

I feel good, honestly, very good.

Are we locked up?

I'll take the key with me.

They may need something and start knocking.

What may they need at night?

Who knows what they may want.

I thought to raise your salary but now I have doubts. You're stupid and defiant.

I'll do as you say, Your Grace.

Fire!

You are feverish.

I feel a fire in my chest.

There's a pain inside me.

The books say that pain is a harbinger of danger.

But if it were so, the pain would be sharp, strong, and short-lasting.

But this pain is on-going.

Arina, open the door! Open it now!

Has something happened, Your Highness?

Pyotr Fyodorovich is ill! He has a fever!

I don’t have the key. You'll have to wait till morning.

Open the door immediately! Call the doctor! Open up!

You'd better send Doctor Caramaldi home.

Patience, my dear, patience.

All will be well.

All will be well.

Let's be quiet, Alyosha. What a nice night.

Pyotr Fyodorovich is exploring the nature of pain and its cause.

Oh my God! It's horrible!

Lord, have mercy!

Pyotr Fyodorovich has black smallpox.

Post a sentry at the door.

No one is to enter or leave this part of the palace.

And you must find another doctor.

I warned you. I asked you to get rid of rats.

I won't stay here for all the money in the world.

Did Pyotr Fyodorovich hug you tightly, your Highness?

He had no time to.

There are no external signs,

but the disease can hide in the body.

Get out!

Everyone, get out, now!

Your Majesty, wake up!

It’s Pyotr…

What?

Doctor Caramaldi examined him.

Well?

He has smallpox.

Is he sure?

He even refuses to treat him.

How much did you offer him?

He said, not for love nor money.

Offer him ten thousand a year and an estate in Peterhoff,

and 1,000 serfs. 2,000 serfs!

Make his head spin!

Make him go mad with greed. Make him treat him and cure him!

As you wish.

St. Panteleimon,

please answer my prayer and help my husband.

Cure him of smallpox.

Let his pain recede. Let him recover and let

his physical and spiritual wounds be healed.

Let your help come unto Pyotr Fyodorovich.

Let her pass!

Your Highness. I am sorry.

He asks for help, doesn't he?

Don't worry about it!

Is he dying?

Doctor Caramaldi asked us not to enter for three days.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on your servant Pyotr and raise him from the bed of sickness. Lord, have mercy.

I hope you are pregnant?

It's hardly possible so quickly.

Well, you know, if Pyotr dies, the throne

can be shaken. With no heir to the throne, a revolt will break out.

I am praying for Pyotr Fyodorovich.

If Pyotr dies, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseyevna will be no more.

Pyotr Fyodorovich will live.

Despite my being near him I didn't fall ill.

I watched him experiment, and I am well.

At least I'm not born to die from smallpox.

You're talking like an academician.

You are intelligent beyond your years.

Bear me a heir.

Pyotr Fyodorovich will recover.

We must hurry up so that the infection wouldn't spread throughout the palace.

As we enter, wrap all the bodies in burlap and cover with lime.

Professor, do you think the Grand Duke is dead?

Death is the great leveler.

Queen of Heaven, help and save!

Pyotr Fyodorovich! He's still alive. Help him.

Rumors are in the air that the heir is dead,

the Empress is dying, and King Frederick is advancing from Prussia.

He will take the throne and rule Russia.

In an inn at the Haymarket, a retired major called upon people to demand the release...

the release of the Emperor Ioann Antonovich.

Despite the strict ban, the name of the secret prisoner has been uttered.

The conspirator betrayed his accomplices under torture.

Well, if Pyotr lives, people will calm down.

If he dies... it's hard to see what can happen.

What is there to see? They will be only too happy to revolt.

Get ready to defend your Empress!

Mikhail Vasilyevich! Is there really no treatment against smallpox?

Nothing known to science as yet.

Collect up everything Pyotr Fyodorovich might touch and burn it.[00:27:27.11

The floor and walls to be covered with lime.

Idiot! I told you to burn everything!

Are you going to use it in the world beyond? Burn everything down!

Come on!

Well, it burns easily. So many good things wasted!

The main thing is to prevent pestilence.

Come on! Set everything afire,

together with the sickness.

Everything into the fire!

Tsarevich Pyotr is close to death.

Wonderful!

Despite all the efforts by Empress Elisabeth, Russia will be without the heir,

and the Romanov dynasty will be cut short. After Elizaveta dies, Russia will face a revolt.

In these circumstances, we shouldn't start a war but better wait for the natural course of events.

This colossus with the feet of clay will only need a slight push.

Pyotr Fyodorovich has smallpox. It is surprising that only the heir fell ill.

There were no cases of smallpox neither at the court nor in the city. It's strange.

Was it another act of poisoning?

It's unknown.

Tsarevich Pyotr supported the alliance with Prussia.

In the future it could be advantageous for us.

The death of the only heir is even more profitable for us than his marriage to Frederika.

Frederika is called Ekaterina now. But she remains a German at heart.

In addition, she could claim her rights to the throne.

There's no use in counting on Frederika.

If Pyotr dies, Elisabeth won't let her stay at the court.

A sad fate awaits her.

Your Highness, it's time.

Here I am, Auntie!

Congratulations on your recovery, Pyotr Fyo...

The Prince is here.

May I see him?

His face has suffered from illness. He isn’t himself as yet.

What matters is that he is alive.

Be merciful to him.

Thank you.

Prince...

I'm sorry.

At least now our relationship will be a lot more honest.

Admit that you feel nothing but disgust towards me.

I thank the Lord for your recovery.

I'm still praying for you. Let's pray together.

I won't pray for anything.

I'll never willingly enter a church again.

When I become the Emperor, I'll ban Orthodoxy

These are ill-considered words.

God sends deceases to test our faith and punish us for our sins.

Why did he send smallpox to me and not to my Aunt?

Why not to you?

What was Doctor Caramaldi punished for?

He wanted to get rich; it was his sin.

But he did help me; he did want to cure me.

Is it my sin that I was born a prince?

When the time comes, I'll get revenge on everyone.

All of you who wanted me dead.

Elizaveta Petrovna was worrying about you.

Of course, she was!

After my death, any councilor or general would have easily killed her and proclaimed himself the Emperor.

Shuvalov, Apraksin, Bestuzhev, Razumovsky - whoever you like.

I prayed for you.

My aunt would have cloistered you in a convent on an island in the Arctic Sea.

So you prayed for your own comfort.

You are cruel.

Enough falsehood, please. And enough looking at the monster!

Go away!

Thank God you're alive.

There is a letter for you, Ekaterina Alekseyevna.

Brace yourself for sad tidings.

Your father, Duke Christian Augustus,

is gone to a better world. Pray and I'll pray with you.

7 YEARS LATER

The reign of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna is marked by glorious deeds.

She orders a census, allows nobility to possess land and serfs,

enforces orderly conduct, develops trade, and establishes the first national bank.

After the execution of Lestocq, Count Bestuzhev and General Apraksin strengthen their positions in the State Council.

Count Shuvalov is suspicious of them and informs on everyone to Elizaveta.

Ekaterina embarks on studies of science and literature, including the works of French philosophers and writers.

Elizaveta Petrovna is quickly losing hope of having a child, though she retains a tender affection for Count Razumovsky.

Pyotr Fyodorovich remains an admirer of King Frederick.

He spends all his free time with his mock regiment.

Prince Saltykov marries Anastasia Choglokova, and serves as a diplomat at the Russian mission in Vienna.

It is a time of peace.

Europe is dominated by France and Austria, with each trying to win the allegiance of the Russian Empress.

Meanwhile, the Prussian monarch, King Frederick, takes steps to unite Germany and expand his empire.

Your Majesty?

Quiet. Don't scare the birds.

I wanted to ask you, my dear.

Is everything alright with you?

Is your husband kind to you?

Everything is alright.

Enough of the birdseed!

I’ve made a decision.

If you don't get pregnant by spring, your marriage to Pyotr Fyodorovich will be declared invalid.

Will I go back home?

Isn't Russia your home? Hmm?

See the mistakes you are making?

And you have prepared for this meeting, haven’t you?

I just want to see my mother and visit my father's grave.

Don’t you want to visit your uncle, King Frederick for a cup of tea?

You know perfectly well that I can't let you go.

I'm an Orthodox.

And I hope I don't have to prove that I'm not a traitor.

Are you scared now?

I will send you to a convent, the most remote one in the north,

the most impregnable one so that no one will ever entertain the slightest idea to liberate you.

There's hardly anyone who would wish to help me.

Then you must help yourself, my dear.

Get pregnant - it's not too late.

It's impossible.

But why?

Pyotr Fyodorovich doesn't perform his husbandly duties.

Then you need to attract him, stimulate him, seduce him, after all!

And he never did! Not once.

What are you saying?

I am a virgin.

You’re lying!

Tell them to examine me.

I will!

After 7 years of marriage...

There's going to be a masked ball tonight.

At such a ball, peculiar things can happen, my dear. Go.

Get ready.

Do I understand you correctly?

In the nearest future we'll see whether you understand me correctly.