Catherine the Great: personal life. Great. Five myths about the Russian Empress Catherine II

Upon closer examination, the biography of Catherine II the Great is replete with a large number of events that significantly influenced the empress of the Russian Empire.

Origin

Family tree of the Romanovs

Family ties of 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.

Childhood and youth

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 dances - 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.

Marriage

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 of the 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.

The lack of 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 Paul, 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.

Organization of the coup

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.

Beginning of the reign

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. 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 broken off - the Russian-Turkish war began. Such an unexpected turn was given by the dissident case.

First wars

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 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 Sea of ​​Azov 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 from 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, so don’t leave this the best way satisfy and accomplish such deeds that will gain you glory and prove how great your zeal is 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.

Break with Orlov

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.

But, apparently, Catherine was actually not at all as indifferent to these betrayals as it might seem. Less than two weeks after Orlov's departure, the Prussian envoy Solms was already reporting to Berlin:
“I can no longer restrain myself from informing Your Majesty of an interesting event that has just happened at this court. The absence of Count Orlov revealed a very natural, but nevertheless unexpected circumstance: Her Majesty found it possible to do without him, change her feelings for him and transfer her disposition to another subject.

A. S. Vasilchakov

Horse guard cornet Vasilchikov, accidentally sent from small detachment to Tsarskoe Selo to guard, 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 Tsarskoye 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 until the quarantine expired (he was traveling from the territory where the plague was raging). Although the favorite did not have to reconcile immediately, 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 order 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 by 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 manages the internal 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 independence of the Tatars and the Crimean Khanate from the Ottoman Empire was recognized;
• Kerch and Yenikale in the Crimea are ceded to Russia;
• Russia departs the castle of Kinburn and the steppe between the Dnieper and the Bug, Azov, Greater and Lesser Kabarda;
• free navigation of merchant ships of the Russian Empire through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles;
• Moldova and Wallachia received the right to autonomy and came under Russian protection;
• The Russian Empire received the right to build in Constantinople christian church, and the Turkish authorities pledged to protect her
• A ban on the oppression of the Orthodox in Transcaucasia, on the collection of tribute by people from Georgia and Mingrelia.
• 4.5 million rubles indemnity.

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 serious shortcomings of the existing regional administration: firstly, the former provinces were too extensive administrative districts, secondly, these districts were supplied with too few institutions with meager personnel, and thirdly, various departments were mixed in this department: the same department was in charge of administrative affairs, and finance, and the criminal and civil courts. In order to eliminate these shortcomings in 1775, Catherine began a provincial reform.

First of all, it introduced a new regional division: instead of the 20 vast provinces into which Russia was then divided, the entire empire was now 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 tender 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 whim 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 a lot of common sense from the very beginning and turned to Potemkin for support, 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 lived 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.
***

The daily routine of the Empress

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. Catherine rinsed her mouth 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. The favorite sat on the right hand. 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 it, 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 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. On other fixed 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 a whole wing of the imperial palace and consists of an art gallery, two large rooms for playing cards and another where they dine on two tables “family”, 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 stoves; 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 Ekaterina retired to 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 the private life of Catherine according to the memoirs of contemporaries. Her intimate life less known, although 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 intently 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. In the afternoon, a young man was summoned to the palace by a short order 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 sample of Her Majesty’s chosen favorite. Upon inspection of the concubine destined for the highest rank to the mother empress by the life physician Rogerson and on the certificate presented as fit for service regarding health, the recruited to Anna Stepanovna Protasova was escorted for 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 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 servilely to the favorite that the most merciful empress deigned to appoint him with the highest person as her aide-de-camp, brought him an aide-de-camp 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 Tsarskoe 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 happy and overjoyed, and my thoughts flew by so fast that I didn’t have time to follow them,” she wrote to Grimm. “Now everything has changed: I suffer terribly, and my happiness is no more; I thought I couldn't bear the irretrievable loss I suffered a week ago when my best friend passed away. 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 raised, 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 well and English and spoke French fluently. 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 ours. inner qualities: we have wonderful black eyes with eyebrows outlined to a rarity; 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.
***

Travel to Crimea

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 severance of relations with Turkey and the arrest of the Russian ambassador in Istanbul: the second Turkish war. 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 of love relationships taught her condescension. 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, the approval of which not only did not pay any attention to Russia, but showered her with insults, bullied her 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 had gone abroad and those who remained in Warsaw, had one means of acting in favor of a lost enterprise: plotting, arousing displeasure, and waiting 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 moral and physical strength Catherine 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.

At birth, the girl was given the name Sophia Frederica Augusta. Her father, Christian August, was the prince of the small German principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, but he won fame for his achievements in the military field. The mother of the future Catherine, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp Johanna Elizabeth, cared little about raising her daughter. And because the girl was raised by a governess.

Catherine was educated by tutors, and, among them, a chaplain who gave the girl religious lessons. However, the girl had her own point of view on many questions. She also mastered three languages: German, French and Russian.

Entry into the royal family of Russia

In 1744, the girl goes with her mother to Russia. The German princess becomes engaged to Grand Duke Peter and converts to Orthodoxy, receiving the name Catherine at baptism.

August 21, 1745 Catherine marries the heir to the throne of Russia, becoming a princess. However, family life was far from happy.

After long childless years, Catherine II finally gave birth to an heir. Her son Pavel was born on September 20, 1754. And then heated debate flared up about who really is the boy's father. Be that as it may, Catherine hardly saw her first-born: shortly after birth, Empress Elizabeth takes the child to be raised.

Seizure of the throne

On December 25, 1761, after the death of Empress Elizabeth, Peter III ascended the throne, and Catherine became the wife of the emperor. However, it has little to do with state affairs. Peter and his wife were frankly cruel. Soon, due to the stubborn support he provided to Prussia, Peter becomes a stranger to many court, secular and military officials. The founder of what today we call progressive internal state reforms, Peter also quarreled with the Orthodox Church, taking away church lands. And now, six months later, Peter was deposed from the throne as a result of a conspiracy that Catherine entered into with her lover, Russian lieutenant Grigory Orlov, and a number of other persons, in order to seize power. She successfully manages to force her husband to abdicate and take control of the empire into her own hands. A few days after the abdication, in one of his estates, in Ropsha, Peter was strangled. What role Catherine played in the murder of her husband is unclear to this day.

Fearing herself to be thrown off by the opposing forces, Catherine is trying with all her might to win the favor of the troops and the church. She recalls the troops sent by Peter to the war against Denmark and in every possible way encourages and gives gifts to those who go over to her side. She even compares herself to Peter the Great, whom she reveres, declaring that she is following in his footsteps.

Governing body

Despite the fact that Catherine is a supporter of absolutism, she still makes a number of attempts to carry out social and political reforms. She publishes a document, the "Order", in which she proposes to abolish the death penalty and torture, and also proclaims the equality of all people. However, the Senate resolutely refuses any attempts to change the feudal system.

After finishing work on the "Order", in 1767, Catherine convenes representatives of various social and economic strata of the population to form the Legislative Commission. The commission did not leave a legislative body, but its convocation went down in history as the first time that representatives of the Russian people from all over the empire had the opportunity to express their ideas about the needs and problems of the country.

Later, in 1785, Catherine issues the Charter of the Nobility, in which she radically changes politics and challenges the power of the upper classes, in which most of the masses are under the yoke of serfdom.

Catherine, a religious skeptic by nature, seeks to subjugate the Orthodox Church to her power. At the beginning of her reign, she returned land and property to the church, but soon changed her views. The empress declares the church a part of the state, and therefore all her possessions, including more than a million serfs, become the property of the empire and are subject to taxes.

Foreign policy

During her reign, Catherine expands the borders of the Russian Empire. She makes significant acquisitions in Poland, having previously seated her former lover, the Polish prince Stanislaw Poniatowski, on the throne of the kingdom. By agreement of 1772, Catherine gives part of the lands of the Commonwealth to Prussia and Austria, while East End kingdom, where many Russian Orthodox live, departs the Russian Empire.

But such actions cause extreme disapproval of Turkey. In 1774, Catherine makes peace with the Ottoman Empire, according to which the Russian state receives new lands and access to the Black Sea. One of the heroes of the Russian-Turkish war was Grigory Potemkin, a reliable adviser and lover of Catherine.

Potemkin, a loyal supporter of the policy of the empress, himself proved himself to be an outstanding statesman. It was he, in 1783, who convinced Catherine to annex the Crimea to the empire, thereby strengthening her position on the Black Sea.

Love for education and art

At the time of Catherine's accession to the throne, Russia for Europe was a backward and provincial state. The Empress is trying with all her might to change this opinion, expanding the possibilities for new ideas in education and the arts. In St. Petersburg, she establishes a boarding school for girls of noble birth, and later free schools open in all cities of Russia.

Catherine patronizes many cultural projects. She is gaining fame as an ardent collector of art, and most of her collection is exhibited in her residence in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage.

Catherine, passionately fond of literature, is especially favorable to the philosophers and writers of the Enlightenment. Endowed with literary talent, the empress describes her own life in a collection of memoirs.

Personal life

The love life of Catherine II became the subject of many gossip and false facts. The myths about her insatiability have been debunked, but this royal person really had many love affairs in her life. She could not remarry, because marriage could shake her position, and therefore in society she had to wear a mask of chastity. But, far from prying eyes, Catherine showed a remarkable interest in men.

End of reign

By 1796, Catherine had absolute power in the empire for several decades. And in the last years of her reign, she showed all the same vivacity of mind and strength of spirit. But in mid-November 1796, she was found unconscious on the bathroom floor. At that time, everyone came to the conclusion that she had a stroke. 4.2 points. Total ratings received: 57.

The topic of this article is the biography of Catherine the Great. This empress reigned from 1762 to 1796. The era of her reign was marked by the enslavement of the peasants. Also, Catherine the Great, whose biography, photos and activities are presented in this article, significantly expanded the privileges of the nobility.

Origin and childhood of Catherine

The future empress was born on May 2 (according to the new style - April 21), 1729 in Stettin. She was the daughter of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the Prussian service, and Princess Johanna-Elisabeth. The future empress was related to the English, Prussian and Swedish royal houses. She received her education at home: she studied French and German languages, music, theology, geography, history, danced. Opening such a topic as the biography of Catherine the Great, we note that the independent nature of the future empress manifested itself already in childhood. She was a persistent, inquisitive child, had a penchant for mobile, lively games.

Baptism and wedding of Catherine

Catherine, together with her mother, was summoned by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to Russia in 1744. Here she was baptized Orthodox custom. Ekaterina Alekseevna became the bride of Peter Fedorovich, the Grand Duke (in the future - Emperor Peter III). She married him in 1745.

Hobbies of the Empress

Catherine wanted to win the favor of her husband, the empress and the Russian people. Her personal life, however, was unsuccessful. Since Peter was infantile, there was no marital relationship between them for several years of marriage. Catherine was fond of reading works on jurisprudence, history and economics, as well as French enlighteners. All these books have shaped her worldview. The future empress became a supporter of the ideas of the Enlightenment. She was also interested in the traditions, customs and history of Russia.

Personal life of Catherine II

Today we know quite a lot about such an important historical person as Catherine the Great: biography, her children, personal life - all this is the object of research by historians and the interest of many of our compatriots. For the first time we get acquainted with this empress at school. However, what we learn in history lessons is far from full information about such an empress as Catherine the Great. A biography (grade 4) from a school textbook omits, for example, her personal life.

Catherine II in the early 1750s began an affair with S.V. Saltykov, Guards officer. She gave birth to a son in 1754, the future Emperor Paul I. Nevertheless, rumors that Saltykov was his father are unfounded. In the second half of the 1750s, Catherine had an affair with S. Poniatowski, a Polish diplomat who later became King Stanislaw August. Also in the early 1760s - with G.G. Orlov. The Empress gave birth to his son Alexei in 1762, who received the surname Bobrinsky. As relations with her husband deteriorated, Catherine began to fear for her fate and began to recruit supporters at court. Her sincere love for her homeland, her prudence and ostentatious piety - all this contrasted with the behavior of her husband, which allowed the future empress to gain authority among the population of St. Petersburg and the high-society metropolitan society.

Proclamation of Catherine as Empress

Catherine's relationship with her husband continued to deteriorate during the 6 months of his reign, eventually becoming hostile. Peter III openly appeared in the company of his mistress E.R. Vorontsova. There was a threat of arrest of Catherine and her possible expulsion. The future empress carefully prepared the plot. She was supported by N.I. Panin, E.R. Dashkova, K.G. Razumovsky, the Orlov brothers and others. One night, from June 27 to 28, 1762, when Peter III was in Oranienbaum, Catherine secretly arrived in St. Petersburg. She was proclaimed in the barracks of the Izmailovsky Regiment as an autocratic empress. Other regiments soon joined the rebels. The news of the empress's accession to the throne quickly spread throughout the city. Petersburgers greeted her with delight. Messengers were sent to Kronstadt and the army to prevent the actions of Peter III. He, having learned about what happened, began to send proposals for negotiations to Catherine, but she rejected them. The Empress personally came to Petersburg, heading guards regiments, and received on the way a written abdication of the throne by Peter III.

More about the palace coup

As a result palace coup On July 9, 1762, Catherine II came to power. It happened in the following way. Because of the arrest of Passek, all the conspirators rose to their feet, fearing that under torture they might be betrayed by the arrested person. It was decided to send Alexei Orlov for Ekaterina. The Empress at that time lived in anticipation of the name day of Peter III in Peterhof. On the morning of June 28, Alexei Orlov ran into her bedroom and told her about Passek's arrest. Ekaterina got into Orlov's carriage, she was brought to the Izmailovsky regiment. The soldiers ran out to the square on the drum beat and immediately swore allegiance to her. She then moved to the Semyonov regiment, which also swore allegiance to the Empress. Accompanied by a crowd of people, at the head of two regiments, Catherine went to the Kazan Cathedral. Here, at a prayer service, she was proclaimed empress. She then headed to Winter Palace and found there the Synod and the Senate already assembled. They also swore allegiance to her.

Personality and character of Catherine II

Not only the biography of Catherine the Great is interesting, but also her personality and character, which left an imprint on her domestic and foreign policy. Catherine II was a subtle psychologist and an excellent connoisseur of people. The Empress skillfully chose assistants, while not being afraid of talented and bright personalities. Therefore, Catherine's time was marked by the appearance of many prominent statesmen, as well as generals, musicians, artists, and writers. Catherine was usually restrained, tactful, and patient in dealing with her subjects. She was an excellent conversationalist, she could listen carefully to anyone. By her own admission, the empress did not have a creative mind, but she caught worthwhile thoughts and knew how to use them for her own purposes.

There were almost no noisy resignations during the reign of this empress. The nobles were not subject to disgrace, they were not exiled or executed. Because of this, the reign of Catherine is considered the "golden age" of the nobility in Russia. The Empress, at the same time, was very vain and valued her power more than anything in the world. She was ready to make any compromises for the sake of her preservation, including to the detriment of her own convictions.

Religiosity of the Empress

This empress was distinguished by ostentatious piety. She considered herself a protector Orthodox Church and its head. Catherine skillfully used religion for political interests. Apparently, her faith was not very deep. The biography of Catherine the Great is marked by the fact that she preached religious tolerance in the spirit of the times. It was under this empress that the persecution of the Old Believers was stopped. Protestant and Catholic churches and mosques were erected. Nevertheless, the conversion to another faith from Orthodoxy was still severely punished.

Catherine - an opponent of serfdom

Catherine the Great, whose biography interests us, was an ardent opponent of serfdom. She considered him contrary to human nature and inhumane. Many sharp statements on this issue were preserved in her papers. Also in them you can find her reasoning on how serfdom can be eliminated. Nevertheless, the empress did not dare to do anything concrete in this area because of the fear of another coup and a noble rebellion. Catherine, however, was convinced that the Russian peasants are spiritually undeveloped, so there is a danger in granting them freedom. According to the empress, the life of the peasants is quite prosperous with caring landowners.

First reforms

When Catherine came to the throne, she already had a fairly definite political program. It was based on the ideas of the Enlightenment and took into account the peculiarities of Russia's development. Consistency, gradualness and consideration of public sentiment were the main principles for the implementation of this program. Catherine II in the first years of her reign reformed the Senate (in 1763). His work became more efficient as a result. The following year, in 1764, Catherine the Great carried out the secularization of church lands. A biography for the children of this empress, presented on the pages school textbooks, be sure to acquaint students with this fact. Secularization significantly replenished the treasury, and also eased the situation of many peasants. Catherine in Ukraine liquidated the hetmanship in accordance with the need to unify local government throughout the state. In addition, she invited German colonists to the Russian Empire to develop the Black Sea and Volga regions.

The foundation of educational institutions and the new Code

In the same years, a number of educational institutions were founded, including for women (the first in Russia) - the Catherine School, the Smolny Institute. In 1767, the Empress announced that a special commission was being convened to create a new Code. It consisted of elected deputies, representatives of all social groups of society, except for serfs. For the commission, Catherine wrote "Instruction", which is, in fact, the liberal program of the reign of this empress. However, her calls were not understood by the deputies. On the smallest issues they argued. deep contradictions between social groups revealed during these discussions, as well as low level many deputies have a political culture and the conservatism of most of them. The established commission was dissolved at the end of 1768. The empress appreciated this experience as an important lesson that introduced her to the moods of various segments of the population of the state.

Development of legislative acts

After the Russian-Turkish war ended, which lasted from 1768 to 1774, and the Pugachev uprising was suppressed, a new stage of Catherine's reforms began. The empress began to develop the most important legislative acts herself. In particular, a manifesto was issued in 1775, according to which it was allowed to start any industrial enterprises without restrictions. Also this year, a provincial reform was carried out, as a result of which a new Administrative division empire was established. It survived until 1917.

Expanding the topic "Brief biography of Catherine the Great", we note that in 1785 the Empress issued the most important legislative acts. These were letters of grant to the cities and the nobility. A charter was also prepared for the state peasants, but political circumstances did not allow it to be put into effect. The main significance of these letters was associated with the implementation of the main goal of Catherine's reforms - the creation in the empire of full-fledged estates on the model Western Europe. The diploma meant for the Russian nobility the legal consolidation of almost all the privileges and rights that they had.

Recent and unrealized reforms proposed by Catherine the Great

Biography ( summary) of the empress of interest to us is marked by the fact that she carried out various reforms until her death. For example, education reform was continued into the 1780s. Catherine the Great, whose biography is presented in this article, created a network of school institutions based on the classroom system in cities. The Empress in the last years of her life continued to plan serious transformations. The reform of the central administration was scheduled for 1797, as well as the introduction of legislation on the succession to the throne in the country, the creation of a higher court based on representation from the 3 estates. However, Catherine II the Great did not have time to complete the extensive reform program. Her brief biography, however, would be incomplete if we did not mention all this. In general, all these reforms were a continuation of the reforms begun by Peter I.

Catherine's foreign policy

What else is interesting about the biography of Catherine the Great? The empress, following Peter, believed that Russia should actively act on the world stage, pursue an offensive policy, even to some extent aggressive. After accession to the throne, she broke the alliance treaty with Prussia, concluded by Peter III. Thanks to the efforts of this empress, it was possible to restore Duke E.I. Biron on the throne of Courland. Supported by Prussia, in 1763 Russia achieved the election of Stanisław August Poniatowski, his protege, to the Polish throne. This, in turn, led to a deterioration in relations with Austria due to the fact that she feared the strengthening of Russia and began to incite Turkey to war with her. On the whole, the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 was successful for Russia, but the difficult situation inside the country encouraged her to seek peace. And for this it was necessary to restore the old relations with Austria. In the end, a compromise was reached. Poland fell victim to it: its first division was carried out in 1772 by Russia, Austria and Prussia.

The Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace treaty was signed with Turkey, which ensured the independence of the Crimea, which was beneficial for Russia. The empire in the war between England and the colonies of North America took neutrality. Catherine refused to help the troops of the English king. A number of European states joined the Declaration on Armed Neutrality, created at the initiative of Panin. This contributed to the victory of the colonists. In subsequent years, the position of our country in the Caucasus and in the Crimea was strengthened, which ended with the inclusion of the latter into the Russian Empire in 1782, as well as the signing of the Treaty of Georgievsk with Erekle II, King of Kartli-Kakheti, the following year. This ensured the presence of Russian troops in Georgia, and then the annexation of its territory to Russia.

Strengthening of authority in the international arena

The new foreign policy doctrine of the Russian government was formed in the 1770s. It was a Greek project. Its main goal was to restore Byzantine Empire and the announcement by Emperor of Prince Konstantin Pavlovich, who was the grandson of Catherine II. Russia in 1779 significantly strengthened its authority in the international arena, participating as an intermediary between Prussia and Austria in the Teschen Congress. The biography of Empress Catherine the Great can also be supplemented by the fact that in 1787, accompanied by the court, the Polish king, the Austrian emperor and foreign diplomats, she traveled to the Crimea. It became a demonstration of the military power of Russia.

Wars with Turkey and Sweden, further partitions of Poland

The biography of Catherine the Great continued with the fact that she started a new Russian-Turkish war. Russia was now acting in alliance with Austria. Almost at the same time, the war with Sweden also began (from 1788 to 1790), which tried to take revenge after the defeat in the Northern War. The Russian Empire managed to cope with both of these opponents. In 1791 the war with Turkey ended. The Peace of Jassy was signed in 1792. He secured the influence of Russia in Transcaucasia and Bessarabia, as well as the annexation of Crimea to it. The 2nd and 3rd Partitions of Poland took place in 1793 and 1795 respectively. They put an end to Polish statehood.

Empress Catherine the Great, short biography which was examined by us, died on November 17 (according to the old style - November 6), 1796 in St. Petersburg. So significant is her contribution to Russian history that the memory of Catherine II is kept by many works of domestic and world culture, including the works of such great writers as N.V. Gogol, A.S. Pushkin, B. Shaw, V. Pikul and others. The life of Catherine the Great, her biography inspired many directors - the creators of such films as "Caprice of Catherine II", "Royal Hunt", "Young Catherine", "Dreams of Russia", " Russian rebellion" and others.

The life of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, which has attracted the attention of both ordinary people and creative personalities for more than two centuries, is surrounded by a large number of various myths. AiF.ru recalls the five most common legends about the most famous Russian mistress.

Myth one. “Catherine II gave birth to an heir to the throne not from Peter III”

One of the most persistent myths associated with the Russian Empress concerns who was the father of the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich. For Paul I, who ascended the throne, this topic remained painful until the very last days.

The reason for the stability of such rumors lies in the fact that Catherine II herself did not seek to refute them or somehow punish those who spread them.

The relationship between Catherine and her husband, the future Emperor Peter III, really did not differ in warmth. Marital relations in the early years were defective due to Peter's illness, which was subsequently overcome as a result of the operation.

Two years before the birth of Pavel, Catherine had her first favorite, Sergey Saltykov. Relations between him and Catherine ended after the future empress showed signs of pregnancy. Subsequently, Saltykov was sent abroad as a Russian envoy, and practically did not appear in Russia.

There seems to be a lot of grounds for the version of Saltykov's paternity, but they all do not look convincing against the background of an undoubted portrait resemblance between Peter III and Paul I. Contemporaries, guided not by rumors, but by facts, had no doubt that Pavel was the son of Peter Fedorovich.

Myth two. "Catherine II sold Alaska to America"

A persistent myth at the end of the 20th century was reinforced by the song of the Lyube group, after which the status of the “liquidator of Russian America” was finally established for the empress.

In reality, during the reign of Catherine the Great, Russian industrialists were just starting to develop Alaska. The first permanent Russian settlement was established on Kodiak Island in 1784.

The empress was really unenthusiastic about the projects for the development of Alaska submitted to her, but this was caused by who and how intended to develop it.

In 1780, the secretary of the College of Commerce Mikhail Chulkov submitted to the Prosecutor General of the Senate, Prince Vyazemsky, a project to create a company that was supposed to receive a 30-year monopoly on fishing and trade throughout the Pacific North. Catherine II, who was an opponent of monopolies, rejected the project. In 1788, a similar project, which provided for the transfer of the trade and fishing monopoly of monopoly rights to the extraction of furs in the newly discovered territories in the New World, was filed by industrialists Grigory Shelikhov And Ivan Golikov. The project was also rejected. Only after the death of Catherine II, the development of Alaska by a monopoly company was approved by Paul I.

As for the sale of Alaska, a deal with the United States was concluded in March 1867 at the initiative of the great-grandson of Catherine the Great, Emperor Alexander II.

Myth three. "Catherine II had hundreds of lovers"

Rumors about the incredible sexual adventures of the Russian Empress, which have been replicated for the third century, are greatly exaggerated. The list of her hobbies for her whole life contains a little more than 20 surnames - this, of course, is not typical for the Russian court of the pre-Catherine era, but for the mores of Europe at that time the situation was quite normal. With a small clarification - for male monarchs, not for women. But the thing is that there were not so many women who single-handedly ruled states at that time.

Until 1772, Catherine's love list was very short - in addition to her legal spouse Petr Fedorovich, it featured Sergey Saltykov, the future Polish king Stanislav August Poniatowski And Grigory Orlov, a relationship with which lasted about 12 years.

Apparently, the 43-year-old Ekaterina was further affected by the fear of fading her own beauty. In an effort to catch up with youth, she began to change favorites, who were getting younger, and the duration of their stay next to the empress was getting shorter.

The last of the favorites lasted for seven whole years. In 1789, 60-year-old Catherine approached a 22-year-old horse guard Platon Zubov. The aging woman was very attached to Zubov, whose only talent was pulling money from the state treasury. But this sad story certainly has nothing to do with the mythical "hundreds of lovers."

Myth four. “Catherine II spent most of her time at feasts and balls”

The childhood of little Fike was really far from the classical ideas of how a princess should live. The girl even had to learn to darn her own stockings. It would not be surprising if, having arrived in Russia, Catherine would rush to compensate for her “difficult childhood” with a passion for luxury and entertainment.

But in fact, having ascended the throne, Catherine II lived in the harsh rhythm of the head of state. She got up at 5 am, and only in later years this time shifted to 7 am. Immediately after breakfast, the reception of officials began, and the schedule of their reports was clearly scheduled by hours and days of the week, and this order did not change for years. The working day of the empress lasted up to four hours, after which it was time for rest. At 22 o'clock Ekaterina went to bed, because in the morning she had to get up again for work.

Officials who visited the Empress on official business outside of solemn and official events saw her in simple dresses without any jewelry - Catherine believed that she did not need to dazzle her subjects on weekdays with her appearance.

Myth five. "Catherine II was killed by a Polish dwarf avenger"

The death of the Empress was also surrounded by many myths. A year before her death, Catherine II was one of the initiators of the Third Partition of Poland, after which the country ceased to exist as an independent state. The Polish throne, on which the former lover of the Empress, King Stanislav August Poniatowski, had previously sat, was sent to St. Petersburg, where, on the orders of the Empress, they allegedly made a “stool” for her dressing room.

Of course, the Polish patriots could not endure such a humiliation of their own country and the ancient throne of the Piast dynasty.

The myth says that a certain Pole-dwarf allegedly managed to sneak into Catherine's chambers, ambushed her in the restroom, stabbed her with a dagger and safely disappeared. The courtiers who discovered the Empress were unable to help her, and she soon died.

The only truth in this story is that Catherine was actually found in the lavatory. On the morning of November 16, 1796, the 67-year-old Empress, as usual, got out of bed, drank coffee and went to the dressing room, where she lingered for too long. The valet on duty dared to look there, and found Ekaterina lying on the floor. Her eyes were closed, her complexion was purple, and wheezing came from her throat. The Empress was transferred to the bedchamber. During the fall, Catherine dislocated her leg, her body became so heavy that the servants did not have enough strength to lift him onto the bed. Therefore, a mattress was laid on the floor and the empress laid on it.

All signs indicated that Catherine had an apoplexy - this term then meant a stroke and cerebral hemorrhage. She did not regain consciousness, and the court physicians who assisted her had no doubt that the Empress had only a few hours to live.

According to doctors, death should have occurred at about three o'clock in the afternoon on November 17. The strong body of Catherine and then made its own adjustments - grand empress passed away at 9:45 pm November 17, 1796.

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EKATERINA II

Features of the personal life of Catherine II

Portrait of Catherine II

Catherine was a brunette of medium height. She combined high intelligence, education, statesmanship and commitment to "free love". Catherine is known for her connections with numerous lovers, the number of which (according to the list of the authoritative Ekaterinologist P. I. Bartenev) reaches 23.

Artist Pyotr Semenovich Drozhdin, portrait of Catherine II

The most famous of them were Sergei Saltykov, Grigory Orlov, Lieutenant Vasilchikov of the Horse Guards, Grigory Potemkin, hussar Zorich, Lanskoy, the last favorite was the cornet Platon Zubov, who became a general.

Potemkin and Ekaterina

With Potemkin, according to some sources, Catherine was secretly married.

His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin-Tavrichesky

In 1762, Catherine planned a marriage with Orlov, but on the advice of those close to her, she abandoned this idea.

Artist K.L. Christinek, portrait of Prince Grigory Orlov

Portrait of Semyon Gavrilovich Zorich

Portrait of Dmitriev-Mamonov, Alexander Matveevich

Portrait of Platon Zubov

Portrait of Catherine in Russian national costume

Catherine's love affairs are marked by a series of scandals. So, Grigory Orlov, being her favorite, at the same time (according to M.M. Shcherbatov) cohabited with all her ladies-in-waiting and even with his 13-year-old cousin.

Portrait of Prince Grigory Orlov

The favorite of Empress Lanskoy used an aphrodisiac to increase "male strength" (kontarid) in ever-increasing doses, which, apparently, according to the conclusion of the court physician Weikart, was the cause of his unexpected death at a young age.

Portrait of A.D. Lansky

Artist D.G. Levitsky, portrait of Catherine II

Her last favorite, Platon Zubov, was a little over 20 years old, while Catherine's age at that time had already exceeded 60.

Portrait of Prince Platon Alexandrovich Zubov

Artist A.P. Antropov, portrait of Empress Catherine II

Historians mention many other scandalous details (“a bribe” of 100 thousand rubles paid to Potemkin by the future favorites of the empress, many of whom were his adjutants before, testing their “male strength” by her ladies-in-waiting, etc.).

Artist F.S. Rokotov, portrait of Catherine II

The bewilderment of contemporaries, including foreign diplomats, the Austrian emperor Joseph II, etc., caused rave reviews and characteristics that Catherine gave to her young favorites, for the most part devoid of any outstanding talents. As N.I. Pavlenko, “neither before Catherine nor after her, debauchery did not reach such widespread and did not manifest itself in such a frankly defiant form.

Artist I.S. Sablukov, portrait of Catherine II

It is worth noting that in Europe Catherine's "debauchery" was not such a rare phenomenon against the background of the general licentiousness of the mores of the 18th century. Most kings (with the possible exception of Frederick the Great, Louis XVI and Charles XII) had numerous mistresses. However, this does not apply to reigning queens and empresses. Thus, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa wrote about the "disgust and horror" that such persons as Catherine II instill in her, and this attitude towards the latter was shared by her daughter Marie Antoinette. As K. Valishevsky wrote in this regard, comparing Catherine II with Louis XV, “the difference between the sexes until the end of time, we think, will give a deeply unequal character to the same actions, depending on whether they are committed by a man or a woman ... moreover the mistresses of Louis XV never influenced the fate of France.

Artist Eriksen Vigilius, portrait of Catherine II in shugay and kokoshnik

There are numerous examples of the exceptional influence (both negative and positive) that Catherine's favorites (Orlov, Potemkin, Platon Zubov, etc.) had on the fate of the country, starting from June 28, 1762, until the death of the Empress, as well as on its domestic, foreign policy and even on military operations. As N.I. Pavlenko, to please the favorite Grigory Potemkin, who envied the glory of Field Marshal Rumyantsev, this outstanding commander and hero of the Russian-Turkish wars was removed by Catherine from command of the army and was forced to retire to his estate. Another, very mediocre commander, Musin-Pushkin, on the contrary, continued to lead the army, despite his blunders in military campaigns (for which the empress herself called him a “real blockhead”) - due to the fact that he was a “favorite on June 28”, one of those who helped Catherine seize the throne.

Artist Lampi Johann Baptist the Elder, portrait of Catherine II

In addition, the institute of favoritism had a negative effect on the morals of the higher nobility, who sought benefits through flattery to a new favorite, tried to make “his own man” into lovers to the empress, etc. A contemporary of M.M. Shcherbatov wrote that the favoritism and debauchery of Catherine II contributed to the decline in the morals of the nobility of that era, and historians agree with this.

Artist D.G. Levitsky, portrait of Catherine II in the form of a legislator in the temple of the goddess of Justice

Catherine had two sons: Pavel Petrovich and Alexei Bobrinsky (son of Grigory Orlov), as well as a daughter, Anna Petrovna, who died in infancy, (possibly from the future King of Poland, Stanislaw Poniatowski). Less likely is Catherine's motherhood in relation to Potemkin's pupil named Elizabeth, who was born when the Empress was over 45 years old.

Children's portrait of Paul, the son of Peter III Fedorovich and Catherine II Alekseevna, according to the most common version, his father is Sergey Saltykov

Pavel, son of Peter III Fedorovich and Catherine II Alekseevna

Portrait of Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky in a fancy dress, Alexei - the illegitimate son of Empress Catherine II and Grigory Grigorievich Orlov

Elizaveta Grigorievna Tyomkina, alleged daughter of Empress Catherine II and His Serene Highness Prince G.A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky

Portrait of Stanisław August Poniatowski

Stanislav August Poniatowski (1732-1798), Catherine's secret lover.

1756. Catherine, recovering from childbirth and separation from her beloved Saltykov, fell in love again with a young Pole who came to Russia in the retinue of the English ambassador Williams.

1758. After the fall of Chancellor Bestuzhev, Williams and Poniatowski were forced to leave Petersburg.

The officially recognized Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna (1757-1759), most likely, was the daughter of Poniatowski, as he himself believed Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich, who, judging by the Notes of Catherine, used to say: “God knows where my wife gets pregnant from; I don’t know for sure if this child is mine and if I should recognize him as mine. ”

In the future, Catherine will make him King of Poland, and then annex Poland and annex it to Russia. The only foreigner on the list of beloved Catherine, a born German princess: such an addiction to Russian beauties pleased her subjects, who remembered the “German dominance” of favorites Anna Ioannovna and Anna Leopoldovna.

Portrait of Grigory Orlov

Orlov, Grigory Grigorievich (1734-1783), Catherine's secret lover, then official favorite since 1762.

Beginning of relationship 1759 or 1760. In the spring of 1759, Count Schwerin, the aide-de-camp of Frederick II, arrived in St. Petersburg, who was captured in the Battle of Zorndorf, to which Orlov was assigned as a guard. Orlov gained fame by repulsing his mistress from Pyotr Shuvalov.

End of relationship 1772. In total, the couple was together for 12 years, after the death of her husband, Catherine even wanted to marry him, but she was dissuaded. In parallel, he had many mistresses, of which Catherine was aware. Finally, at the beginning of 1772, he left for a peace congress with the Turks in Focsani, and in his absence the star of the favorite went down, as Catherine drew attention to Vasilchikov.

Bobrinsky, Alexei Grigorievich - the son of Ekaterina and Orlov, was born on April 22, 1762, a few months after the death of Elizaveta Petrovna. It is reported that on the day when she began giving birth, her faithful servant Shkurin set fire to his house, and Peter rushed off to look at the fire.

Orlov and his passionate brothers contributed to the overthrow of Peter and Catherine's accession to the throne. Having lost favor, Grigory married his cousin Ekaterina Zinovieva, and after her death he went crazy.

Portrait of Grigory Potemkin

Potemkin, Grigory Alexandrovich (1739-1791), official favorite, apparently, morganatic spouse since 1775

The beginning of relations in 1774, spring, an old acquaintance of Catherine, who took part in the coup.

The end of relations 1776, in April 1776 he went on vacation to revise the Novgorod province, at which time Zavadovsky, on whom the empress "had her eye", took his place.

Daughter - Tyomkina, Elizaveta Grigoryevna (Catherine's motherhood is in question). Despite the gap in his personal life, thanks to his abilities, he maintained the friendship and respect of Catherine and for many years remained the second person in the state. He was unmarried, his personal life consisted of the "enlightenment" of his young nieces, including Ekaterina Engelhardt.

Portrait of P.V. Zavodovsky

Zavadovsky, Pyotr Vasilyevich (1739-1812), Catherine's official favorite.

The beginning of relations 1776, November, was under Rumyantsev, was introduced to the Empress as the author of reports and reports on the affairs of Little Russia in the summer of 1775 during her stay in Moscow. He interested her as a person "quieter and more peaceful" than Potemkin.

The end of relations 1777, July, joined the party of the Orlovs and Count Rumyantsev, did not suit Potemkin and was displaced by his efforts. In May 1777, after Catherine met Zorich, Zavadovsky was given a 6-month official leave.

Zavadovsky is a Little Russian by birth. Since his retirement, he has held prominent positions in the administration. He loved the empress “like a woman” and was truly jealous of her, which hurt him in her eyes. I could not forget her even after parting. He left for the Lyalichi estate granted to him, in 1777 he was recalled by the empress back to the capital, since 1780 he has been engaged in administrative activities on her behalf.

Became the first minister public education. He married Vera Nikolaevna Apraksina, daughter of S.O. Apraksina, niece and metress of Kirill Razumovsky.

Considered next in ability after Potemkin among Catherine's favorites; the only one, besides him, whom she allowed to return and instructed to engage in state activities.

Portrait of S.G. Zoricha

Zorich, Semyon Gavrilovich (1745-1799), Catherine's official favorite.

The beginning of relations 1777, June. Potemkin, wanting to remove Zavadovsky, was looking for a replacement for him and took Zorich to his adjutant, and then appointed him commander of the life hussar squadron - Catherine's personal bodyguard.

End of relationship with Catherine 1778, June. Caused the displeasure of the immoderate empress card game, and Potemkin's discontent - unwillingness to reckon with his interests, in a fit of temper he told the prince a bunch of insolence. Was expelled from Petersburg.

Zorich is a handsome hussar of Serbian origin, 14 years younger than the Empress. Catherine was unhappy with his poor education and the fact that he did not share her cultural interests, she always expected that he could "do something dirty." As a result, he was dismissed with a large reward, granted by 7 thousand peasants and settled in the town of Shklov presented to him by Catherine II, where he founded the Shklov noble school at his own expense. Entangled in debt and was suspected of counterfeiting.

Portrait of A.D. Lansky

Lanskoy, Alexander Dmitrievich (1758-1784), Catherine's official favorite.

The beginning of the relationship - 1780, April. He was introduced to Catherine by Chief Police Officer P.I. Thick, she drew attention to him, but he did not become a favorite. Levashev turned to Potemkin for help, he made him his adjutant and led his court education for about six months, after which in the spring of 1780 he recommended him to the empress as a cordial friend.

In 1784, on July 25, Lanskoy died after a five-day illness with a toad and fever. Alexander Lanskoy was 29 years younger than the 54-year-old at the time the empress began her relationship. The only one of the favorites who did not interfere in politics and refused influence, ranks, and orders. He shared Catherine's interest in the sciences and, under her guidance, studied French and got acquainted with philosophy. Enjoyed universal sympathy. He sincerely adored the empress and tried his best to keep peace with Potemkin. If Catherine began to flirt with someone else, Lanskoy "did not get jealous, did not cheat on her, did not dare, but so touchingly lamented her disgrace and suffered so sincerely that he again won her love."

Portrait of A.M. Dmitrieva-Mamonova

Dmitriev-Mamonov, Alexander Matveevich (1758-1803), Catherine's official favorite.

The beginning of relations with Catherine - 1786, July. distant relative Potemkin and his adjutant. Presented to the Empress the day after Yermolov's departure.

End of relationship - 1789, November. Alexander fell in love with the maid of honor, Princess Darya Fedorovna Shcherbatova, which was reported to Catherine. “... Before the evening exit, Her Majesty herself deigned to betroth Count A. M. Mamonov to Princess Shcherbatova; they, on their knees, asked for forgiveness and are forgiven. The groom was presented with gifts and ordered to leave St. Petersburg the very next day after the wedding on July 12.

A.M. Dmitriev-Mamonov - 28-year-old at the time of the beginning of a relationship with Ekaterina. He was tall and intelligent. He wrote poetry and plays. He did not interfere in the administration of the state. Being married in Moscow, he repeatedly applied to Empress Catherine II with a request to allow him to return to St. Petersburg, but was refused. As Golovkin remarked: “He was neither this nor that, and nothing at all; he had only one entertainment - to harass his wife, whom he endlessly accused of being the culprit of his complete insignificance. She bore him 4 children, eventually dispersed.

Portrait of M.A. Miloradovich

Miloradovich Mikhail Andreevich

The beginning of acquaintance with Catherine - 1789. He was among the candidates who were proposed after Dmitriev's resignation. They also included the retired second-major of the Preobrazhensky regiment of Kazarinov, Baron Mengden - all young handsome men, behind each of whom were influential courtiers (Potemkin, Bezborodko, Naryshkin, Vorontsov and Zavadovsky).

Relations with Catherine ended in 1789. The famous general, was killed on the Senate Square by the Decembrist Kakhovsky. The episode of a possible favor with Catherine is usually not mentioned in the biography. According to the instructions of Ya.L. Barskova is included in Catherine's Don Juan list.

Portrait of P.A. Zubova

Zubov, Platon Alexandrovich (1767-1822), Catherine's official favorite.

The beginning of the relationship - 1789, July. Protege of Field Marshal Prince N.I. Saltykov, the main educator of Ekaterina's grandchildren.

End of relationship 1796, November 6th. The last favorite of Catherine. The relationship ended with her death.

At the time of the beginning of relations with the 60-year-old Empress, Platon Zubov was 22 years old.

The first official favorite since the time of Potemkin, who was not his adjutant. Behind him were N.I. Saltykov and A.N. Naryshkin, Perekusikhina also bothered for him. He enjoyed great influence, practically managed to force out Potemkin, who threatened to "come and pull out a tooth." Later participated in the assassination of Emperor Paul. Shortly before his death, he married a young, humble and poor Polish beauty and was terribly jealous of her.

Artist A. Roslin, portrait of Catherine II

Artist D.G. Levitsky, portrait of Catherine II

Artist Mikhail Shibanov, portrait of Catherine II in a traveling suit

Catherine II on a walk in Tsarskoye Selo Park, with the Chesme Column in the background