Catherine I of Russia, born Marta Skavronskaya on April 15, 1684, was the second wife of Tsar Peter the Great and the first woman to rule the Russian Empire. Her life was a series of happiness and unhappiness,marked by her humble origins as the daughter of a Lithuanian peasant and her eventual rise to empress.During the Great Northern War and sold to Prince Alexander Menshikov,a close friend of Tsar Peter the Great.Catherine impressed the Tsar with her charm and intelligence,and became his Lover