Portrait of Catherine II, F. S. Rokotov
Catherine II ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. She was born on April 21 (May 2 according to the new calendar), 1729 in Prussia in the city of Stettin (currently it is called Szczecin and is part of Poland).
At birth, she was called Sophia Frederick August of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her father was Prince Christian-August of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the service of the King of Prussia. And his mother, Johanna Elizabeth, was a cousin of Peter III.
Sophia was homeschooled and taught dance, foreign languages, history, geography, theology, etc. From childhood, she was distinguished by perseverance, curiosity, independence and loved mobile and active games. Catherine from an early age was distinguished by a strong character.
In 1744, Elizaveta Petrovna invited Sophia and her mother to Russia. Sophia immediately began to diligently study the language, traditions and customs of her new homeland. She even worked at night. On June 28, Sophia converted to Christianity and received a new name - Ekaterina Alekseevna.
From the very beginning, the marriage of Catherine and Peter was not successful. At first, he was not at all interested in his wife, he even declared that he had another. Catherine, on the other hand, continued to actively engage in self-education: she studied the works of French enlighteners, jurisprudence, economics and history. Obviously, all this significantly influenced Catherine's worldview and her policy: she was a supporter of the ideas of the Enlightenment. She also paid great attention to the study of the traditions and customs of the Russian people. Catherine's pastimes were hunting, dancing and horseback riding.
The lack of relations between the spouses led to the fact that Catherine had lovers. At the beginning of 1750, she began an affair with an officer of the guard, Saltykov S.V. But despite the cold relationship between the spouses and their infidelity, Empress Elizabeth was unhappy with the lack of heirs.
Catherine had two unsuccessful pregnancies, but on September 20, 1754, she gave birth to a son, Pavel. There was an opinion that Saltykov was his real father, but evidence of these rumors was not presented. After the birth of the heir, Empress Elizabeth ordered to immediately take him away, his mother was not allowed to engage in his upbringing. Catherine saw Pavel for the first time only when he was over a month old.
After these events, the relationship between Peter and Catherine finally deteriorated, and he stopped hiding his mistresses. Catherine had a new affair with Stanisław Poniatowski, who later became King of Poland.
December 9, 1757 Anna was born - the second child of Catherine. Peter was dissatisfied, because. suspected that he was not the father. The girl did not live long - only two years.
During this period, the position of Catherine II became rather precarious. It was caused not only by the lack of marital relations, but also by the fact that Catherine corresponded with her close friend, the English ambassador Williams. He repeatedly provided loans to her in return for information relating to political issues. Catherine promised him that in the future she would conclude a friendly alliance between Russia and England.
Elizaveta Petrovna was ill, and Catherine was preparing a plot against her husband so that the throne would go to her, and not to him. Catherine's supporters were Apraksin, Bestuzhev. But Elizabeth found out about this betrayal and arrested them, later Catherine had to look for new allies, which were Orlov G.G., Panin N.I., Dashkova E.R., Razumovsky K.G. etc.
On December 25, 1761, she died, and Peter III ascended the throne. His relationship with his wife worsened even more: he began to live with his mistress Elizaveta Vorontsova, and settled his wife on the other side of the Winter Palace. During these events, Catherine had a love relationship with Grigory Orlov, from whom she gave birth to a son, Alexei Bobrinsky, in 1762. Of course, she had to hide the pregnancy, the birth also took place in secret, because at that moment she hardly saw her husband.
Peter's actions both in foreign and domestic policy caused discontent. He concluded an agreement with Prussia and returned part of the land to her, despite the fact that Russia won a number of battles of the Seven Years' War. In addition, he planned to oppose Denmark together with Prussia. In addition, Peter III was going to abolish church land holdings, making them secular property, and change church rites. In parallel with this, Catherine's supporters persuaded the officers to their side.
Peter's actions led to the fact that they began to consider him unworthy to govern the state, he looked ignorant, not respecting traditions, Catherine, who planned to stage a coup, looked favorably against his background.
On June 28, 1762, Catherine arrived in St. Petersburg, where the Izmailovsky regiments swore allegiance to her. At this time, Peter III was in Oranienbaum. Upon learning of the coup, he proposed negotiations, which were immediately rejected, so he was forced to abdicate. Catherine II became the head of state. But Peter did not give up trying to return the throne, on July 17, 1762 he died.
Catherine, having become empress, issued a manifesto in which she substantiated the overthrow of Peter because of the conclusion of peace with Prussia and an attempt to carry out church reform. The son of Peter Pavel should become the emperor, but the justification for the transition to power of Catherine was the desire of the entire Russian people.
The reign of Catherine II is called the "golden age" Russian Empire. She knew how to select assistants well and was not afraid to surround herself with bright people; it was during her reign that many famous statesmen and creative people appeared.
In her policy, Catherine acted smoothly, she reformed the Senate, turned church lands into secular property, and made changes to the administrative and judicial spheres.
She believed that it was important to educate the people she managed. It was during the reign of Catherine II that new educational institutions were opened, for the first time special for women, free printing houses were created, the Hermitage and the Public Library were opened. She loved writing, during her life she wrote quite a few comedies, fairy tales, fables and even librettos for operas.
Catherine II was categorically against serfdom, but she did not dare to abolish it, because. she understood that as a result she would lose the support of the nobility, and perhaps another coup would come. In addition, the peasants were not educated and were not yet ready to live freely.
As for foreign policy, Catherine believed, as well as that it was necessary to take an active position and act. First of all, she broke the agreement with Prussia, which Peter III concluded. Catherine II ensured that the Polish throne was occupied by her henchman Stanislav August Poniatowski. Austria and Prussia offered Russia to divide the lands of the Commonwealth, in case of disagreement they threatened war. As a result, after three partitions, Russia received part of Belarus, Lithuanian provinces and Ukrainian lands.
From 1768 to 1792 there were Russian-Turkish wars, the result of which was the expansion of the territory of Russia at the expense of the lands of the Crimea, the North Caucasus and the Black Sea region. Relations with both Sweden and Prussia also normalized.
Catherine's novels with each were short-lived: she lived with them for several years, after which she parted. But she did not disgrace any of them, she awarded everyone with titles, good positions and money. It was under Catherine II that favoritism peaked.
November 17 (November 6 according to the old calendar) Catherine II died. She was buried together with her husband Peter III (his ashes were transferred from the Winter Palace) in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Catherine II was born on April 21, 1729, before the adoption of Orthodoxy, she had the name of Sophia-August-Frederick. By the will of fate, in 1745 Sophia converted to Orthodoxy, and was baptized under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Married with the future emperor of Russia. The relationship between Peter and Catherine somehow did not work out right away. A wall of barriers arose between them because of the banal not understanding each other.
Despite the fact that the spouses did not have a particularly big difference in age, Pyotr Fedorovich was a real child, and Ekaterina Alekseevna wanted a more adult relationship from her husband.
Catherine was quite well educated. Since childhood, she studied various sciences, such as: history, geography, theology and foreign languages. Her level of development was very high, she danced and sang beautifully.
Arriving in, she was immediately imbued with the Russian spirit. Realizing that the emperor's wife must have certain qualities, she sat down at textbooks on Russian history and the Russian language.
From the first days of my stay in Russia, I was imbued with the Russian spirit, and with great love for the new Motherland. Ekaterina Alekseevna quickly mastered new sciences, in addition to language and history, she studied economics and jurisprudence.
Her desire to “become her own” in a completely new, unfamiliar society, made this very society accept her and love her passionately.
As a result of complications in relations with her husband and constant palace intrigues, Ekaterina Alekseevna seriously had to take care of her fate. The situation was stalemate.
Peter III did not have authority in Russian society, and there was no support for those six months of his reign, nothing but irritation and indignation in Russian society.
In connection with the aggravation of relations between the spouses, she seriously risked going to the monastery. The situation forced her to act decisively.
Enlisting the support of the guards, Ekaterina Alekseevna and her supporters carried out a coup d'état. Peter III abdicated the throne, and Catherine II became the new Russian empress. The coronation took place on September 22 (October 3), 1762 in Moscow.
Its policy can be described as successful and thoughtful. During the years of her reign, Ekaterina Alekseevna achieved excellent results. Thanks to a successful domestic and foreign policy, Catherine II managed to achieve a significant increase in the territory and number of people inhabiting it.
During her reign, trade flourished in Russia. The number of industrial enterprises on the territory of the Empire doubled. The enterprises fully provided for the needs of the army and navy. Under her active development of the Urals began, most of the new enterprises were opened here.
Let's briefly go through the legislative acts of Ekaterina Alekseevna in economic matters. In 1763, internal customs duties were abolished.
In 1767, people had the legal right to engage in any urban industry. In the period from 1766 to 1772, duties on the export of wheat abroad were abolished, which led to an increase in the development of agriculture and the development of new lands. In 1775, the Empress abolished taxes on small-scale trade.
The nobles received the right to exile their peasants to Siberia. Also, now the peasants could not complain about their master. The decrease in the personal freedoms of the peasants was one of the reasons for the uprising that took place from 1773 to 1775.
In 1775 Catherine IIinitiated public administration reform. According to the new law, the territorial and administrative division of Russia took the following form: the Empire was divided into provinces, those in turn into counties, and instead of 23 provinces, 50 were created.
The provinces were formed in terms of the convenience of taxation, and not geographical or national features. The province was governed by a governor appointed by the monarch. Some large provinces were subject to the governor-general, who had a wider scope of power.
The governor headed the provincial government. The functions of the board were: the announcement and explanation of the laws to the population. As well as the transfer to justice of violators of laws. The power in the lower echelons of the county was under the jurisdiction of the local nobility, an assembly where people were chosen who would occupy important posts in the field.
The foreign policy of Catherine II was aggressive. The empress believed that Russia should behave as during the time of Peter I, conquer new territories, legitimize its rights to access to the seas. Russia took part in the division of Poland, as well as in the Russo-Turkish wars. Successes in them made the Russian Empire one of the most influential states in Europe.
Ekaterina Alekseevna died in 1796, on November 6 (17). The years of the reign of Catherine II 1762 - 1796
Needless to say, Catherine II is one of the most recognizable characters in Russian history. Her personality is definitely interesting. Ask any layman who he considers the most successful Russian ruler? I am sure that in response you will hear the name of Catherine II. She was in fact a worthy ruler, with her the Russian theater, Russian literature, and science were actively developing.
In cultural and historical terms, the Russian Empire really gained a lot. Unfortunately, the personal life of the Empress is full of various rumors and gossip. Some of them are probably true, and some are not. It is a pity that Catherine II, being a great historical figure, to put it mildly, is not a model of morality.
Years of government: 1762-1796
1. For the first time since Peter I reformed the public administration system. Culturally Russia finally became one of the great European powers. Catherine patronized various areas art: under her, the Hermitage and the Public Library appeared in St. Petersburg.
2. Carried out administrative reform, which determined the territorial structure of the country up to before 1917. Formed 29 new provinces and built about 144 cities.
3. Increased the territory of the state by annexing the southern lands - Crimea, the Black Sea region and the eastern part of the Commonwealth. In terms of population, Russia became the largest European country: it accounted for 20% of the population of Europe
4. Brought Russia to the first place in the world in iron smelting. By the end of the 18th century, there were 1200 large enterprises in the country (in 1767 there were only 663 of them).
5. Strengthened the role of Russia in the global economy: the volume of exports increased from 13.9 million rubles in 1760 to 39.6 million rubles in 1790. Sail cloth, cast iron, iron, and also bread were exported in large quantities. The volume of timber exports increased fivefold.
6. Under Catherine II of Russia Academy of Sciences has become one of the leading scientific bases in Europe. The empress paid special attention to the development of women's education: in 1764, the first educational institutions for girls in Russia were opened - the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens and the Educational Society for Noble Maidens.
7. Organized new credit institutions - a state bank and a loan office, and also expanded the range of banking operations (since 1770, banks began to accept deposits for storage) and for the first time launched the issuance paper money- Banknotes.
8. Gave the character of state measures to the fight against epidemics. Having introduced compulsory smallpox vaccination, she decided to set a personal example for her subjects: in 1768, the empress herself was vaccinated against smallpox.
9. She supported Buddhism, in 1764 establishing the post of Khambo Lama - the head of the Buddhists of Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia. The Buryat lamas recognized Catherine II as the incarnation of the main goddess of White Tara and since then swore allegiance to all Russian rulers.
10 Belonged to those few monarchs who intensively communicated with subjects by drawing up manifestos, instructions and laws. She had the talent of a writer, leaving behind a large collection of works: notes, translations, fables, fairy tales, comedies and essays.
Catherine the Great is one of the most extraordinary women in world history. Her life is a rare example of self-education through deep education and strict discipline.
The epithet "Great" Empress rightfully deserved: she, a German and a foreigner, the Russian people called her "native mother." And historians almost unanimously decided that if Peter I wanted to instill everything German in Russia, then the German Catherine dreamed of reviving precisely Russian traditions. And in many ways it has been very successful.
The long reign of Catherine is the only period of transformation in Russian history, about which one cannot say “they cut down the forest, the chips fly”. The population of the country doubled, while there was practically no censorship, torture was prohibited, elected bodies of estate self-government were created ... The “firm hand”, which the Russian people allegedly needed so much, was completely useless this time.
The future Empress Catherine II Alekseevna, born Sophia Frederick Augusta, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, was born on April 21, 1729 in the unknown Stettin (Prussia). Father - unremarkable Prince Christian-August - thanks to devotion to the Prussian king, he made a good career: regiment commander, commandant of Stettin, governor. Constantly employed in the service, he became for Sofia an example of conscientious service in the public arena.
Sophia was educated at home: she studied German and French, dance, music, the basics of history, geography, and theology. Her independent character and perseverance manifested itself already in early childhood. In 1744, together with her mother, she was summoned to Russia by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Here, before that, a Lutheran, she was accepted into Orthodoxy under the name Catherine (this name, like the patronymic Alekseevna, was given to her in honor of Elizabeth's mother, Catherine I) and named the bride of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (future Emperor Peter III), with whom the princess married in 1745.
Catherine set herself the goal of winning the favor of the Empress, her husband and the Russian people. From the very beginning, her personal life was unsuccessful, but grand duchess she reasoned that she always liked the Russian crown more than her fiancé, and turned to reading works on history, jurisprudence and economics. She was absorbed in studying the works of French encyclopedists and already at that time intellectually outgrew everyone around her head.
Catherine really became a patriot of her new homeland: she scrupulously observed the rites of the Orthodox Church, tried to return the Russian national costume to the everyday life of the court, diligently studied the Russian language. She even studied at night and one day became dangerously ill from overwork. The Grand Duchess wrote: “Those who succeeded in Russia could be sure of success throughout Europe. Nowhere, as in Russia, are there such masters of noticing the weaknesses or shortcomings of a foreigner; you can be sure that nothing will be let him down.
Communication between the Grand Duke and the princess demonstrated the cardinal difference between their characters: the infantilism of Peter was opposed by the active, purposeful and ambitious nature of Catherine. She began to fear for her fate if her husband came to power and began to recruit supporters for herself at court. Catherine's ostentatious piety, prudence and sincere love for Russia contrasted sharply with Peter's behavior, which allowed her to gain authority both among high society and among the simple population of St. Petersburg.
Having ascended the throne after the death of his mother, Emperor Peter III managed to turn the nobility against himself to such an extent during the six months of his reign that he himself opened the way to power for his wife. As soon as he ascended the throne, he concluded an unfavorable treaty with Prussia for Russia, announced the arrest of the property of the Russian Church and the abolition of monastic land ownership. Supporters of the coup accused Peter III of ignorance, dementia and complete inability to govern the state. A well-read, pious and benevolent wife looked favorably against his background.
When Catherine's relationship with her husband became hostile, the twenty-year-old Grand Duchess decided to "die or reign." Having carefully prepared a plot, she secretly arrived in St. Petersburg and was proclaimed autocratic empress in the barracks of the Izmailovsky regiment. Soldiers from other regiments joined the rebels, unquestioningly swearing allegiance to her. The news of Catherine's accession to the throne quickly spread throughout the city and was greeted with enthusiasm by the people of St. Petersburg. Over 14,000 people surrounded the palace, welcoming the new ruler.
The foreigner Catherine did not have any rights to power, but the “revolution” she committed was presented as a national liberation one. She correctly captured the critical moment in her husband's behavior - his contempt for the country and Orthodoxy. As a result, the grandson of Peter the Great was considered more German than the purebred German Catherine. And this is the result of her own efforts: in the eyes of society, she managed to change her national identity and received the right to “liberate the fatherland” from a foreign yoke.
M. V. Lomonosov about Catherine the Great: “A woman is on the throne - a chamber of mind.”
Upon learning of what had happened, Peter began to send proposals for negotiations, but they were all rejected. Catherine herself, at the head of the guards regiments, came out to meet him and on the way received a written abdication of the emperor from the throne. The long 34-year reign of Catherine II began with a solemn coronation in Moscow on September 22, 1762. In fact, she made a double capture: she took away power from her husband and did not transfer it to her natural heir - her son.
Catherine came to the throne, having a certain political program based on the ideas of the Enlightenment and at the same time taking into account the peculiarities historical development Russia. Already in the first years of her reign, the empress carried out a reform of the Senate, which made the work of this institution more efficient, and carried out the secularization of church lands, which replenished the state treasury. At the same time, a number of new educational institutions were founded, including the first educational institutions for women in Russia.
Catherine II was an excellent connoisseur of people, she skillfully selected her assistants, not being afraid of bright and talented personalities. That is why her time is marked by the appearance of a galaxy of prominent statesmen, generals, writers, artists and musicians. During this period, there were no noisy resignations, none of the nobles fell into disgrace - that is why the reign of Catherine is called the "golden age" of the Russian nobility. At the same time, the empress was very vain and valued her power more than anything else. For her sake, she was ready to make any compromises to the detriment of her convictions.
Catherine was distinguished by ostentatious piety, she considered herself the head and defender of the Russian Orthodox Church and skillfully used religion for political interests.
After the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 and the suppression of the uprising led by Yemelyan Pugachev, the empress independently developed key legislative acts. The most important of them were letters of grant to the nobility and cities. Their main significance is associated with the implementation of the strategic goal of Catherine's reforms - the creation in Russia of full-fledged estates of the Western European type.
Catherine was the first Russian monarch who saw in people individuals with their own opinions, character and emotions. She willingly acknowledged their right to make mistakes. From the distant skies of autocracy, Catherine saw a man below and turned him into a measure of her policy - an incredible somersault for Russian despotism. The philanthropy that she made fashionable would later become the main feature of the high culture of the 19th century.
Catherine demanded naturalness from her subjects, and therefore easily, with a smile and self-irony, eliminated any hierarchy. It is known that she, being greedy for flattery, calmly accepted criticism. For example, her secretary of state and the first major Russian poet Derzhavin often argued with the empress on administrative issues. Once their discussion became so heated that the empress invited another of her secretaries: “Sit here, Vasily Stepanovich. This gentleman, it seems to me, wants to kill me. His sharpness had no consequences for Derzhavin.
One of his contemporaries figuratively described the essence of Catherine's reign as follows: "Peter the Great created people in Russia, but Catherine II put her soul into them"
I can’t even believe that two Russian-Turkish wars, the annexation of Crimea and the creation of Novorossia, the construction of the Black Sea Fleet, the three partitions of Poland, which brought Russia Belarus, Western Ukraine, Lithuania and Courland, the war with Persia, the annexation of Georgia and the conquest of the future Azerbaijan , the suppression of the Pugachev rebellion, the war with Sweden, as well as numerous laws on which Catherine worked personally. In total, she issued 5798 acts, that is, an average of 12 laws per month. Her pedantry and diligence are described in detail by contemporaries.
Longer than Catherine II in Russian history, only Ivan III (43 years) and Ivan IV the Terrible (37 years) ruled. More than three decades of her reign is almost equal to half the Soviet period, and it is impossible to ignore this circumstance. Therefore, Catherine always occupied in the mass historical consciousness special place. However, the attitude towards her was ambiguous: German blood, the murder of her husband, numerous novels, Voltairianism - all this prevented selflessly admiring the empress.
Catherine was the first Russian monarch who saw in people individuals with their own opinions, character and emotions. From the distant skies of autocracy, she saw a man below and turned him into a measure of her policy - an incredible somersault for Russian despotism
Soviet historiography added class cuffs to Catherine: she became a "cruel serf-owner" and a despot. It got to the point that only Peter was allowed to remain the “Great”, she was emphatically called the “Second”. The undoubted victories of the empress, which brought Russia Crimea, Novorossia, Poland and part of the Transcaucasus, were largely usurped by her military leaders, who, in the struggle for national interests, supposedly heroically overcame the intrigues of the court.
However, the fact that in the mass consciousness the personal life of the empress overshadowed her political activities testifies to the search for psychological compensation by the descendants. After all, Catherine violated one of the oldest social hierarchies - the superiority of men over women. Her stunning successes, and especially the military ones, caused bewilderment, bordering on irritation, and needed some kind of “but”. Catherine gave cause for anger already by the fact that, contrary to the existing order, she herself chose men for herself. The Empress refused to take for granted not only her nationality: she also tried to overcome the boundaries of her own gender, capturing typically male territory.
Throughout her life, Catherine learned to cope with her feelings and passionate temperament. A long life in a foreign land taught her not to succumb to circumstances, to always remain calm and consistent in her actions. Later, in her memoirs, the empress writes: “I came to Russia, a country completely unknown to me, not knowing what was ahead. Everyone looked at me with annoyance and even contempt: the daughter of a Prussian major general is going to be the Russian empress! Nevertheless, Catherine's main goal has always been the love of Russia, which, according to her own admission, "is not a country, but the Universe."
The ability to plan a day, not to deviate from what was planned, not to succumb to the blues or laziness, and at the same time to treat one's body rationally could be attributed to German upbringing. However, it seems that the reason for this behavior is deeper: Catherine subordinated her life to the most important task - to justify her own stay on the throne. Klyuchevsky noted that approval meant for Catherine the same thing as "applause for a debutant." The desire for glory was a way for the empress to actually prove to the world the goodness of her intentions. Such life motivation, of course, turned her into self-made.
The fact that in the mass consciousness the personal life of the empress obscured her political activity testifies to the search for psychological compensation by the descendants. After all, Catherine violated one of the oldest social hierarchies - the superiority of men over women.
For the sake of the goal - to rule the country - Catherine without regrets overcame a lot of givens: both her German origin, and confessional affiliation, and the notorious weakness of the female sex, and the monarchical principle of inheritance, which they dared to remind her of almost to her face. In a word, Catherine decisively went beyond the limits of those constants in which her environment tried to put, and with all her successes she proved that "happiness is not as blind as it is imagined."
The craving for knowledge and the increase of experience did not kill the woman in her, in addition, until the last years, Catherine continued to behave actively and energetically. Even in her youth, the future empress wrote in her diary: "It is necessary to create yourself, your character." She brilliantly coped with this task, putting knowledge, determination and self-control at the basis of her life trajectory. She was often compared and continues to be compared with Peter I, but if he, in order to "Europeanize" the country, made violent changes to the Russian way of life, then she meekly finished what her idol had begun. One of his contemporaries figuratively described the essence of Catherine's reign as follows: "Peter the Great created people in Russia, but Catherine II put her soul into them."
text Marina Kvash
Source tmnWoman #2/4 | autumn | 2014
Upon closer inspection, the biography of Catherine II the Great is replete with large quantity events that significantly influenced the Empress of the Russian Empire.
Family tree of the Romanovs
Family ties Peter III and Catherine II
The hometown of Catherine the Great is Stettin (now Szczecin in Poland), which was then the capital city of Pomerania. On May 2, 1729, a girl was born in the castle of the above-mentioned city, named at birth Sophia Frederick August of Anhalt-Zerbst.
The mother was the great-aunt of Peter III (who was at that time just a boy) Johanna Elizabeth, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp. The father was the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst - Christian August, the former governor of Stettin. Thus, the future empress was of very noble blood, although not from a royally wealthy family.
Francis Boucher - Young Catherine the Great
Being educated at home, Frederica, in addition to her native German, studied Italian, English and French. The basics of geography and theology, music and dancing - the corresponding education of the nobility coexisted with very active children's games. The girl was interested in everything that was happening around, and despite some dissatisfaction of her parents, she took part in games with the boys on the streets of her native city.
When she first saw her future husband in 1739, at Eitin Castle, Frederica did not yet know about the upcoming invitation to Russia. In 1744, at the age of fifteen, she traveled with her mother through Riga to Russia at the invitation of Empress Elizabeth. Immediately after her arrival, she began an active study of the language, traditions, history and religion of her new homeland. The most prominent teachers of the princess were Vasily Adadurov, who taught the language, Simon Todorsky, who taught Orthodoxy with Frederica, and choreographer Lange.
On July 9, Sophia Federica Augusta was officially baptized and converted to Orthodoxy, named Ekaterina Alekseevna - it is this name that she will later glorify.
Despite the intrigues of her mother, through which the Prussian King Frederick II tried to remove Chancellor Bestuzhev and increase his influence on the foreign policy of the Russian Empire, Catherine did not fall into disgrace and on September 1, 1745, she was married to Peter Fedorovich, who was her second cousin.
Wedding on the reign of Catherine II. September 22, 1762. Confirmation. Engraving by A.Ya. Kolpashnikov. Last quarter 18th century
In view of the categorical inattention on the part of the young spouse, who was exclusively interested in military art and drill, the future empress devoted her time to the study of literature, art and science. At the same time, along with the study of the works of Voltaire, Montesquieu and other enlighteners, the biography of her young years is filled with hunting, various balls and masquerades.
Absence intimacy with a legitimate spouse could not but affect the appearance of lovers, while Empress Elizabeth was not happy with the lack of heirs-grandchildren.
Having suffered two unsuccessful pregnancies, Catherine gave birth to Pavel, who, by personal decree of Elizabeth, was excommunicated from his mother and brought up separately. According to an unconfirmed theory, Pavel's father was S.V. Saltykov, who was sent from the capital immediately after the birth of the child. In favor of this statement, one can attribute the fact that after the birth of his son, Peter III finally ceased to be interested in his wife and did not hesitate to start favorites.
S. Saltykov
Stanislav August Poniatowski
However, Catherine herself was not inferior to her husband and, thanks to the efforts of the English ambassador Williams, entered into a relationship with Stanislav Poniatowski, the future king of Poland (thanks to the patronage of Catherine II herself). According to some historians, it was from Poniatowski that Anna was born, whose own paternity Peter questioned.
Williams, for some time, was a friend and confidant of Catherine, gave her loans, manipulated and received confidential information regarding Russia's foreign policy plans and the actions of its military units during the seven-year war with Prussia.
The first plans to overthrow her husband, the future Catherine the Great, began to hatch and voice as early as 1756, in letters to Williams. Seeing the morbid state of Empress Elizabeth, and no doubt about Peter's own incompetence, Chancellor Bestuzhev promised to support Catherine. In addition, Catherine attracted English loans to bribe supporters.
In 1758, Elizabeth began to suspect Apraksin, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Empire, and Chancellor Bestuzhev of conspiracy. The latter managed to avoid disgrace in time by destroying all correspondence with Catherine. The former favorites, including Williams, recalled to England, were removed from Catherine and she was forced to look for new supporters - they were Dashkova and the Orlov brothers.
British Ambassador C, Williams
Brothers Alexey and Grigory Orlov
On January 5, 1761, Empress Elizabeth died and Peter III ascended the throne by right of succession. The next round in the biography of Catherine began. The new emperor sent his wife to the other end of the Winter Palace, replacing her with his mistress Elizaveta Vorontsova. In 1762, Catherine's carefully hidden pregnancy from Count Grigory Orlov, with whom she began a relationship back in 1760, could in no way be explained by relations with her lawful spouse.
For this reason, to divert attention, on April 22, 1762, one of Catherine's devoted servants set fire to his own house - Peter III, who loved such spectacles, left the palace and Catherine calmly gave birth to Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky.
From the very beginning of his reign, Peter III caused dissatisfaction among his subordinates - an alliance with Prussia, which was defeated in the Seven Years' War, an aggravation of relations with Denmark. secularization of church lands and plans to change religious practices.
Taking advantage of her husband's unpopularity among the military, Catherine's supporters began to actively agitate the guard units to go over to the side of the future empress in the event of a coup.
The early morning of July 9, 1762 was the beginning of the overthrow of Peter III. Ekaterina Alekseevna arrived in St. Petersburg from Peterhof, accompanied by the Orlov brothers, and taking advantage of her husband's absence, took the oath first of the guards units, and then of other regiments.
Oath of the Izmailovsky Regiment to Catherine II. Unknown artist. Late 18th - first third of the 19th century
Moving along with the adjoining troops, the empress received from Peter at first a proposal for negotiations, and why the abdication of the throne.
After the conclusion, the biography of the ex-emperor was as sad as it was vague. The arrested husband died while under arrest in Ropsha, and the circumstances of his death have not been fully clarified. According to a number of sources, he was either poisoned or died suddenly from an unknown disease.
Having ascended the throne, Catherine the Great issued a manifesto accusing Peter III of trying to change religion and make peace with hostile Prussia.
In foreign policy, the foundation was laid for the creation of the so-called Northern System, which consisted in the fact that the northern non-Catholic states: Russia, Prussia, England, Sweden, Denmark and Saxony, plus Catholic Poland, united against Austria and France. The first step towards the implementation of the project was considered the conclusion of an agreement with Prussia. Secret articles were attached to the treaty, according to which both allies were obliged to act together in Sweden and Poland in order to prevent their strengthening.
King of Prussia - Frederick II the Great
The course of affairs in Poland was of particular concern to Catherine and Friedrich. They agreed to prevent changes in the Polish constitution, to prevent and destroy all intentions that could lead to this, even resorting to weapons. In a separate article, the allies agreed to patronize Polish dissidents (that is, the non-Catholic minority - Orthodox and Protestants) and persuade the Polish king to equalize their rights with Catholics.
The former King August III died in 1763. Friedrich and Catherine asked challenging task put his protege on the Polish throne. The Empress wanted it to be her former lover, Count Poniatowski. In achieving this, she did not stop either at bribing the deputies of the Sejm, or at the introduction of Russian troops into Poland.
The entire first half of the year was spent in active propaganda of the Russian protege. On August 26, Poniatowski was elected king of Poland. Catherine was very happy about this success and, without delay, ordered Poniatowski to raise the issue of the rights of dissidents, despite the fact that everyone who knew the state of affairs in Poland pointed out the great difficulty and almost impossibility of achieving this goal. Poniatowski wrote to his ambassador in St. Petersburg, Rzhevuski:
“The orders given to Repnin (the Russian ambassador in Warsaw) to bring dissidents into the legislative activity of the republic are thunderbolts both for the country and for me personally. If there is any human possibility, inspire the empress that the crown that she delivered to me will become for me the clothes of Nessus: I will burn in it and my end will be terrible. I clearly foresee the terrible choice ahead of me if the empress insists on her orders: either I will have to refuse her friendship, so dear to my heart and so necessary for my reign and for my state, or I will have to be a traitor to my fatherland.
Russian diplomat N. V. Repnin
Even Repnin was horrified by Catherine's intentions:
“The orders given” on the dissident case are terrible, he wrote to Panin, “truly my hair stands on end when I think about it, having almost no hope, except for the only strength, to fulfill the will of the most merciful empress regarding civil dissident advantages” .
But Catherine was not horrified and ordered Poniatowski to answer that she absolutely did not understand how dissidents admitted to legislative activity would, as a result, be more hostile to the Polish state and government than they are now; cannot understand how the king considers himself a traitor to the fatherland for what justice requires, which will be his glory and the solid good of the state.
“If the king looks at this matter in this way,” Catherine concluded, “then I remain eternal and sensitive regret that I could be deceived in the friendship of the king, in the image of his thoughts and feelings.”
Since the empress so unequivocally expressed her desire, Repnin in Warsaw was forced to act with all possible firmness. By intrigues, bribery and threats, the introduction of Russian troops into the suburbs of Warsaw and the arrest of the most stubborn opponents, Repnin achieved his goal on February 9, 1768. The Sejm agreed with the freedom of religion for dissidents and their political equalization with the Catholic nobility.
It seemed that the goal was achieved, but in reality it was only the beginning of a big war. The dissident “equation set fire to all of Poland. The Sejm, which approved the treaty on February 13, had barely dispersed, when in Bar the lawyer Puławski raised the confederation against him. With his light hand, anti-dissident confederations began to flare up all over Poland.
The answer of the Orthodox to the Bar Confederation was the Haydamak revolt of 1768, in which, together with the Haydamaks (Russian fugitives who had gone to the steppes), the Cossacks led by Zheleznyak And the serfs with the centurion Gonta rose up. At the height of the uprising, one of the Haidamak detachments crossed the border river Kolyma and plundered the Tatar town of Galta. As soon as this became known in Istanbul, a 20,000-strong Turkish corps was moved to the borders. On September 25, the Russian ambassador Obrezkov was arrested, diplomatic relations were severed - the Russian-Turkish war. Such an unexpected turn was given by the dissident case.
Having suddenly received two wars in her hands, Catherine was not at all embarrassed. On the contrary, threats from the west and south only added to her enthusiasm. She wrote to Count Chernyshev:
“The Turks and the French took it into their heads to wake up the cat who was sleeping; I am this cat who promises to make himself known to them, so that the memory does not soon disappear. I find that we freed ourselves from a great burden that crushes the imagination when we got rid of the peace treaty ... Now I am free, I can do everything that my means allow me, and Russia, you know, has not small means ... and now we will set the bell, what did not expect, and now the Turks will be beaten.
The inspiration of the Empress was transferred to her surroundings. Already at the first meeting of the Council on November 4, it was decided to wage a war not defensive, but offensive, and above all to try to raise up the Christians oppressed by Turkey. To this end, on November 12, Grigory Orlov proposed sending an expedition to the Mediterranean in order to promote the Greek uprising.
Catherine liked this plan, and she energetically set about implementing it. On November 16, she wrote to Chernyshev:
"I so tickled our marines by their craft that they became firemen."
And a few days later:
“I have a fleet in excellent care today, and I will truly use it in this way, if God commands, as it has not yet been ...”
Prince A. M. Golitsyn
Hostilities began in 1769. The army of General Golitsyn crossed the Dnieper and took Khotyn. But Catherine was dissatisfied with his slowness and transferred the supreme command to Rumyantsev, who soon took possession of Moldavia and Wallachia, as well as the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov with Azov and Taganrog. Catherine ordered to fortify these cities and start building a flotilla.
She developed amazing energy this year, worked like a real chief of the general staff, entered into the details of military preparations, drew up plans and instructions. In April, Catherine wrote to Chernyshev:
“I set fire to the Turkish empire from four corners; I don’t know if it will catch fire and burn, but I know that since the beginning they have not yet been used against their great troubles and worries ... We have boiled a lot of porridge, it will be delicious for someone. I have an army in the Kuban, armies against the brainless Poles, ready to fight with the Swedes, and three more inpetto turmoil, which I don’t dare to show ... "
In fact, there were many troubles and worries. In July 1769, a squadron finally sailed from Kronstadt under the command of Spiridov. From 15 large and small ships of the squadron to mediterranean sea only got eight.
With these forces, Alexei Orlov, who was treated in Italy and asked to be the leader of the uprising of Turkish Christians, raised the Morea, but could not give the rebels a solid combat device, and, having failed at the approaching Turkish army, left the Greeks to their fate, annoyed by the fact that he did not find in them Themistocles. Catherine approved of all his actions.
Connecting with another Elphingston squadron that had approached meanwhile, Orlov chased the Turkish fleet and in the Chios Strait near the fortress of Chesme overtook the armada by the number of ships more than twice as strong as the Russian fleet. After a four-hour battle, the Turks took refuge in the Chesme Bay (June 24, 1770). A day later, on a moonlit night, the Russians launched fireships, and by morning the Turkish fleet crowded in the bay was burned (June 26).
Amazing naval victories in the Archipelago were followed by similar land victories in Bessarabia. Ekaterina wrote to Rumyantsev:
“I hope for God's help and your art in military affairs, that you will not leave this in the best way to satisfy and carry out such deeds that will gain you glory and prove how great your zeal for the fatherland and for me. The Romans did not ask when, where were their two or three legions, how many were the enemy against them, but where is he; they attacked and struck him, and not by the multitude of their troops did they defeat the diverse against their crowd ... "
Inspired by this letter, Rumyantsev in July 1770 twice defeated the many times superior Turkish armies at Larga and Cahul. At the same time, an important fortress on the Dniester, Bendery, was taken. In 1771, General Dolgorukov broke through Perekop to the Crimea and captured the fortresses of Kafa, Kerch and Yenikale. Khan Selim Giray fled to Turkey. The new Khan Sahib-Giray hastened to make peace with the Russians. At this, active actions ended and lengthy peace negotiations began, again returning Catherine to Polish affairs.
Storm Bender
Russia's military successes aroused envy and fear in neighboring countries, primarily in Austria and Prussia. Misunderstandings with Austria reached the point where they started talking loudly about the possibility of war with her. Friedrich strongly inspired the Russian Empress that Russia's desire to annex the Crimea and Moldova could lead to a new European war, since Austria would never agree to this. It is much more reasonable to take part of the Polish possessions as compensation. He directly wrote to his ambassador Solms that it makes no difference to Russia where she gets the reward to which she is entitled for military losses, and since the war started solely because of Poland, Russia has the right to take a reward from the border regions of this republic. At the same time, Austria should have received its part - this will moderate its hostility. The king, too, cannot do without acquiring a part of Poland for himself. This will serve as a reward for the subsidies and other expenses he incurred during the war.
Petersburg liked the idea of partitioning Poland. On July 25, 1772, an agreement between the three powers-shareholders followed, according to which Austria received all of Galicia, Prussia - western Prussia, and Russia - Belarus. Having settled the contradictions with the European neighbors at the expense of Poland, Catherine could start the Turkish negotiations.
At the beginning of 1772, through the mediation of the Austrians, they agreed to start a peace congress with the Turks in Focsani in June. Count Grigory Orlov and the former Russian ambassador in Istanbul, Obrezkov, were appointed representatives from the Russian side.
It seemed that nothing foreshadowed the end of the 11-year relationship between the empress and the favorite, and meanwhile Orlov's star had already set. True, before breaking up with him, Catherine suffered from her lover as much as a rare woman is able to endure from her lawful husband
Already in 1765, seven years before the final break between them, Beranger reported from Petersburg:
» This Russian openly violates the laws of love towards the Empress. He has mistresses in the city, who not only do not incur the wrath of the empress for their compliance with Orlov, but, on the contrary, enjoy her patronage. Senator Muraviev, who found his wife with him, almost made a scandal, demanding a divorce; but the queen pacified him by giving him lands in Livonia.
A. S. Vasilchakov
Horse guards cornet Vasilchikov, accidentally sent with a small detachment to Tsarskoe Selo to carry guards, attracted the attention of his empress, completely unexpectedly for everyone, because there was nothing special in his appearance, and he himself never tried to advance and is very little known in society. . When the royal court moved from Tsarskoe Selo to Peterhof, Her Majesty for the first time showed him a sign of her disposition, giving him a golden snuffbox for the proper maintenance of the guards.
No significance was attached to this occasion, however, Vasilchikov's frequent visits to Peterhof, the care with which she hastened to distinguish him from others, her calmer and more cheerful disposition since Orlov's departure, the displeasure of the latter's relatives and friends, and finally many other minor circumstances opened the eyes of the courtiers .
Although everything is still kept secret, none of those close to him doubt that Vasilchikov is already in full favor with the Empress; they were especially convinced of this from the day when he was granted by the chamber junker .. "
Meanwhile, Orlov encountered insurmountable obstacles to peace in Focsani. The Turks did not want to recognize the independence of the Tatars. On August 18, Orlov broke off negotiations and left for Iasi, the headquarters of the Russian army. Here he was caught by the news of the dramatic change that followed in his life. Orlov abandoned everything and rushed to Petersburg on post horses, hoping to regain his former rights. A hundred miles from the capital, he was stopped by the order of the empress: Orlov was ordered to go to his estates and not leave there until the quarantine expired (he was traveling from the territory where the plague was raging). Although the favorite did not immediately have to reconcile, at the beginning of 1773 he nevertheless arrived in St. Petersburg and was sympathetically received by the empress, but there could no longer be any talk of previous relations.
“I owe a lot to the Orlov family,” said Ekaterina, “I showered them with riches and honors; and I will always patronize them, and they can be useful to me; but my decision is unchanged: I endured eleven years; now I want to live as I please, and quite independently. As for the prince, he can do whatever he pleases: he is free to travel or stay in the empire, drink, hunt, take his mistresses ... He will behave well, honor and glory to him, they will behave badly - he is ashamed ... "
***
The years 1773 and 1774 were restless for Catherine: the Poles continued to resist, the Turks did not want to make peace. The war, exhausting the state budget, continued, and meanwhile a new threat arose in the Urals. In September, Yemelyan Pugachev raised an uprising. In October, the rebels gathered strength for the siege of Orenburg, and the nobles around the empress openly panicked.
Catherine's heart affairs also did not go well. Later, she confessed to Potemkin, referring to her relationship with Vasilchikov:
“I was more sad than I can say, and never more than when other people are happy, and all sorts of caresses forced tears in me, so I think that from my birth I did not cry as much as these one and a half years; at first I thought that I would get used to it, but what happened next, it got worse, because on the other side (that is, from Vasilchikov’s side) they began to sulk for three months, and I must admit that I have never been happier than when I get angry and leave me alone, and His caress made me cry.
It is known that in her favorites, Catherine was looking for not only lovers, but also assistants in the matter of government. In the end, she succeeded in making good statesmen out of the Orlovs. Less fortunate with Vasilchikov. However, another contender remained in the reserve, which Catherine had long liked - Grigory Potemkin. Ekaterina knew and celebrated him for 12 years. In 1762, Potemkin served as a sergeant-major in a horse guard regiment and took an active part in the coup. In the list of awards after the events of June 28, he was assigned the rank of cornet. Ekaterina crossed out this line and wrote "captain-lieutenant" in her own hand.
In 1773 he was granted the rank of lieutenant general. In June of this year, Potemkin was in battle under the walls of Silistria. But a few months later, he suddenly asked for leave and quickly, hastily left the army. The reason for this was the event that decided his life: he received the following letter from Catherine:
"Mr Lieutenant General! You, I imagine, are so busy looking at Silistria that you have no time to read letters. I do not know whether the bombardment has hitherto been successful, but, in spite of this, I am sure that - whatever you personally undertake - no other goal can be prescribed than your ardent zeal for the benefit of me personally and dear homeland, whom you lovingly serve. But, on the other hand, since I wish to preserve diligent, brave, intelligent and efficient people, I ask you not to be in danger unnecessarily. After reading this letter, you may ask why it was written; I can answer this for you: so that you have confidence in how I think of you, just as I wish you well.
In January 1774, Potemkin was in St. Petersburg, waited another six weeks, testing the ground, strengthening his chances, and on February 27 he wrote a letter to the Empress, in which he asked graciously to appoint him adjutant general, "if she considered his services worthy." Three days later he received a favorable answer, and on March 20 Vasilchikov was sent an imperial command to go to Moscow. He retired, making way for Potemkin, who was destined to become Catherine's most famous and powerful favorite. In a matter of months, he made a dizzying career.
In May he was introduced to the Council, in June he was granted the title of count, in October he was promoted to general-in-chief, and in November he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. All of Catherine's friends were perplexed and found the choice of the empress strange, extravagant, even tasteless, for Potemkin was ugly, crooked in one eye, bow-legged, harsh and even rude. Grimm could not hide his astonishment.
"Why? Catherine answered him. “I bet because I distanced myself from some excellent, but too boring gentleman, who was immediately replaced, myself, really, I don’t know how, one of the greatest fun, the most interesting eccentric that can be found in our iron age.”
She was very pleased with her new acquisition.
“Oh, what a head this man has,” she said, “and this good head is funny as the devil.”
Several months passed, and Potemkin became a real ruler, an omnipotent man, before whom all rivals humbled themselves and all heads bowed, starting with the head of Catherine. His accession to the Council was tantamount to becoming the first minister. He directs domestic and foreign policy and forces Chernyshev to give him the position of chairman of the military collegium.
On July 10, 1774, negotiations with Turkey ended with the signing of the Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace treaty, according to which:
The joy of the empress was great - no one expected such a favorable peace. But at the same time more and more disturbing news came from the east. Pugachev has already been defeated twice. He fled, but his flight seemed like an invasion. Never was the success of the uprising more significant than in the summer of 1774, never had the rebellion raged with such power and cruelty.
The indignation spread like wildfire from one village to another, from province to province. This sad news made a deep impression in St. Petersburg and overshadowed the victorious mood after the end of the Turkish war. Only in August Pugachev was finally defeated and captured. On January 10, 1775 he was executed in Moscow.
As for Polish affairs, on February 16, 1775, the Sejm finally passed a law on the equalization of dissidents in political rights with Catholics. Thus, despite all the obstacles, Catherine brought this difficult task to the end and successfully completed three bloody wars - two external and one internal.
The execution of Yemelyan Pugachev
***
The Pugachev uprising revealed the serious shortcomings of the existing regional administration: firstly, the former provinces represented too extensive administrative districts, secondly, these districts were provided with too few institutions with meager personnel, and thirdly, various departments were mixed in this administration: one and the same department was in charge of administrative affairs, and finances, and the criminal and civil courts. In order to eliminate these shortcomings in 1775, Catherine began a provincial reform.
First of all, she introduced a new regional division: instead of the 20 vast provinces into which Russia was then divided, now the entire empire was divided into 50 provinces. The basis of the provincial division was taken exclusively by the number of population. The provinces of Catherine are districts of 300-400 thousand inhabitants. They were subdivided into counties with a population of 20-30 thousand inhabitants. Each province received a uniform structure, administrative and judicial.
In the summer of 1775, Catherine stayed in Moscow, where the house of the princes Golitsyns at the Prechistensky Gates was placed at her disposal. In early July, Field Marshal Count Rumyantsev, the winner of the Turks, arrived in Moscow. The news has survived that Catherine, dressed in a Russian sundress, met Rumyantsev. on the porch of the Golitsyn house and, embracing, kissed. At the same time, she drew attention to Zavadovsky, a powerful, stately and exceptionally handsome man who accompanied the field marshal. Noticing the affectionate and interested look of the empress, cast by her at Zavadovsky, the field marshal immediately introduced the handsome man to Catherine, flatteringly speaking of him as a man of excellent education, hardworking, honest and brave.
Catherine granted Zavadovsky a diamond ring with her name on it and appointed her office secretary. Soon he was granted the rank of major general and adjutant general, became in charge of the personal office of the empress and became one of the people closest to her. At the same time, Potemkin noticed that his charm for the Empress had weakened. In April 1776, he went on vacation to revise the Novgorod province. A few days after his departure, Zavadovsky settled in his place.
P. V. Zavadovsky
But, having ceased to be a lover, Potemkin, granted in 1776 to the princes, retained all his influence and sincere friendship with the empress. Almost until his death, he remained the second person in the state, determined domestic and foreign policy, and none of the subsequent numerous favorites, up to Platon Zubov, even tried to play the role of a statesman. All of them were close to Catherine by Potemkin himself, who tried in this way to influence the location of the empress.
First of all, he tried to remove Zavadovsky. Potemkin had to spend almost a year on this, and luck did not come before he discovered Semyon Zorich. He was a hero-cavalryman and a handsome man, a Serb by origin. Potemkin took Zorich to his aide-de-camp and almost immediately presented him for appointment as commander of the life hussar squadron. Since the life hussars were the personal guard of the empress, Zorich's appointment to the post was preceded by his introduction to Catherine.
S. G. Zorich
In May 1777, Potemkin arranged an audience with the empress with a potential favorite - and he was not mistaken in his calculation. Zavadovsky was suddenly granted a six-month vacation, and Zorich was granted the rank of colonel, adjutant wing and chief of the life hussar squadron. Zorich was already under forty, and he was full of manly beauty, however, unlike Zavadovsky, he was poorly educated (later he himself admitted that from the age of 15 he went to war and that until close to the empress he remained a complete ignoramus). Catherine tried to instill in him literary and scientific tastes, but seems to have had little success in this.
Zorich was stubborn and reluctant to educate. In September 1777, he became a major general, and in the fall of 1778, an earl. But having received this title, he was suddenly offended, as he expected a princely title. Soon after, he had a quarrel with Potemkin, which almost ended in a duel. Find out about this, Catherine ordered Zorich to go to her estate Shklov.
Even before Potemkin began to look for a new favorite for his girlfriend. Several candidates were considered, among which, they say, there was even some kind of Persian, distinguished by extraordinary physical data. Finally, Potemkin settled on three officers - Bergman, Rontsov and Ivan Korsakov. Gelbich says that Ekaterina went to the reception room, when all three applicants appointed for an audience were there. Each of them stood with a bouquet of flowers, and she graciously talked first with Bergman, then with Rontsov, and finally with Korsakov. The extraordinary beauty and grace of the latter captivated her. Catherine graciously smiled at everyone, but with a bouquet of flowers sent Korsakov to Potemkin, who became the next favorite. From other sources it is known that Korsakov did not immediately reach the desired position.
In general, in 1778, Catherine experienced a kind of moral breakdown and was fond of several young people at once. In June, the Englishman Harris notes the rise of Korsakov, and in August he speaks of his rivals, who are trying to wrest the grace of the Empress from him; they are supported on the one hand by Potemkin, and on the other by Panin, together with Orlov; in September, Strakhov, the "lowest jester", prevails over everyone, four months later, Major of the Semenovsky regiment Levashev, a young man patronized by Countess Bruce, takes his place. Then Korsakov again returns to his former position, but now he is fighting with some kind of Potemkin's favorite Stoyanov. In 1779, he finally won a complete victory over his competitors, became a chamberlain and adjutant general.
Grimm, who considered his friend's infatuation a mere whim, Catherine wrote:
"Whim? Do you know what this is: the expression is completely inappropriate in this case when they talk about Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus (as Catherine called Korsakov), and about this subject of temptation for all artists and despair for all sculptors. Admiration, enthusiasm, and not whimsy excite such exemplary creations of nature ... Pyrrhus never made a single ignoble or ungraceful gesture or movement ... But all this, in general, is not effeminacy, but, on the contrary, courage, and he is what you would like he was…"
In addition to his amazing appearance, Korsakov charmed the Empress with his wonderful voice. The reign of a new favorite constitutes an epoch in the history of Russian music. Catherine invited the first artists of Italy to St. Petersburg so that Korsakov could sing with them. She wrote to Grimm:
"Never have I met anyone so capable of enjoying harmonic sounds as Pyrrha, King of Epirus."
Rimsky-Korsakov I. N.
Unfortunately for himself, Korsakov failed to maintain his height. Once, in early 1780, Catherine found her favorite in the arms of her friend and confidante, Countess Bruce. This greatly cooled her ardor, and soon Korsakov's place was taken by the 22-year-old horse guard Alexander Lanskoy.
Lanskoy was introduced to Ekaterina by Chief of Police Tolstoy, he liked the empress at first sight: she granted him to the adjutant wing and gave 10,000 rubles to equip him. But he did not become a favorite. However, Lanskoy showed from the very beginning a lot common sense and turned for support to Potemkin, who appointed him one of his adjutants and directed his court education for about six months.
He discovered in his pupil a mass of excellent qualities, and in the spring of 1780, with a light heart, he recommended him to the Empress as a cordial friend. Catherine promoted Lansky to colonel, then to adjutant general and chamberlain, and soon he settled in the palace in the empty apartments of the former favorite.
Of all Catherine's lovers, this was, without a doubt, the most pleasant and sweetest. According to contemporaries, Lanskoy did not enter into any intrigues, tried not to harm anyone and completely abandoned public affairs, rightly believing that politics would force him to make enemies for himself. The only all-consuming passion of Lansky was Catherine, He wanted to reign in her heart alone and did everything to achieve this. There was something maternal in the 54-year-old empress's passion for him. She caressed and educated him as her beloved child. Catherine wrote to Grimm:
“In order for you to form an idea about this young man, you need to convey what Prince Orlov said about him to one of his friends: “See what a person she will make of him! ..” He absorbs everything with greed! He began by swallowing all the poets and their poems in one winter; and in the other, a few historians ... Without studying anything, we will have countless knowledge and find pleasure in communicating with everything that is the best and most dedicated. In addition, we build and plant; besides, we are charitable, cheerful, honest and full of simplicity.
Under the guidance of his mentor Lanskoy, he studied French, got acquainted with philosophy and, finally, became interested in the works of art with which the empress liked to surround herself. The four years spent in Lansky's company were perhaps the most calm and happy in Catherine's life, as evidenced by many contemporaries. However, she always led a very moderate and measured life.
***
Catherine usually woke up at six in the morning. At the beginning of her reign, she herself dressed and kindled the fireplace. Later, she was dressed in the mornings by chamberlain Perekusikhin. Ekaterina rinsed her mouth with warm water, rubbed her cheeks with ice and went to her office. Here, very strong morning coffee was waiting for her, usually accompanied by heavy cream and biscuits. The Empress herself ate little, but half a dozen Italian Greyhounds, who always shared breakfast with Catherine, emptied the sugar bowl and the basket of biscuits. Having finished eating, the empress let the dogs out for a walk, and she herself sat down to work and wrote until nine o'clock.
At nine she returned to the bedroom and received the speakers. The Chief of Police was the first to enter. To read the papers submitted for signature, the Empress put on glasses. Then the secretary appeared and work with documents began.
As you know, the Empress read and wrote in three languages, but at the same time she made many syntactical and grammatical errors, not only in Russian and French, but also in her native German. Mistakes in Russian, of course, were the most annoying of all. Catherine was aware of this and once confessed to one of her secretaries:
“Don't laugh at my Russian spelling; I'll tell you why I didn't have time to study it well. Upon my arrival here, I began to learn the Russian language with great diligence. Aunt Elizaveta Petrovna, learning about this, said to my chamberlain: enough to teach her, she is smart enough without that. Thus, I could learn Russian only from books without a teacher, and this is the very reason that I do not know spelling well.
The secretaries had to rewrite all the drafts of the Empress cleanly. But classes with the secretary were interrupted now and then by visits from generals, ministers and dignitaries. This went on until dinner, which was usually at one or two.
Having dismissed the secretary, Ekaterina went to the small dressing room, where the old hairdresser Kolov combed her hair. Catherine took off her hood and cap, put on an extremely simple, open and free dress with double sleeves and wide shoes with low heels. On weekdays, the Empress did not wear any jewelry. On ceremonial occasions, Catherine wore an expensive velvet dress, the so-called "Russian style", and adorned her hair with a crown. She did not follow the Parisian fashions and did not encourage this expensive pleasure in her court ladies.
After finishing the toilet, Catherine went to the official restroom, where they finished dressing her. It was time for a small exit. Grandchildren, a favorite and several close friends like Lev Naryshkin gathered here. The empress was served pieces of ice, and she quite openly rubbed her cheeks with them. Then the hair was covered with a small tulle cap, and the toilet ended there. The whole ceremony lasted about 10 minutes. After that, everyone went to the table.
On weekdays, twelve people were invited to dinner. By right hand seated favorite. The dinner lasted about an hour and was very simple. Catherine never cared about the sophistication of her table. Her favorite dish was boiled beef with pickles. As a drink, she used currant juice. In the last years of her life, on the advice of doctors, Catherine drank a glass of Madeira or Rhine wine. Dessert was accompanied by fruits, mostly apples and cherries.
Among the chefs of Catherine, one cooked very badly. But she did not notice this, and when, after many years, her attention was finally called to this, she did not allow him to be calculated, saying that he served too long in her house. She managed only when he was on duty, and, sitting down at the table, said to the guests:
“We are now on a Diet, you need to be patient, but after that we will eat well.”
After dinner, Catherine talked with the guests for several minutes, then everyone dispersed. Ekaterina sat down at the hoop - she embroidered very skillfully - and Betsky read aloud to her. When Betsky, having grown old, began to lose his sight, she did not want to replace him with anyone and began to read herself, putting on glasses.
Analyzing the numerous references to the books she read, scattered in her correspondence, we can safely say that Catherine was aware of all the book novelties of her time, and she read everything indiscriminately: from philosophical treatises and historical writings to novels. She, of course, could not assimilate deeply all this enormous material, and her erudition remained largely superficial, and her knowledge shallow, but in general she could judge a variety of problems.
The rest lasted about an hour. Then the empress was informed about the arrival of the secretary: twice a week she sorted out foreign mail with him and made notes on the margins of dispatches. To others set days officials came to her with reports or for orders.
In the moments of a break in business, Catherine carelessly had fun with the children.
In 1776 she wrote to her friend Madame Boelcke:
“You have to be funny. Only this helps us to overcome and endure everything. I tell you this from experience, because I have overcome and endured a lot in my life. But all the same, I laughed when I could, and I swear to you that at the present time, when I bear the brunt of my position, I play with my heart, when the opportunity presents itself, blind man's blind with my son, and very often without him. We come up with an excuse for it, we say, "It's good for health," but, between us it will be said, we do it just to fool around."
At four o'clock the working day of the Empress ended, and it was time for rest and entertainment. Catherine walked along the long gallery from the Winter Palace to the Hermitage. It was her favorite place to stay. She was accompanied by a favorite. She reviewed and posted new collections, played a game of billiards, and occasionally carved Ivory. At six o'clock the Empress returned to the reception rooms of the Hermitage, which were already filled with persons admitted to the court.
Count Hord in his memoirs described the Hermitage as follows:
“It occupies an entire wing of the Imperial Palace and consists of an art gallery, two large rooms for card game and another, where they dine on two tables "family style", and next to these rooms is a winter garden, covered and well lit. There they walk among the trees and numerous pots of flowers. Various birds fly and sing there, mainly canaries. The garden is heated by underground ovens; despite the harsh climate, it always reigns a pleasant temperature.
This so charming apartment is made even better by the freedom that reigns here. Everyone feels at ease: the empress has expelled all etiquette from here. Here they walk, play, sing; everyone does what he likes. The art gallery abounds with first-class masterpieces".
All sorts of games were a huge success at these meetings. Catherine was the first to participate in them, aroused gaiety in everyone and allowed all sorts of liberties.
At ten o'clock the game ended, and Catherine retired to the inner chambers. Dinner was served only on ceremonial occasions, but even then Catherine sat down at the table only for show .. Returning to her room, she went into the bedroom, drank a large glass of boiled water and went to bed.
Such was private life Catherine according to the memoirs of contemporaries. Her intimate life is less known, although it is also not a secret. The Empress was an amorous woman, who until her death retained the ability to be carried away by young people.
There were more than a dozen of her official lovers. With all this, as already mentioned, she was not at all a beauty.
“To tell you the truth,” Catherine herself wrote, “I never considered myself extremely beautiful, but I liked it, and I think that this was my strength.”
All the portraits that have come down to us confirm this opinion. But there is no doubt that there was something extremely attractive in this woman, which eluded the brush of all painters and made many sincerely admire her appearance. With age, the Empress did not lose her attractiveness, although she became more and more stout.
Catherine was not at all windy or depraved. Many of her connections lasted for years, and although the empress was far from being indifferent to sensual pleasures, spiritual communication with a close man remained very important for her too. But it is also true that after the Orlovs, Catherine never raped her heart. If the favorite ceased to interest her, she resigned without any ceremony.
At the next evening reception, the courtiers noticed that the empress was staring at some unknown lieutenant, who had been introduced to her only the day before or who had previously been lost in the brilliant crowd. Everyone understood what that meant. Happy young man with a short order, they were summoned to the palace and subjected to repeated tests for compliance in the performance of the direct intimate duties of the favorite of the empress.
A. M. Turgenev tells about this rite, through which all Catherine's lovers went through:
“They usually sent to Anna Stepanovna Protasova for a trial of the favorite of Her Majesty. Upon inspection of the concubine destined for the highest rank to the mother empress by the life physician Rogerson and on the certificate of being fit for service regarding health, the recruited to Anna Stepanovna Protasova was escorted to a three-night test. When the betrothed fully satisfied the requirements of Protasova, she informed the most merciful empress about the trustworthiness of the tested, and then the first meeting was appointed according to the established etiquette of the court or according to the charter of the highest for consecration to the rank of concubine to the confirmed.
Perekusikhina Marya Savvishna and the valet Zakhar Konstantinovich were obliged to dine with the chosen one on the same day. At 10 pm, when the empress was already in bed, Perekusikhina led the recruit into the bedchamber of the most pious, dressed in a Chinese dressing gown, with a book in her hands, and left him to read in the armchairs near the anointed bed. The next day, Perekusikhina took the initiate out of the bedchamber and handed him over to Zakhar Konstantinovich, who led the newly appointed concubine to the halls prepared for him; here Zakhar reported already slavishly to the favorite that the most merciful empress deigned to appoint him with the highest person as her adjutant wing, brought him an adjutant wing uniform with a diamond agraph and 100,000 rubles of pocket money.
Before the empress even went out, in the winter to the Hermitage, and in the summer, in Tsarskoye Selo, to the garden, to take a walk with the new adjutant wing, to whom she gave her hand to guide her, the front hall of the new favorite was filled with the first state dignitaries, nobles, courtiers to bring him the most zealous congratulations on receiving the highest mercy. The most highly enlightened pastor, the metropolitan, usually came to the favorite the next day to consecrate him and blessed him with holy water..
Subsequently, the procedure became more complicated, and after Potemkin, the favorites were checked not only by the assayer-maid of honor Protasova, but also by Countess Bruce, and Perekusikhina, and Utochkin.
In June 1784, Lanskoy fell seriously and dangerously ill - it was said that he undermined his health by abusing stimulant drugs. Catherine did not leave the sufferer for an hour, almost stopped eating, left all her affairs and looked after him, like a mother for her only infinitely beloved son. Then she wrote:
"Malignant fever combined with a toad brought him to the grave in five days."
On the evening of June 25, Lanskoy died. Catherine's grief was boundless.
“When I began this letter, I was in happiness and joy, and my thoughts raced so fast that I did not have time to follow them,” she wrote to Grimm. “Now everything has changed: I suffer terribly, and my happiness is no more; I thought that I could not bear the irretrievable loss that I suffered a week ago when my best friend. I hoped that he would be the support of my old age: he also aspired to this, tried to instill in himself all my tastes. This was a young man whom I brought up who was grateful, meek, honest, who shared my sorrows when I had them, and rejoiced in my joys.
In a word, I, sobbing, have the misfortune to tell you that General Lansky is gone ... and my room, which I used to love so much, has now turned into an empty cave; I can hardly move on it like a shadow: on the eve of his death, I had a sore throat and a violent fever; however, since yesterday I have been on my feet, but I am weak and so depressed that I cannot see a human face, so as not to burst into tears at the first word. I can neither sleep nor eat. Reading irritates me, writing exhausts my strength. I don't know what will become of me now; I know only one thing, that never in all my life have I been so unhappy as since my best and kindest friend left me. I opened the drawer, found this started sheet, wrote these lines on it, but I can no longer ... "
“I confess to you that all this time I have been unable to write to you, because I knew that this would make us both suffer. A week after I wrote you my last letter in July, Fyodor Orlov and Prince Potemkin came to see me. Until that moment I could not see a human face, but these knew what to do: they roared along with me, and then I felt at ease with them; but I still had a long time to recover, and because of the sensitivity to my grief, I became insensitive to everything else; my grief increased and was remembered at every step and at every word.
However, do not think that because of this terrible state I have neglected even the smallest thing that requires my attention. In the most painful moments, they came to me for orders, and I gave them sensibly and reasonably; this particularly struck General Saltykov. Two months passed like this without any relief; at last the first quiet hours came, and then the days. It was already autumn outside, it was getting damp, and the palace in Tsarskoe Selo had to be heated. All of mine went into a frenzy from this and so strong that on September 5, not knowing where to lay my head, I ordered the carriage to be laid down and arrived unexpectedly and in such a way that no one suspected it, to the city where I stopped in the Hermitage ... "
In the Winter Palace, all the doors were locked. Catherine ordered to knock down the door to the Hermitage and went to bed. But waking up at one in the morning, she ordered the cannons to be fired, which usually announced her arrival, and alarmed the whole city. The entire garrison rose to their feet, all the courtiers were frightened, and even she herself was surprised that she had made such a fuss. But a few days later, after giving an audience to the diplomatic corps, they appeared with their usual face, calm, healthy and fresh, friendly, as before the disaster, and smiling as always.
Soon life went back into its groove, and the eternally in love returned to life. But ten months passed before she wrote to Grimm again:
“I will tell you in one word, instead of a hundred, that I have a friend who is very capable and worthy of this name.”
This friend was the brilliant young officer Alexander Yermolov, represented by the same indispensable Potemkin. He moved to the long-empty chambers of the favorites. The summer of 1785 was one of the most joyful in Catherine's life: one noisy pleasure was replaced by another. The aging empress felt a new surge of legislative energy. This year, two famous letters of commendation appeared - to the nobility and cities. These acts completed the local government reform begun in 1775.
At the beginning of 1786, Catherine began to grow cold towards Yermolov. The resignation of the latter was accelerated by the fact that he took it into his head to intrigue against Potemkin himself. In June, the Empress asked her to tell her lover that she allowed him to go abroad for three years.
Yermolov's successor was the 28-year-old captain of the guard Alexander Dmitriev-Mamonov, a distant relative of Potemkin and his adjutant. Having made a mistake with the previous favorite, Potemkin looked closely at Mamonov for a long time before recommending him to Catherine. In August 1786, Mamonov was introduced to the Empress and was soon appointed adjutant wing. Contemporaries noted that he could not be called handsome.
Mamonov was distinguished by his tall stature and physical strength, had a bony face, slightly slanted eyes, glowing with intelligence, and conversations with him gave the Empress considerable pleasure. A month later, he became an ensign of the cavalry guards and a major general in the army, and in 1788 he was granted a count. The first honors did not turn the head of the new favorite - he showed restraint, tact and gained a reputation as an intelligent, cautious person. Mamonov spoke German and English well, and knew French perfectly. In addition, he proved himself to be a good poet and playwright, which especially appealed to Catherine.
Thanks to all these qualities, as well as the fact that Mamonov constantly studied, read a lot and tried to seriously delve into state affairs, he became an adviser to the empress.
Catherine wrote to Grimm:
“The red caftan (as she called Mamonov) is worn by a creature with a beautiful heart and a very sincere soul. Mind for four, inexhaustible gaiety, a lot of originality in understanding things and conveying them, excellent education, a lot of knowledge that can give brilliance to the mind. We hide as a crime the inclination to poetry; we love music passionately, we understand everything unusually easily. What only we do not know by heart! We recite, chatter in the tone of a better society; exquisitely polite; we write in Russian and French, as rarely anyone else, as much in style as in beauty of writing. Our appearance is quite consistent with our internal qualities: we have wonderful black eyes with eyebrows that are extremely outlined; below average height, noble appearance, free gait; in a word, we are just as reliable in our souls as we are dexterous, strong and brilliant on the outside.
***
In 1787, Catherine made one of her longest and most famous journeys - she went to the Crimea, which from 17.83 was annexed to Russia. Before Catherine had time to return to St. Petersburg, the news broke out about the break in relations with Turkey and the arrest of the Russian ambassador in Istanbul: the second Turkish war began. To top it off, the situation of the 60s was repeated) when one war pulled another.
As soon as they gathered forces to repulse in the south, it became known that the Swedish king Gustav III intended to attack defenseless Petersburg. The king came to Finland and sent a demand to Vice-Chancellor Osterman to return to Sweden all the lands ceded under the Nystadt and Abov worlds, and to return the Crimea to Porte.
In July 1788, the Swedish War began. Potemkin was busy in the south, and all the hardships of the war fell entirely on the shoulders of Catherine. She was personally involved in everything. affairs for the management of the maritime department, ordered, for example, to build several new barracks and hospitals, to fix and put in order the Revel port.
A few years later, she recalled this era in a letter to Grimm: “There is a reason why it seemed that I did everything so well at that time: I was then alone, with almost no helpers, and, being afraid to miss something out of ignorance or forgetfulness, I showed an activity that no one considered me capable of; I interfered in incredible details to such an extent that I even turned into an army quartermaster, but, according to everyone, soldiers have never been fed better in a country where it was impossible to get any provisions ... "
On August 3, 1790, the Treaty of Versailles was concluded; the borders of both states remained the same as they were before the war.
Behind these troubles in 1789 there was another change of favorites. In June, Catherine found out that Mamonov was having an affair with the maid of honor Daria Shcherbatov. The Empress reacted to treason quite calmly. She recently turned 60 years old, besides a long experience love relationships taught her leniency. She bought several villages for Mamontov, with more than 2,000 peasants, gave her bride jewelry and betrothed them herself. Over the years of his favor, Mamonov had gifts and money from Catherine for about 900 thousand rubles. The last hundred thousand, in addition to the three thousand peasants, he received when leaving with his wife for Moscow. At this time, he could already see his successor.
On June 20, Ekaterina chose the 22-year-old second-captain of the Horse Guards Platon Zubov as the favorite. In July, Toth was granted the rank of colonel and adjutant wing. At first, the empress's entourage did not take him seriously.
Bezborodko wrote to Vorontsov:
“This child is well-mannered, but not far-sighted; I don't think he will last long in his place.
However, Bezborodko was wrong. Zubov was destined to become the last favorite of the great empress - he retained his position until her death.
Catherine confessed to Potemkin in August of the same year:
“I came back to life like a fly after hibernation… I am cheerful and healthy again.”
She was moved by Zubov's youth and the fact that he cried when he was not allowed into the rooms of the Empress. Despite his mild appearance, Zubov turned out to be a prudent and dexterous lover. His influence on the empress became so great over the years that he managed to achieve the almost impossible: he nullified Potemkin's charm and completely ousted him from Catherine's heart. Having taken all the threads of management into his own hands, in the last years of Catherine's life he acquired a tremendous influence on affairs.
***
The war with Turkey continued. In 1790, Suvorov took Izmail, and Potemkin - Vendors. After that, Porte had no choice but to yield. In December 1791, peace was concluded in Iasi. Russia received the interfluve of the Dniester and the Bug, where Odessa was soon built; Crimea was recognized as her possession.
Potemkin did not live long enough to see this joyful day. He died on October 5, 1791 on the way from Iasi to Nikolaev. Catherine's grief was very great. According to the testimony of the French commissioner Genet, "at this news she lost consciousness, blood rushed to her head, and she was forced to open a vein." Who can replace such a person? she repeated to her secretary Khrapovitsky. “I and all of us are now like snails who are afraid to stick their heads out of their shells.”
She wrote to Grimm:
“Yesterday I was hit like a butt on the head ... My student, my friend, one might say, an idol, Prince Potemkin of Tauride died ... Oh, my God! Now I am truly my own helper. I have to train my people again!”
The last remarkable act of Catherine was the division of Poland and the annexation of western Russian lands to Russia. The second and third sections, which followed in 1793 and 1795, were a logical continuation of the first. Many years of anarchy and the events of 1772 brought many nobles to their senses. During the four-year Sejm of 1788-1791, the reforming party drafted a new constitution, adopted on May 3, 1791. She established hereditary royal power with the Sejm without the right to veto, the admission of deputies from the townspeople, the complete equality of dissidents, the abolition of confederations. All this happened in the wake of frenzied anti-Russian speeches and in defiance of all previous agreements, according to which Russia guaranteed the Polish constitution. Catherine was forced to endure impudence for the time being, but she wrote to members of the foreign collegium:
“... I will not agree to any of this new order of things, during the approval of which not only did they not pay any attention to Russia, but showered it with insults, bullied it every minute ...”
And indeed, as soon as peace was concluded with Turkey, Poland was occupied by Russian troops, and a Russian garrison was brought into Warsaw. This served as a prologue to the section. In November, the Prussian ambassador in St. Petersburg, Count Goltz, presented a map of Poland, which outlined the area desired by Prussia. In December, after a detailed study of the map, Catherine approved the Russian share of the partition. Most of Belarus went to Russia. After the final collapse of the May constitution, its adherents, both those who went abroad and those who remained in Warsaw, had one means to act in favor of a lost enterprise: plot, stir up displeasure, and wait for an opportunity to raise an uprising. All this has been done.
Warsaw was to become the center of the performance. A well-prepared uprising began early in the morning on April 6 (17), 1794 and was a surprise for the Russian garrison. Most of the soldiers were killed, and only a few units with heavy damage were able to break out of the city. Not trusting the king, the patriots proclaimed General Kosciuszko as supreme ruler. In response, a third partition agreement was reached between Austria, Prussia and Russia in September. Krakow and Sendomierz provinces were to go to Austria. The Bug and Neman became the borders of Russia. In addition, Courland and Lithuania retreated to it. The rest of Poland with Warsaw was given to Prussia. On November 4, Suvorov took Warsaw. The revolutionary government was destroyed and power returned to the king. Stanislav-August wrote to Catherine:
“The fate of Poland is in your hands; your power and wisdom will solve it; whatever the fate that you assign to me personally, I cannot forget my duty to my people, imploring Your Majesty's generosity for them.
Catherine replied:
“It was not in my power to prevent disastrous consequences and to fill up under the feet of the Polish people the abyss dug by their corrupters and into which they are finally carried away ...”
On October 13, 1795, the third section was made; Poland disappeared from the map of Europe. This partition was soon followed by the death of the Russian empress. The decline of Catherine's moral and physical strength began in 1792. She was broken both by the death of Potemkin and by the extraordinary tension that she had to endure during the last war. The French envoy Genet wrote:
“Catherine is clearly aging, she herself sees this, and melancholy takes possession of her soul.”
Catherine complained: "The years make everyone see in black". Dropsy overcame the Empress. It became increasingly difficult for her to walk. She stubbornly fought old age and illnesses, but in September 1796, after her granddaughter's engagement to King Gustav IV of Sweden did not take place, Catherine went to bed. She did not leave colic, wounds opened on her legs. Only at the end of October did the empress feel better. On the evening of November 4, Catherine gathered an intimate circle in the Hermitage, was very cheerful all evening and laughed at Naryshkin's jokes. However, she left earlier than usual, saying that she had colic from laughter. The next day, Catherine got up at her usual hour, talked with the favorite, worked with the secretary, and, dismissing the latter, ordered him to wait in the hallway. He waited an unusually long time and began to worry. Half an hour later, the faithful Zubov decided to look into the bedroom. The Empress was not there; was not in the toilet room. Zubov called people in alarm; they ran to the dressing room and there they saw the immovable empress with a reddened face, foaming at the mouth and wheezing with a death rattle. Ekaterina was carried into the bedroom and laid on the floor. She resisted death for about a day and a half, but did not come to her senses and died on the morning of November 6.
She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Thus ended the reign of Catherine II the Great, one of the most famous Russian women politicians.
Catherine composed the following epitaph for her future tombstone:
Catherine II is buried here. She arrived in Russia in 1744 to marry Peter III. At fourteen, she made a threefold decision: to please her husband, Elizabeth, and the people. She did not miss anything in order to achieve success in this respect. Eighteen years of boredom and loneliness led her to read many books. Having ascended the Russian throne, she made every effort to give her subjects happiness, freedom and material well-being. She forgave easily and hated no one. She was indulgent, loved life, had a cheerful disposition, was a true republican in her convictions and had a good heart. She had friends. The job was easy for her. She enjoyed secular entertainment and the arts.
Around historical figures, cultural figures, art and politics, an incredible amount of myths, gossip and rumors are always collected. The Russian Empress Catherine II was no exception. According to various sources, the children of Catherine II were born from her lawful husband Peter III, favorites Grigory Orlov and Potemkin, as well as adviser Panin. Now it is difficult to say which of the rumors is true and which is fiction, and how many children Catherine II had.
Pavel Petrovich- the first child of Catherine II from Peter III, was born on September 20 (October 1), 1754 in Summer imperial palace in St. Petersburg. At the birth of the heir to the empire were present: the current Empress of Russia Elizaveta Petrovna, the future Emperor Peter III and the Shuvalov brothers. The birth of Paul was an extremely important and expected event for the empress, so Elizabeth arranged festivities on this occasion and took all the trouble of raising the heir upon herself. The empress hired whole state nannies and caregivers, completely isolating the child from the parents. Catherine II had almost no contact with Pavel Petrovich and did not have the opportunity to influence his upbringing.
Princess Anna was born on December 9 (20), 1757 in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. As in the case of Paul, Empress Elizabeth immediately took the baby to her chambers for education, forbidding her parents to visit her. In honor of the birth of a girl with Peter and Paul Fortress 101 shots rang out around midnight. The baby was named Anna in honor of the sister of the Empress Elizabeth, although Catherine intended to name her daughter Elizabeth. The baptism was carried out almost secretly: there were no guests and representatives of other powers, and the empress herself entered the church through a side door. For the birth of Anna, both parents received 60,000 rubles, which greatly pleased Peter and offended Catherine. The children of Catherine II from Peter grew up and were brought up by strangers - nannies and teachers, which deeply saddened the future empress, but completely suited the current one.
Stanislav August Poniatowski
Peter doubted his paternity and did not hide it, there were rumors at court that Stanislav Poniatowski, the future king of Poland, was the real father. Anna lived a little over a year and after a short illness she died. For Catherine II, the death of her daughter was a strong blow.
The connection between Catherine II and Grigory Orlov was quite long, because many are inclined to the idea that the empress gave birth to several children of the count. However, information about only one child, Alexei Bobrinsky, has been preserved. It is not known whether Orlov and Catherine II had other children, but Alexei is the official offspring of the couple. The boy became the first illegitimate child of the future empress and was born on April 11-12 (22), 1762 at the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg.
Immediately after birth, the boy was transferred to the family of Vasily Shkurin, Catherine's wardrobe master, where he was brought up with Vasily's other sons. Orlov recognized his son, secretly visited the boy with Catherine. The son of Catherine II from Grigory Orlov, despite all the efforts of his parents, grew up as a mediocre and infantile man. The fate of Bobrinsky cannot be called tragic - he received a good education, arranged his life well at the expense of state funding and even maintained friendly relations with his brother Paul after his coronation.
In various sources, one can find references to other children of the empress and favorite, but there is not a single fact or document confirming their existence. Some historians are inclined to the version that Catherine II had several failed pregnancies, others speak of stillborn children or those who died in infancy. There is also a version about the illness of Grigory Orlov and his inability to bear children after it. However, the count, having married, became a father again.
As well as with Orlov, with Potemkin, Catherine II had a close relationship for a long time, because there are many myths around this union. According to one version, Prince Potemkin and Catherine II had a daughter who was born on July 13, 1775 in the Prechistensky Palace in Moscow. existence itself Elizabeth Grigoryevna Tyomkina there is no doubt - such a woman really existed, even left behind 10 children. Tyomkina's portrait can be seen in Tretyakov Gallery. More importantly, the origin of the woman is unknown.
The main reason for doubt that Elizabeth is the daughter of Potemkin and the Empress is the age of Catherine II at the time of the birth of the girl: at that time the empress was about 45 years old. At the same time, the baby was transferred to be raised in the family of the prince's sister, Potemkin appointed his nephew as guardian. The girl received a good education, Gregory allocated significant amounts for her maintenance and fussed about the marriage of his alleged daughter. In this case, it is more obvious that Grigory Potemkin was Elizabeth's father, while one of his favorites, and not Empress Catherine, could well have been her mother.
It is not known for certain how many children Empress Catherine II had and how their fate turned out. Different sources call a different number of children, mention different fathers. According to some versions, miscarriages and stillborn babies were attributed to Catherine's union with Potemkin, as well as with Orlov, but there is no evidence of this.
