Princess Yevdokiya Borisovna Yusupova (; May 5 (NS: May 16) 1743,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

– July 19 (NS: July 8) 1780,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

), was a Duchess consort of Courland. She married the Duke of Courland,

Peter von Biron Peter von Biron (15 February 1724 – 13 January 1800) was the last duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1769 to 1795, when it was annexed by the Russian Empire. Life and reign Peter was born in Jelgava () as the oldest son of Ernst Johann ...

, on March 6, 1774, in

Mitau Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

. She had no issue.

Biography

Yevdokiya Yusupova was the eldest daughter of Prince Boris Grigoryevich Yusupov and Irina Mikhaylovna Zinovyeva. The marriage was arranged by empress

Catherine II of Russia Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

to secure a good relationship between Russia and Courland.

Courland

Duke Peter was described as wild, and Yevdokiya Yusupova was regarded as a beauty with spiritual qualities. She became popular among the nobility in Courland and did succeed in her task to recruit Pro-Russians among the Courland nobility. Initially, she also managed to wield some influence over Duke Peter.Юсупова, Евдокия Борисовна // Русский биографический словарь : в 25 томах. — СПб.—М., 1896—1918. The relationship between Yusupova and Peter soon deteriorated, however, and she wished to be freed from the abuse he is reported to have treated her with.

Later life

After having attended the wedding of

Tsesarevich Tsesarevich (, ) was the title of the heir apparent or heir presumptive, presumptive in the Russian Empire. It either preceded or replaced the Eastern Slavic naming customs, given name and patronymic. Usage It is often confused with the much ...

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

to Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) on 26 September 1776, she refused to return to

. The divorce was issued on 27 April 1778. Yevdokiya Yusupova received the order of St Catherine in 1777.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yusupova, Yevdokiya 1743 births 1780 deaths 18th-century Latvian people Duchesses of Courland Nobility from the Russian Empire Yevdokiya 18th-century women from the Russian Empire Burials at the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra