Why was Alexander I's older sister taught… Russian?

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna (1788–1819), the beloved sister of Emperor Alexander I, was one of the most educated and politically active women of her time. Professor Kraft taught her mathematics, Academician von Storch taught her economics and artist Alexei Yegorov taught her how to paint. Contemporaries testified that the Grand Duchess "possessed intelligence and spirit, timidity was completely foreign to her and the courage and perfection with which she rode a horse were capable of arousing the envy of even men." However, she had to work hard to master the Russian language at what was considered a mature age for that time.

In 1808, French Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord proposed to Emperor Alexander I that he marry her to Napoleon. The princess didn't merely reject this proposal – she later became a bastion of patriotism and the founder of the Russian militia in the 1812 war against Napoleon.

In Fall 1809, Ekaterina Pavlovna moved to Tver with her husband, Prince George of Oldenburg. The prince had been appointed governor-general there. The Grand Duchess was also active – she took the lead in a nationalist and patriotic movement. At the beginning of the 19th century, French was the predominant language at court, while Russian was considered the language of the common people. She quickly realized that knowledge of Russian was vital for her work and wrote a letter to renowned historian and writer Nikolai Karamzin requesting lessons.

The lessons began around the winter of 1810. The main exercise was translating works by foreign authors into Russian. Karamzin reviewed these assignments, which allowed the princess to hone her writing skills and enrich her vocabulary. Over time, their lessons evolved into a deep intellectual friendship, as evidenced by their extensive correspondence.