Why was Catherine the Great an unlikely contender for the Russian throne?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Catherine the Great was an unlikely contender for the Russian throne for several reasons: A) She was born in Germany, making her a foreigner; B) She was originally Protestant before converting to Eastern Orthodoxy; C) She married into the Romanov family, rather than being born into it; D) Being a woman made her accession more challenging in a male-dominated succession line.

Why Was Catherine the Great an Unlikely Contender for the Russian