Mary Hamilton was born into the Scottish Hamilton family, which had settled in Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. She likely grew up in relative privilege due to her family’s standing. Around 1713, she was appointed lady-in-waiting to Empress Catherine I of Russia, soon attracting attention at court for her striking beauty and tempestuous personal life.

She became the mistress of Tsar Peter the Great and simultaneously maintained a relationship with Ivan Mikhailovich Orlov. Her involvement with Orlov was turbulent; when he betrayed her for another of Peter’s lovers, she attempted to lure him back by stealing gifts from Empress Catherine.

Mary Hamilton’s downfall began with a string of personal and criminal acts. In 1715, she induced an abortion by taking a purgative medicine. In 1717, she secretly gave birth and drowned the infant immediately after.

Her crimes came to light when Orlov, under interrogation regarding missing state documents, implicated her in abortion. Rival Avdotya Chernysheva accused her of slandering the Empress by claiming Catherine ate wax for her complexion.

A search of Hamilton’s chambers uncovered stolen jewelry. Arrested and tortured in the Fortress of Saint Petersburg, she confessed to infanticide and theft but steadfastly refused to implicate Orlov.

In November 1718, she was convicted and sentenced to death. Despite appeals for clemency from Empress Catherine and Tsarina Praskovia Saltykova, Tsar Peter denied mercy.

On 14 March 1719, she was executed by decapitation. In a final unsettling act, Peter lifted her severed head, gave an impromptu lecture on its anatomy, kissed it, and discarded it.