Summer Palace of Peter the Great jail where Peter personally prosecuted, locked up, and released prisoners; and Peter’s favorite room, his workshop. The construction of the Summer Palace was completed in 1714. When the Summer Palace was completed in 1714, it became the residence of Peter the Great and his second wife Catherine I of Russia and many of their 12 children—with Peter occupying the first floor and Catherine, along with the children, occupying the second one, until Peter’s death in 1725. After Peter the Great’s death, the Summer Palace was occupied for several years by members of the Imperial family and their courtiers. During part
Princess Catherine Ivanovna of Russia from the capital and her mother followed her husband into exile. Catherine and her brother Vsevolod remained in the care of her grandmother, the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavriekievna of Russia. On 18 July 1918, their father Prince John was killed, and their mother Princess Jelena was arrested and spent several months in Soviet prisons. Grand Duchess Elizabeth was able to take Catherine and her brother to Sweden. Sometime later, they were reunited with their mother. The family lived in Serbia, then moved to England. There, Catherine received an excellent education, although she never learned the Russian language because her mother,