The name of the son of Catherine 2. Expansion of the limits of the Russian Empire

Sophia Frederick Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst was born on April 21 (May 2), 1729 in the German Pomeranian city of Stettin (now Szczecin in Poland). The father came from the Zerbst-Dornburg line of the Anhalt house and was in the service of the Prussian king, was a regimental commander, commandant, then governor of the city of Stettin, ran for the Dukes of Courland, but unsuccessfully, ended the service as a Prussian field marshal. Mother - from the family of Holstein-Gottorp, was the cousin of the future Peter III. Maternal uncle Adolf Friedrich (Adolf Fredrik) has been the king of Sweden since 1751 (elected heir in the city). The lineage of Catherine II's mother goes back to Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the first Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and the founder of the Oldenburg dynasty.

Childhood, education and upbringing

The family of the Duke of Zerbst was not rich, Catherine was educated at home. She studied German and French, dances, music, the basics of history, geography, theology. I was brought up in strictness. She grew up inquisitive, prone to outdoor games, persistent.

Ekaterina continues to educate herself. She reads books on history, philosophy, jurisprudence, the works of Voltaire, Montesquieu, Tacitus, Bayle, and a large amount of other literature. The main entertainment for her was hunting, horseback riding, dancing and masquerades. The absence of marital relations with the Grand Duke contributed to the appearance of Catherine's lovers. Meanwhile, Empress Elizabeth expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of children from the spouses.

Finally, after two unsuccessful pregnancies, on September 20 (October 1), 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son, who was immediately taken away from her, called Paul (future Emperor Paul I) and deprived of the opportunity to educate, and only occasionally allowed to see. A number of sources claim that the true father of Paul was Catherine's lover S. V. Saltykov. Others - that such rumors are unfounded, and that Peter underwent an operation that eliminated a defect that made conception impossible. The issue of paternity aroused public interest as well.

After the birth of Pavel, relations with Peter and Elizaveta Petrovna finally deteriorated. Peter openly made mistresses, however, without preventing Catherine from doing this, who during this period had a relationship with Stanislav Poniatowski, the future king of Poland. On December 9 (20), 1758, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Anna, which caused great displeasure of Peter, who said at the news of a new pregnancy: “God knows where my wife is getting pregnant; I don’t know for sure if this child is mine and if I should recognize him as mine. At this time, the condition of Elizabeth Petrovna worsened. All this made the prospect of expelling Catherine from Russia or concluding her in a monastery real. The situation was aggravated by the fact that Catherine's secret correspondence with the disgraced Field Marshal Apraksin and the British Ambassador Williams, dedicated to political issues, was revealed. Her former favorites were removed, but a circle of new ones began to form: Grigory Orlov, Dashkova and others.

The death of Elizabeth Petrovna (December 25, 1761 (January 5, 1762)) and the accession to the throne of Peter Fedorovich under the name of Peter III further alienated the spouses. Peter III began to openly live with his mistress Elizaveta Vorontsova, settling his wife at the other end of the Winter Palace. When Catherine became pregnant from Orlov, this could no longer be explained by accidental conception from her husband, since communication between the spouses had completely ceased by that time. Ekaterina hid her pregnancy, and when the time came to give birth, her devoted valet Vasily Grigoryevich Shkurin set fire to his house. A lover of such spectacles, Peter with the court left the palace to look at the fire; at this time, Catherine gave birth safely. Thus, the first in Rus', Count Bobrinsky, the founder of a famous family, was born.

Coup June 28, 1762

1. It is necessary to educate the nation, which should govern.
2. It is necessary to introduce good order in the state, to support society and force it to comply with the laws.
3. It is necessary to establish a good and accurate police force in the state.
4. It is necessary to promote the flourishing of the state and make it abundant.
5. It is necessary to make the state formidable in itself and inspire respect for its neighbors.

The policy of Catherine II was characterized by progressive, without sharp fluctuations, development. Upon her accession to the throne, she carried out a number of reforms (judicial, administrative, etc.). The territory of the Russian state increased significantly due to the annexation of the fertile southern lands - the Crimea, the Black Sea region, as well as the eastern part of the Commonwealth, etc. The population increased from 23.2 million (in 1763) to 37.4 million (in 1796), Russia became the most populous European country (it accounted for 20% of the population of Europe). As Klyuchevsky wrote, “The army from 162 thousand people was strengthened to 312 thousand; from 16 million rubles. rose to 69 million, that is, increased by more than four times, the success of foreign trade: the Baltic; in an increase in import and export, from 9 million to 44 million rubles, the Black Sea, Catherine and created - from 390 thousand in 1776 to 1900 thousand rubles. in 1796, the growth of domestic turnover was indicated by the issue of a coin in 34 years of the reign for 148 million rubles, while in the 62 previous years it was issued only for 97 million.

The Russian economy continued to be agrarian. The share of the urban population in 1796 was 6.3%. At the same time, a number of cities were founded (Tiraspol, Grigoriopol, etc.), iron smelting increased by more than 2 times (in which Russia took 1st place in the world), and the number of sailing and linen manufactories increased. In total, by the end of the XVIII century. there were 1200 large enterprises in the country (in 1767 there were 663 of them). The export of Russian goods to European countries, including through established Black Sea ports.

Domestic politics

Catherine's commitment to the ideas of the Enlightenment determined the nature of her domestic policy and the direction of reforming various institutions of the Russian state. The term "enlightened absolutism" is often used to characterize the domestic policy of Catherine's time. According to Catherine, based on the works of the French philosopher Montesquieu, the vast Russian expanses and the harshness of the climate determine the regularity and necessity of autocracy in Russia. Based on this, under Catherine, the autocracy was strengthened, the bureaucratic apparatus was strengthened, the country was centralized and the system of government was unified.

Laid commission

An attempt was made to convene the Legislative Commission, which would systematize the laws. The main goal is to clarify the people's needs for comprehensive reforms.

More than 600 deputies took part in the commission, 33% of them were elected from the nobility, 36% - from the townspeople, which also included the nobles, 20% - from the rural population (state peasants). The interests of the Orthodox clergy were represented by a deputy from the Synod.

As the guiding document of the Commission of 1767, the empress prepared the "Instruction" - a theoretical justification for enlightened absolutism.

The first meeting was held in the Faceted Chamber in Moscow

Due to the conservatism of the deputies, the Commission had to be dissolved.

Soon after the coup, the statesman N.I. Panin proposed the creation of an Imperial Council: 6 or 8 higher dignitaries rule together with the monarch (as the conditions of 1730). Catherine rejected this project.

According to another project of Panin, the Senate was transformed - 15 Dec. 1763 It was divided into 6 departments, headed by chief prosecutors, the prosecutor general became the head. Each department had certain powers. The general powers of the Senate were reduced, in particular, it lost the legislative initiative and became the body of control over the activities of the state apparatus and the highest judicial authority. The center of legislative activity moved directly to Catherine and her office with secretaries of state.

Provincial reform

Nov 7 In 1775, the "Institution for the administration of the provinces of the All-Russian Empire" was adopted. Instead of a three-tier administrative division - province, province, county, a two-tier administrative division began to operate - province, county (which was based on the principle of taxable population). Of the former 23 provinces, 50 were formed, each of which had 300-400 thousand residents. The provinces were divided into 10-12 counties, each with 20-30 thousand d.m.p.

Thus, the further need to maintain the presence of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks in their historical homeland for the protection of the southern Russian borders has disappeared. At the same time, their traditional way of life often led to conflicts with Russian authorities. After repeated pogroms of Serbian settlers, and also in connection with the support of the Pugachev uprising by the Cossacks, Catherine II ordered the Zaporizhzhya Sich to be disbanded, which was carried out on the orders of Grigory Potemkin to pacify the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks by General Peter Tekeli in June 1775.

The Sich was bloodlessly disbanded, and then the fortress itself was destroyed. Most of the Cossacks were disbanded, but after 15 years they were remembered and created the Army of the Faithful Cossacks, later the Black Sea Cossack Host, and in 1792 Catherine signs a manifesto that gives them the Kuban for perpetual use, where the Cossacks moved, founding the city of Ekaterinodar.

The reforms on the Don created a military civil government modeled on the provincial administrations of central Russia.

The beginning of the annexation of the Kalmyk Khanate

As a result of general administrative reforms 70s, aimed at strengthening the state, it was decided to join Russian Empire Kalmyk Khanate.

By her decree of 1771, Catherine liquidated the Kalmyk Khanate, thereby starting the process of joining the Kalmyk state to Russia, which previously had vassalage relations with Russian state. The affairs of the Kalmyks began to be in charge of a special Expedition of Kalmyk Affairs, established under the office of the Astrakhan governor. Under the rulers of the uluses, bailiffs from among Russian officials were appointed. In 1772, during the Expedition of Kalmyk Affairs, a Kalmyk court was established - Zargo, consisting of three members - one representative each from the three main uluses: Torgouts, Derbets and Khoshuts.

This decision of Catherine was preceded by a consistent policy of the empress to limit the khan's power in Kalmyk Khanate. Thus, in the 1960s, the crisis in the khanate intensified due to the colonization of Kalmyk lands by Russian landlords and peasants, the reduction of pasture land, the infringement of the rights of the local feudal elite, and the interference of tsarist officials in Kalmyk affairs. After the construction of the fortified Tsaritsynskaya line, thousands of families of Don Cossacks began to settle in the area of ​​the main nomad camps of the Kalmyks, cities and fortresses began to be built along the entire Lower Volga. The best pasture lands were allocated for arable land and hayfields. The nomadic area was constantly narrowing, in turn, this aggravated internal relations in the khanate. The local feudal elite was also dissatisfied with the missionary activities of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Christianization of nomads, as well as the outflow of people from uluses to cities and villages to work. Under these conditions, among the Kalmyk noyons and zaisangs, with the support of the Buddhist church, a conspiracy was ripened with the aim of leaving the people to their historical homeland - to Dzungaria.

On January 5, 1771, the Kalmyk feudal lords, dissatisfied with the policy of the empress, raised the uluses that roamed along the left bank of the Volga, and set off on a dangerous path to Central Asia. Back in November 1770, the army was assembled on the left bank under the pretext of repelling the raids of the Kazakhs of the Younger Zhuz. The bulk of the Kalmyk population lived at that time on the meadow side of the Volga. Many noyons and zaisangs, realizing the fatality of the campaign, wanted to stay with their uluses, but the army coming from behind drove everyone forward. This tragic campaign turned into a terrible disaster for the people. The small Kalmyk ethnos lost on the way about 100,000 people who died in battles, from wounds, cold, hunger, diseases, as well as captured, lost almost all their livestock - the main wealth of the people. , , .

These tragic events in the history of the Kalmyk people are reflected in the poem "Pugachev" by Sergei Yesenin.

Regional reform in Estonia and Livonia

The Baltic states as a result of the regional reform in 1782-1783. was divided into 2 provinces - Riga and Revel - with institutions that already existed in other provinces of Russia. In Estonia and Livonia, the special Baltic order was abolished, which provided for more extensive rights than the Russian landowners had for local nobles to work and the personality of the peasant.

Provincial reform in Siberia and the Middle Volga region

Under the new protectionist tariff of 1767, the import of those goods that were or could be produced within Russia was completely prohibited. Duties from 100 to 200% were imposed on luxury goods, wine, grain, toys ... Export duties amounted to 10-23% of the value of imported goods.

In 1773, Russia exported goods worth 12 million rubles, which was 2.7 million rubles more than imports. In 1781, exports already amounted to 23.7 million rubles against 17.9 million rubles of imports. Russian merchant ships began sailing in the Mediterranean as well. Thanks to the policy of protectionism in 1786, the country's exports amounted to 67.7 million rubles, and imports - 41.9 million rubles.

At the same time, Russia under Catherine experienced a number of financial crises and was forced to external loans, the size of which by the end of the reign of the empress exceeded 200 million silver rubles.

Social politics

Moscow Orphanage

In the provinces there were orders of public charity. In Moscow and St. Petersburg - Orphanages for homeless children (currently the building of the Moscow Orphanage is occupied by the Military Academy named after Peter the Great), where they received education and upbringing. To help widows, the Widow's Treasury was created.

Compulsory smallpox vaccination was introduced, and Catherine was the first to make such an inoculation. Under Catherine II, the fight against epidemics in Russia began to take on the character of state events that were directly within the responsibilities of the Imperial Council, the Senate. By decree of Catherine, outposts were created, located not only on the borders, but also on the roads leading to the center of Russia. The "Charter of border and port quarantines" was created.

New areas of medicine for Russia developed: hospitals for the treatment of syphilis, psychiatric hospitals and shelters were opened. A number of fundamental works on questions of medicine have been published.

National politics

After the lands that were formerly part of the Commonwealth were annexed to the Russian Empire, about a million Jews turned up in Russia - a people with a different religion, culture, way of life and way of life. To prevent their resettlement in the central regions of Russia and attachment to their communities for the convenience of collecting state taxes, Catherine II in 1791 established the Pale of Settlement, beyond which Jews had no right to live. The Pale of Settlement was established in the same place where the Jews had lived before - on the lands annexed as a result of the three partitions of Poland, as well as in the steppe regions near the Black Sea and sparsely populated territories east of the Dnieper. The conversion of Jews to Orthodoxy removed all restrictions on residence. It is noted that the Pale of Settlement contributed to the preservation of Jewish national identity, the formation of a special Jewish identity within the Russian Empire.

Having ascended the throne, Catherine canceled the decree of Peter III on the secularization of lands near the church. But already in Feb. 1764 again issued a decree on the deprivation of the Church land ownership. Monastic peasants numbering about 2 million people. both sexes were removed from the jurisdiction of the clergy and transferred to the management of the College of Economy. The jurisdiction of the state included the estates of churches, monasteries and bishops.

In Ukraine, the secularization of monastic possessions was carried out in 1786.

Thus, the clergy became dependent on secular authorities, since they could not carry out independent economic activity.

Catherine achieved from the government of the Commonwealth the equalization of the rights of religious minorities - Orthodox and Protestants.

Under Catherine II, persecution ceased Old Believers. The Empress initiated the return of the Old Believers, the economically active population, from abroad. They were specially assigned a place on the Irgiz (modern Saratov and Samara regions). They were allowed to have priests.

The free resettlement of Germans in Russia led to a significant increase in the number of Protestants(mostly Lutherans) in Russia. They were also allowed to build churches, schools, freely perform worship. At the end of the 18th century, there were over 20,000 Lutherans in St. Petersburg alone.

Expansion of the Russian Empire

Partitions of Poland

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth included Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Belarus.

The reason for intervening in the affairs of the Commonwealth was the question of the position of dissidents (that is, the non-Catholic minority - Orthodox and Protestants), so that they were equalized with the rights of Catholics. Catherine exerted strong pressure on the gentry to elect her protege Stanisław August Poniatowski to the Polish throne, who was elected. Part of the Polish gentry opposed these decisions and organized an uprising raised in the Bar Confederation. It was suppressed by Russian troops in alliance with the Polish king. In 1772, Prussia and Austria, fearing the strengthening of Russian influence in Poland and its success in the war with the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), offered Catherine to divide the Commonwealth in exchange for ending the war, otherwise threatening war against Russia. Russia, Austria and Prussia brought in their troops.

In 1772 took place 1st section of the Commonwealth. Austria received all of Galicia with districts, Prussia - West Prussia (Pomorye), Russia - the eastern part of Belarus to Minsk (provinces of Vitebsk and Mogilev) and part of the Latvian lands that were previously part of Livonia.

The Polish Sejm was forced to agree to the partition and renounce claims to the lost territories: it lost 3,800 km² with a population of 4 million people.

Polish nobles and industrialists contributed to the adoption of the Constitution of 1791. The conservative part of the population of the Targowice Confederation turned to Russia for help.

In 1793 took place 2nd section of the Commonwealth, approved by the Grodno Seimas. Prussia received Gdansk, Torun, Poznan (part of the land along the Warta and Vistula rivers), Russia - Central Belarus with Minsk and Right-Bank Ukraine.

The wars with Turkey were marked by major military victories by Rumyantsev, Suvorov, Potemkin, Kutuzov, Ushakov, and the assertion of Russia in the Black Sea. As a result of them, the Northern Black Sea region, Crimea, and the Kuban region were ceded to Russia, its political positions in the Caucasus and the Balkans were strengthened, and Russia's authority on the world stage was strengthened.

Relations with Georgia. Georgievsky treatise

Georgievsky treatise of 1783

Catherine II and the Georgian king Erekle II concluded the Treaty of Georgievsk in 1783, according to which Russia established a protectorate over the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. The treaty was concluded in order to protect Orthodox Georgians, since Muslim Iran and Turkey threatened the national existence of Georgia. The Russian government took Eastern Georgia under its protection, guaranteed its autonomy and protection in case of war, and during the peace negotiations, it was obliged to insist on the return of the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom of possessions that had long belonged to it, and illegally torn away by Turkey.

The result of the Georgian policy of Catherine II was a sharp weakening of the positions of Iran and Turkey, which formally destroyed their claims to Eastern Georgia.

Relations with Sweden

Taking advantage of the fact that Russia entered the war with Turkey, Sweden, supported by Prussia, England and Holland, unleashed a war with her for the return of previously lost territories. The troops that entered the territory of Russia were stopped by General-in-Chief V.P. Musin-Pushkin. After a series of naval battles that did not have a decisive outcome, Russia defeated the Swedish battle fleet in the battle of Vyborg, but due to a storm that had flown in, suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of rowing fleets at Rochensalm. The parties signed the Treaty of Verel in 1790, according to which the border between the countries did not change.

Relations with other countries

After French Revolution Catherine was one of the initiators of the anti-French coalition and the establishment of the principle of legitimism. She said: “The weakening of the monarchical power in France endangers all other monarchies. For my part, I am ready to resist with all my might. It's time to act and take up arms." However, in reality, she abstained from participating in hostilities against France. According to popular belief, one of the real reasons for the formation of the anti-French coalition was to divert the attention of Prussia and Austria from Polish affairs. At the same time, Catherine refused all treaties concluded with France, ordered the expulsion of all suspected sympathizers for the French Revolution from Russia, and in 1790 issued a decree on the return of all Russians from France.

During the reign of Catherine the Russian Empire acquired the status of a "great power". As a result of two successful Russian-Turkish wars for Russia, 1768-1774 and 1787-1791. the Crimean peninsula and the entire territory of the Northern Black Sea region were annexed to Russia. In 1772-1795. Russia took part in the three sections of the Commonwealth, as a result of which it annexed the territories of present-day Belarus, Western Ukraine, Lithuania and Courland. The Russian Empire also included Russian America - Alaska and the West coast of the North American continent (the current state of California).

Catherine II as a figure of the Age of Enlightenment

Ekaterina - writer and publisher

Catherine belonged to a small number of monarchs who would communicate so intensively and directly with their subjects through the drafting of manifestos, instructions, laws, polemical articles and indirectly in the form of satirical writings, historical dramas and pedagogical opuses. In her memoirs, she confessed: "I cannot see a clean pen without feeling the desire to immediately dip it in ink."

She possessed an extraordinary talent as a writer, leaving behind a large collection of works - notes, translations, librettos, fables, fairy tales, comedies “Oh, time!”, “Name day of Mrs. Vorchalkina”, “Anterior noble boyar”, “Ms. Vestnikova with her family”, “The Invisible Bride” (-), essays, etc., participated in the weekly satirical magazine “Everything”, published from the city. The Empress turned to journalism in order to influence public opinion, so the main idea of ​​​​the magazine was criticism of human vices and weaknesses . Other subjects of irony were the superstitions of the population. Catherine herself called the magazine: "Satire in a smiling spirit."

Ekaterina - philanthropist and collector

Development of culture and art

Catherine considered herself a "philosopher on the throne" and favored the European Enlightenment, was in correspondence with Voltaire, Diderot, d "Alembert.

Under her rule, the Hermitage and the Public Library appeared in St. Petersburg. She patronized various areas of art - architecture, music, painting.

It is impossible not to mention the mass settlement of German families initiated by Catherine in various regions of modern Russia, Ukraine, as well as the Baltic countries. The goal was to “infect” Russian science and culture with European ones.

Courtyard of the time of Catherine II

Features of personal life

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. The most famous of them were Sergey Saltykov, G.G. Potemkin (later prince), hussar Zorich, Lanskoy, the last favorite was the cornet Platon Zubov, who became a count of the Russian Empire and a general. With Potemkin, according to some sources, Catherine was secretly married (). After she planned a marriage with Orlov, however, on the advice of those close to her, she abandoned this idea.

It is worth noting that Catherine's "debauchery" was not such a scandalous phenomenon against the backdrop 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. Catherine's favorites (with the exception of Potemkin, who had state abilities) did not influence politics. Nevertheless, the institution of favoritism had a negative effect on the higher nobility, who sought benefits through flattery to a new favorite, tried to make “their own man” a lover to the Empress, etc.

Catherine had two sons: Pavel Petrovich () (it is suspected that his father was Sergei Saltykov) and Alexei Bobrinsky (- son of Grigory Orlov) and two daughters: who died in infancy Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna (1757-1759, possibly the daughter of the future King of Poland Stanislav Poniatowski) and Elizaveta Grigoryevna Tyomkina (- Potemkin's daughter).

Famous figures of the Catherine era

The reign of Catherine II was characterized by the fruitful activities of outstanding Russian scientists, diplomats, military, statesmen, workers of culture and art. In 1873, in St. Petersburg, in the square in front of the Alexandrinsky Theater (now Ostrovsky Square), an impressive multi-figure monument to Catherine was erected, designed by M. O. Mikeshin by sculptors A. M. Opekushin and M. A. Chizhov and architects V. A. Schroeter and D. I. Grimm. The foot of the monument consists of a sculptural composition, the characters of which are - prominent figures Catherine's era and associates of the Empress:

The events of the last years of the reign of Alexander II - in particular, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 - prevented the implementation of the plan to expand the memorial of the Catherine's era. D. I. Grimm developed a project for the construction in the square next to the monument to Catherine II of bronze statues and busts depicting figures of the glorious reign. According to the final list, approved a year before the death of Alexander II, six bronze sculptures and twenty-three busts on granite pedestals were to be placed next to the monument to Catherine.

In growth should have been depicted: Count N. I. Panin, Admiral G. A. Spiridov, writer D. I. Fonvizin, Prosecutor General of the Senate Prince A. A. Vyazemsky, Field Marshal Prince N. V. Repnin and General A. I. Bibikov, former chairman of the Commission on the code. In the busts - the publisher and journalist N. I. Novikov, the traveler P. S. Pallas, the playwright A. P. Sumarokov, the historians I. N. Boltin and Prince M. M. Shcherbatov, the artists D. G. Levitsky and V. L Borovikovsky, architect A. F. Kokorinov, favorite of Catherine II Count G. G. Orlov, admirals F. F. Ushakov, S. K. Greig, A. I. Cruz, military leaders: Count Z. G. Chernyshev, Prince V M. Dolgorukov-Krymsky, Count I. E. Ferzen, Count V. A. Zubov; Moscow governor-general Prince M. N. Volkonsky, Novgorod governor Count Ya. E. Sievers, diplomat Ya. Panin and I. I. Mikhelson, the hero of the capture of the fortress Ochakov I. I. Meller-Zakomelsky.

In addition to those listed, such famous figures of the era are noted as:

Catherine in art

To the cinema

• "Catherine the Great", 2005. In the role of Catherine - Emily Brun
• "Golden Age", 2003. In the role of Catherine -

Catherine II was born on April 21, 1729, before the adoption of Orthodoxy, she had the name of Sophia-August-Frederick. By the will of fate, in 1745 Sophia converted to Orthodoxy, and was baptized under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna.

Married with the future emperor of Russia. The relationship between Peter and Catherine somehow did not work out right away. A wall of barriers arose between them because of the banal not understanding each other.

Despite the fact that the spouses did not have a particularly big difference in age, Pyotr Fedorovich was a real child, and Ekaterina Alekseevna wanted a more adult relationship from her husband.

Catherine was quite well educated. Since childhood, she studied various sciences, such as: history, geography, theology and foreign languages. Her level of development was very high, she danced and sang beautifully.

Arriving in, she was immediately imbued with the Russian spirit. Realizing that the emperor's wife must have certain qualities, she sat down at textbooks on Russian history and the Russian language.

From the first days of my stay in Russia, I was imbued with the Russian spirit, and with great love for the new Motherland. Ekaterina Alekseevna quickly mastered new sciences, in addition to language and history, she studied economics and jurisprudence.

Her desire to “become her own” in a completely new, unfamiliar society, made this very society accept her and love her passionately.

As a result of complications in relations with her husband and constant palace intrigues, Ekaterina Alekseevna seriously had to take care of her fate. The situation was stalemate.

Peter III did not have authority in Russian society, and there was no support for those six months of his reign, nothing but irritation and indignation in Russian society.

In connection with the aggravation of relations between the spouses, she seriously risked going to the monastery. The situation forced her to act decisively.

Enlisting the support of the guards, Ekaterina Alekseevna and her supporters carried out a coup d'état. Peter III abdicated the throne, and Catherine II became the new Russian empress. The coronation took place on September 22 (October 3), 1762 in Moscow.

Its policy can be described as successful and thoughtful. During the years of her reign, Ekaterina Alekseevna achieved excellent results. Thanks to a successful domestic and foreign policy, Catherine II managed to achieve a significant increase in the territory and number of people inhabiting it.

During her reign, trade flourished in Russia. quantities industrial enterprises on the territory of the Empire has doubled. The enterprises fully provided for the needs of the army and navy. Under her active development of the Urals began, most of the new enterprises were opened here.

Let's briefly go through the legislative acts of Ekaterina Alekseevna in economic matters. In 1763, internal customs duties were abolished.

In 1767, people had legal right engage in any urban industry. In the period from 1766 to 1772, duties on the export of wheat abroad were abolished, which led to an increase in the development of agriculture and the development of new lands. In 1775, the Empress abolished taxes on small-scale trade.

The nobles received the right to exile their peasants to Siberia. Also, now the peasants could not complain about their master. The decrease in the personal freedoms of the peasants was one of the reasons for the uprising that took place from 1773 to 1775.

In 1775 Catherine IIstarted reform government controlled. According to the new law, the territorial and administrative division of Russia took the following form: the Empire was divided into provinces, those in turn into counties, and instead of 23 provinces, 50 were created.

The provinces were formed in terms of the convenience of taxation, and not geographical or national features. The province was governed by a governor appointed by the monarch. Some large provinces were subject to the governor-general, who had a wider scope of power.

The governor headed the provincial government. The functions of the board were: the announcement and explanation of the laws to the population. As well as the transfer to justice of violators of laws. Power in the lower levels of the county was in the hands of the local nobility, an assembly where they chose the persons who would occupy important posts in places.

The foreign policy of Catherine II was aggressive. The empress believed that Russia should behave as during the time of Peter I, conquer new territories, legitimize its rights to access to the seas. Russia took part in the division of Poland, as well as in the Russo-Turkish wars. Successes in them made the Russian Empire one of the most influential states in Europe.

Ekaterina Alekseevna died in 1796, on November 6 (17). The years of the reign of Catherine II 1762 - 1796

Needless to say, Catherine II is one of the most recognizable characters in Russian history. Her personality is definitely interesting. Ask any layman who he considers the most successful Russian ruler? I am sure that in response you will hear the name of Catherine II. She was in fact a worthy ruler, with her the Russian theater, Russian literature, and science were actively developing.

In cultural and historical terms, the Russian Empire really gained a lot. Unfortunately, the personal life of the Empress is full of various rumors and gossip. Some of them are probably true, and some are not. It is a pity that Catherine II, being a great historical figure, to put it mildly, is not a model of morality.

Russian monarchs are credited with a considerable number of illegitimate children, most of whom never really existed. There are very real historical people who were considered imperial children, but who in fact were not.

But there are people over the mystery of whose origin historians are still puzzled. One of these is Elizaveta Grigoryevna Tyomkina.

At Catherine the Great there were many favorites Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin stands alone. He managed to become not only the lover of the Empress, but also her close friend, right hand, assistant in all matters and undertakings.

Changed as favorite Grigory Orlov, his namesake turned out to be wiser, more far-sighted, more active.

Relations between Potemkin and Catherine II in a certain period of time were so close that there was even a version of their secret wedding.

As you know, from Grigory Orlov, Catherine gave birth to a son, Alexei. Considering the empress's affection for Potemkin, the version that Catherine decided to have a child from him looks quite realistic.

Secret childbirth

On July 13, 1775, a girl was secretly born in Moscow, named Elizabeth. The baby was taken by Potemkin to his sister Maria Alexandrovna Samoilova, and his nephew was appointed guardian of the girl Alexander Nikolaevich Samoilov.

When the girl grew up, in the 1780s they picked up another guardian for her - they became personal physician Ivan Filippovich Beck who treated the grandchildren of the Empress. In the future, the girl was given for training and education in a boarding school.

The question of Grigory Potemkin's paternity does not arise in this case - direct evidence is the surname "Tyomkina" given to the girl.

According to the then tradition, the surname of the illegitimate offspring of a noble father was formed by removing the first syllable from the parent's surname. So the Betskys, Pnins and Litsyns appeared in Rus' - illegitimate descendants of the princes Trubetskoy, Repnin and Golitsyn. So there is no doubt that Liza Tyomkina was the daughter of Grigory Potemkin, no.

But was the Empress her mother?

For some time before and after July 13, 1775, Catherine did not appear in public. According to the official version, Catherine got an upset stomach due to unwashed fruits. During this period, she really was in Moscow, where the celebration of the Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace treaty, which ended the Russian-Turkish war, took place. That is, Catherine had all the conditions for secretly giving birth to a child.

"Now is the time to have children"

There were many skeptics, however, both then and now. Most of all, the age of Catherine herself caused doubts: by the time of the alleged birth, she was already 46 years old, which is quite a lot in terms of childbearing today, and by the standards of the 18th century, it seemed to be beyond the age.

King of France Louis XVI, the one who was about to lose his head from the guillotine knife, ironically: "Mrs. Potemkina is a good forty-five: it's time to give birth to children."

The second reason for doubt is Catherine's attitude towards Elizabeth Tyomkina. Or rather, the absence of any relationship whatsoever. Against the background of first care, and then anger towards Orlov's son Alexei Bobrinsky, such indifference of the Empress looks strange.

It cannot be said that the father spoiled the girl with attention, although Elizabeth, of course, had everything she needed.

There is an assumption that the mother of Elizabeth could be one of the favorites of Potemkin himself, who, of course, could not compete with the Empress and about whom little is known. However, there is no convincing evidence for this version either.

"The family lived together, cheerfully and noisily"

According to contemporaries, Elizabeth Tyomkina herself knew from childhood that she was the daughter of Grigory Potemkin and Catherine the Great.

After the death of her father, Elizaveta Tyomkina was granted large estates in the Kherson region - a region, the development and arrangement of which gave a lot of effort to the Most Serene Prince.

In 1794, a 19-year-old rich bride was married off as a 28-year-old Second Major Ivan Khristoforovich Kalageorgi.

The son of a Greek nobleman, guardsman-cuirassier Ivan Kalageorgi was a prominent person. From childhood, he was brought up with the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich and therefore was one of the close associates of the imperial family.

This marriage turned out to be happy - Ivan and Elizabeth had ten children, 4 sons and 6 daughters. Ivan Kalageorgi himself rose to the rank of governor of the Yekaterinoslav province.

The character of Elizabeth Tyomkina was described in different ways - some called her spoiled, self-confident and uncontrollable, others - a modest woman and a good mother.

Great-grandson of Elizabeth Tyomkina, famous literary critic and linguist Dmitry Nikolaevich Ovsyaniko-Kulikovskiy, he described the life of his ancestors in this way: “The family lived together, cheerfully and noisily, but at the same time somehow very restless, expecting at times all sorts of troubles and misfortunes.”

Portrait from the Tretyakov Gallery

After Elizabeth got married, one of her former guardians Alexander Samoilov ordered famous artist Vladimir Borovikovsky her portrait. “What I need most... is to have a portrait of Elizaveta Grigorievna Kalageorgieva... I want the painter Borovikovsky to copy it... let Elizaveta Grigorievna be painted in such a way that her neck was open and her hair, disheveled with curls, lay on it without order.. . ”, Samoilov gave instructions in a letter to his representative.

Portrait of Elizabeth Grigoryevna Tyomkina as Diana. 1798. Photo: Public Domain

The portrait was ready in a year. Borovikovsky also performed his miniature repetition on zinc. On it, Elizabeth was depicted in the image ancient greek goddess Diana, bare-breasted, with a crescent-moon ornament in her hair.

The portrait and miniature were donated to the Calageorgi family.

Elizaveta Grigorievna Tyomkina-Kalageorgi lived a life far from political storms, and died in May 1854, at the age of 78.

In 1884 the son of Elizabeth Konstantin Ivanovich Kalageorgi offered to purchase a portrait of his mother to a collector Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov for 6 thousand rubles.

Tretyakov considered the price too high. Then the grandson of Elizabeth and the son of Constantine, the justice of the peace, joined the bargaining Nikolai Konstantinovich Kalageorgi, who wrote to the collector: "The portrait of my grandmother has a triple historical significance - in the personality of the artist, in the personality of my grandmother and as a type of beauty of the eighteenth century, which makes its value completely independent of the fashionable trends of contemporary art."

Tretyakov, however, was not convinced by this argument either. As a result, the portrait remained in the Calageorgi family.

In 1907, the widow of Judge Calageorga sold the portrait to the Moscow collector Tsvetkov. 18 years later, the Tsvetkov collection became part of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The miniature with Elizaveta Tyomkina as Diana was acquired by the Tretyakov Gallery in 1964.

The portrait of the daughter of Grigory Potemkin today can be seen by all visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery. See and try to independently conclude whether she was the daughter of Catherine II. After all, historians did not have one hundred percent evidence of the correctness or fallacy of this version, and still do not.

The list of men of Catherine II includes men who figured in the intimate life of Empress Catherine the Great (1729-1796), including her spouses, official favorites and lovers. Catherine II has up to 21 lover, but how can we object to the empress, then, of course, there were methods.

1. Catherine's husband was Peter Fedorovich (Emperor Peter III) (1728-1762). They had a wedding in 1745, August 21 (September 1) The end of the relationship June 28 (July 9), 1762 - the death of Peter III. His children, according to the Romanov tree, Pavel Petrovich (1754) (according to one version, his father is Sergei Saltykov) and officially - Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna (1757-1759, most likely the daughter of Stanislav Poniatovsky). He suffered, he was a type of impotence, and in the early years did not carry out marital relations with her. Then this problem was solved with the help of a surgical operation, and in order to perform it, Saltykov got Peter drunk.

2. While she was engaged, she also had an affair, Saltykov, Sergey Vasilyevich (1726-1765). In 1752 he was at the small court of the Grand Dukes Catherine and Peter. The beginning of the 1752 novel. The end of the relationship was the born child Pavel in October 1754. After that, Saltykov was expelled from St. Petersburg and sent as an envoy to Sweden.

3. Catherine's lover was Stanisław August Poniatowski (1732-1798) who fell in love in 1756. And in 1758, after the fall of Chancellor Bestuzhev, Williams and Poniatowski were forced to leave St. Petersburg. After the novel, her daughter Anna Petrovna (1757-1759) was born, and he himself thought so 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.

4. Also, Catherine 2 was not upset and continued to fall in love further. Her next secret lover was Orlov, Grigory Grigoryevich (1734-1783). The beginning of the novel in the spring of 1759, Count Schwerin, the adjutant wing 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. The end of the relationship 1772 after the death of her husband, even she wanted to marry him and then she was dissuaded. Orlov had many mistresses. They also had a son, Bobrinsky, Alexei Grigorievich was born on April 22, 1762, a few months after the death of Elizabeth 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, he married his cousin Ekaterina Zinovieva, and after her death he went crazy.

5. Vasilchikov, Alexander Semyonovich (1746-1803/1813) Official favorite. Acquaintance in 1772, September. Often stood guard in Tsarskoye Selo, received a golden snuffbox. I took Orlov's room. On March 20, 1774, in connection with the rise of Potemkin, he was sent to Moscow. Catherine considered him boring (14 years difference). After his resignation, he settled in Moscow with his brother and did not marry.

6. Potemkin, Grigory Alexandrovich (1739-1791) Official favorite, husband since 1775. In April 1776 he went on vacation. Catherine gave birth to Potemkin's daughter, Elizaveta Grigoryevna Tyomkina. He was unmarried, his personal life consisted of the "enlightenment" of his young nieces, including Ekaterina Engelgart.

7. Zavadovsky, Pyotr Vasilyevich (1739-1812) official favorite.
The beginning of relations in 1776. November, presented to the Empress as the author, interested Catherine. In 1777, June did not suit Potemkin and was dismissed. Also in May 1777, Catherine met Zorich. He was jealous of Catherine 2, which hurt. 1777 recalled by the empress back to the capital, 1780 engaged in administrative affairs, married Vera Nikolaevna Apraksina.

8. Zorich, Semyon Gavrilovich (1743/1745-1799) . In 1777, June became Catherine's personal bodyguard. 1778 June caused inconvenience, expelled from St. Petersburg (14 years younger than the Empress) Was fired and expelled with a small reward. He founded the Shklov School. Entangled in debt and was suspected of counterfeiting.

9. Rimsky-Korsakov, Ivan Nikolaevich (1754-1831) Official favorite. 1778, June. Noticed by Potemkin, who was looking for a replacement for Zorich, and distinguished by him due to his beauty, as well as ignorance and lack of serious abilities that could make him a political rival. Potemkin introduced him to the Empress among three officers. On June 1, he was appointed adjutant wing to the empress. 1779, October 10. Removed from the court, after the Empress found him in the arms of Countess Praskovya Bruce, Field Marshal Rumyantsev's sister. This intrigue of Potemkin had as its goal the removal not of Korsakov, but of Bruce herself. 25 years younger than the Empress; Catherine was attracted by his announced "innocence". He was very handsome and had an excellent voice (for the sake of it, Catherine invited world-famous musicians to Russia). After losing favor, he first stayed in St. Petersburg and talked about his connection with the empress in the living rooms, which hurt her pride. In addition, he left Bruce and began an affair with Countess Ekaterina Stroganova (he was 10 years younger than her). This turned out to be too much, and Catherine sent him to Moscow. In the end, her husband divorced Stroganova. Korsakov lived with her until the end of her life, they had a son and two daughters.

10 Stakhiev (Fears) The beginning of relations in 1778; 1779, June. The end of relations 1779, October. According to the description of contemporaries, "a jester of the lowest sort." Strakhov was the protégé of Count N.I. Panin Strakhov may be Ivan Varfolomeevich Strakhov (1750-1793), in which case he was not the empress's lover, but a man whom Panin considered insane, and who, when Catherine once told him that he can ask her for some favor, threw himself on his knees and asked for her hand, after which she began to avoid him.

11 Stoyanov (Stanov) The beginning of relations 1778. End of relationship 1778. Potemkin's protege.

12 Rantsov (Rontsov), Ivan Romanovich (1755-1791) The beginning of relations 1779. Mentioned among those who participated in the "competition", it is not entirely clear whether he managed to visit the empress's alcove. End of relationship 1780. One of the illegitimate sons of Count R. I. Vorontsov, half-brother of Dashkova. A year later, he led the London crowd in the riots organized by Lord George Gordon.

13 Levashov, Vasily Ivanovich (1740 (?) - 1804). The beginning of relations in 1779, October. The end of the relationship 1779, October. Major of the Semyonovsky regiment, a young man patronized by Countess Bruce. He was witty and funny. The uncle of one of the subsequent favorites is Ermolova. He was not married, but had 6 "pupils" from a student of the theater school Akulina Semyonova, who were granted the dignity of nobility and his surname.

14 Vysotsky, Nikolai Petrovich (1751-1827). The beginning of relations 1780, March. Potemkin's nephew. End of relationship 1780, March.

15 Lanskoy, Alexander Dmitrievich (1758-1784) Official favorite. The beginning of relations 1780 April He was introduced to Catherine by Chief of Police P. I. Tolstoy, 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. End of relationship 1784, July 25. He died after a five-day illness with a toad and fever. 29 years younger than the 54-year-old at the time of the beginning of the relationship of the empress. 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, didn’t cheat on her, didn’t dare, but so touching […] he lamented her disgrace and suffered so sincerely that he won her love again.”

16. Mordvinov. The beginning of relations in 1781. May. Lermontov's relative. Probably Mordvinov, Nikolai Semyonovich (1754-1845). The admiral's son, the same age as Grand Duke Paul, was brought up with him. The episode was not reflected in his biography, usually not mentioned. Became a famous naval commander. Lermontov's relative

17 Ermolov, Alexander Petrovich (1754-1834) February 1785, a holiday was specially arranged to introduce him to the Empress. 1786, June 28. He decided to act against Potemkin (the Crimean Khan Sahib-Girey was supposed to receive large sums from Potemkin, but they were detained, and the khan turned to Yermolov for help), in addition, the empress cooled off. He was expelled from St. Petersburg - he was "allowed to go abroad for three years." In 1767, traveling along the Volga, Catherine stopped at his father's estate and took the 13-year-old boy to St. Petersburg. Potemkin took him into his retinue, and almost 20 years later he proposed a candidate as a favorite. He was tall and slender, blond, sullen, taciturn, honest and too simple. With letters of recommendation from Chancellor Count Bezborodko, he left for Germany and Italy. Everywhere he kept himself very modest. After his resignation, he settled in Moscow and married Elizaveta Mikhailovna Golitsyna, with whom he had children. The nephew of the previous favorite is Vasily Levashov. Then he left for Austria, where he bought a rich and profitable Frosdorf estate near Vienna, where he died at the age of 82.

18. Dmitriev-Mamonov, Alexander Matveyevich (1758-1803) In 1786, June is presented to the Empress after Yermolov's departure. In 1789, he fell in love with Princess Darya Fedorovna Shcherbatova, Catherine was donated. asked for forgiveness, forgiven. After the wedding, he was forced to leave St. Petersburg. Future married in Moscow. Repeatedly asked to return to St. Petersburg, but was refused. His wife gave birth to 4 children, eventually parted.

19. Miloradovich. The beginning of relations in 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 (Potyomkin, Bezborodko, Naryshkin, Vorontsovs and Zavadovsky). End of relationship 1789.

20. Miklashevsky. The beginning of the relationship is 1787. The end is 1787. Miklashevsky was a candidate, but he did not become a favorite. According to evidence, during the trip of Catherine II to the Crimea in 1787, some Miklashevsky was among the candidates for favorites. Perhaps it was Miklashevsky, Mikhail Pavlovich (1756-1847), who was part of Potemkin's retinue as an adjutant (the first step towards favor), but it is not clear from what year. In 1798, Mikhail Miklashevsky was appointed Little Russian governor, but was soon dismissed. In the biography, the episode with Catherine is usually not mentioned.

21. Zubov, Platon Alexandrovich (1767-1822) Official favorite. The beginning of relations in 1789, July. He was a protege of Field Marshal Prince N. I. Saltykov, the main educator of Catherine's grandchildren. End of relationship 1796, November 6th. The last favorite of Catherine. Relations were interrupted with her death. 22-year-old at the time of the beginning of relations with the 60-year-old empress. The first official favorite since the time of Potemkin, who was not his adjutant. Behind him were N. I. Saltykov and A. N. Naryshkina, and Perekusikhina also fussed 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.

Memory of Catherine II. Monuments dedicated to her.

That “in Russia, at times, a kind of interregnum in affairs is noticed, which coincides with the displacement of one favorite and the appearance of a new one. This event overshadows all others. It concentrates on itself all interests and directs them in one direction; even ministers, to whom this general mood responds, suspend business until the final choice of a temporary worker brings everyone back to normal condition and will not give the government machine its normal course.

Usually (with the exception of a short period in -1780, when she was under fifty, and she short term changed several lovers) Catherine spent several years with her favorites, parting with them usually due to incompatibility of characters, poor education of favorites, their betrayals or unworthy behavior (problems for favorites arose due to a large difference in age with the empress, her strict routine day and control over their schedule and the need to pay respect to Potemkin). The surviving correspondence of Catherine with her lovers betrays “her unbridled sensuality”, but “as far as we know, she never entered into a relationship without love. There is no evidence that she ever approached a man, not believing that she was entering into long and serious relationship» . There were probably both "transitional cases" and "one-night dates" in search of a suitable companion, but they were inevitably rare, since it was almost impossible to bring someone into the palace and take them out without passing numerous servants, guards and courtiers who invariably noticed and commented any actions of the empress (information about a potential future favorite was valuable - letters from foreign diplomats to their homeland indicate that they carefully collected such rumors).

Catherine's relationship with her favorites was the warmest, she actually passionately fell in love with each of them, surrounding each with care and attention. The novel usually began "with an outburst of her maternal love, German sentimentality and admiration for the beauty of her new lover". She admired the current favorite in communicating with others, and when it became necessary to part with him, she fell into depression and sometimes abandoned business for several weeks. None of the lovers who lost her favor, even those who cheated on her, were not subjected to serious disgrace, they were usually sent from the capital with large gifts to the granted estates. Contemporaries and historians (especially Soviet ones) calculated the amounts that Catherine spent on gifts to her beloved during the period of favor, and called colossal numbers.

Grigory Potemkin

Almost all of her favorites after Potemkin were presented to Catherine by him personally (except Zubov) and defended his interests. Apparently, after the crisis caused by the appearance of the next favorite after Potemkin, Zavadovsky, an “tacit agreement” was concluded between Catherine and Potemkin: each favorite should protect the interests of the prince at court. She demanded unquestioning obedience to Potemkin from the favorites, and if this rule was violated, the favorite was fired. The favorites of the empress were young people who had neither wealth nor influential relatives, who owed their rise entirely to Potemkin and Catherine and did not subsequently play an independent role. Potemkin's biographer writes that historians often overlooked the triangle "Catherine - Potemkin - young favorite", but it was precisely such a triangle that made up the "family" of the empress. Potemkin's rooms were still connected to the apartments of the Empress, he had the right to enter without a report, and the current favorite at any moment could be faced with the need to endure his company or even retire. Apparently, Catherine and Potemkin did not interrupt "marital relations" until the end of their lives. Some memoirists call him « favorite-anshef», and the rest - "unter favorites".

“Historians have been overly interested in what Catherine did at night, while for history it is more important what she devoted her days to.”

Pyotr Bartenev

Chronological listings[ | ]

Husbands, lovers and favorites[ | ]

№	Name	Portrait	The beginning of a relationship	End of a relationship	Status	Note
1	Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich (Emperor Peter III) (1728-1762)		1745, August 21 (September 1) - wedding	June 28 (July 9), 1762 - death of Peter III	legal spouse	His children, according to the Romanov tree: Pavel Petrovich() (according to another version, his father is Sergei Saltykov) and officially - Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna(1757-1759, most likely the daughter of Stanisław Poniatowski). Suffered, according to rumors, some kind of impotence associated with phimosis, and in the early years did not have marital relations with her. Then this problem was solved with the help of a surgical operation, and in order to perform it, Peter got drunk by Saltykov.
2	Saltykov, Sergei Vasilievich (1726-1765)		1752. Since this period, it has been at the "small court" of the Grand Dukes Ekaterina Alekseevna and Pyotr Fedorovich. The beginning of the novel is probably the spring of that year.	1754 October. 2 weeks after birth led. book. Paul hastily sent as an envoy to Sweden. A few months earlier, when the signs of Catherine's pregnancy became noticeable, he was no longer allowed to see her and she suffered from separation.	secret lover	The only one famous men the empress is older than her. Catherine II, wanting to discredit her son Pavel, did not refute the rumors that Saltykov was his father. After the story with Catherine, he remained at foreign courts almost all his life.
3	Stanislav August Poniatowski (1732-1798)		1756. Catherine, having recovered 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.	1758. After the fall of Chancellor Bestuzhev, Williams and Poniatowski were forced to leave Petersburg.	secret lover	Officially recognized Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna(1757-1759), most likely, was the daughter of Poniatowski, as Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich himself believed, who, judging by Catherine's Notes, said: “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 nee German princess: such an addiction to Russian beauties pleased her subjects, who remembered the “German dominance” of favorites Anna Ioannovna and Anna Leopoldovna.
4	Orlov, Grigory Grigorievich (1734-1783)		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.	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. At the same time, he had many mistresses, whom Catherine knew about. Finally, at the beginning of 1772, he left for a peace congress with the Turks in Focsany, and in his absence the star of the favorite went down, as Catherine drew attention to Vasilchikov.	Secret lover, then official favorite (since 1762).	Bobrinsky, Alexey 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, he married his cousin Ekaterina Zinovieva, and after her death he went crazy.
5	Vasilchikov, Alexander Semyonovich (1746-1803/1813)		1772, September. In the spring and summer of this year, he often stood on guard at Tsarskoe Selo, where he attracted the attention of the empress and soon received a golden snuff box "for the maintenance of guards." Then he occupied the rooms in the palace in which Orlov lived, and for fear of a sudden return former favorite A guard was placed at the door of his premises. Such a change in favorite, after the Oryol decade, was a novelty and caused great commotion at court.	1774 March 20 Vasilchikov, in connection with the rise of Potemkin, was sent an imperial command to go to Moscow.	Official favorite	The first of Catherine's favorites is much younger than her in age (17 years difference), and was distinguished by beauty. He was disinterested and made little use of his position. Catherine, however, felt his emptiness and lack of education and considered him boring. After his resignation, he settled in Moscow with his brother, did not marry.
6	Potemkin, Grigory Alexandrovich (1739-1791)		1774, spring. An old acquaintance of Catherine, who took part in the coup	1776. In April 1776, he went on vacation to revise the Novgorod province, at which time Zavadovsky, whom the Empress "had her eye on", took his place.	Official favorite, apparently morganatic spouse from 1775 (see Wedding of Catherine II and Potemkin)	Daughter - Tyomkina, Elizaveta Grigorievna(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. Unmarried, his personal life consisted of "educating" his young nieces, including Ekaterina Engelhardt.
7	Zavadovsky, Pyotr Vasilievich (1739-1812)		1776 November He 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.	1777 July. He joined the party of the Orlovs and Count Rumyantsev, did not suit Potemkin and was replaced by his efforts. In May 1777, after Catherine met Zorich, Zavadovsky was given a 6-month official leave.	Official favorite	Born Little Russian. 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. He became the first minister of 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.
8	Zorich, Semyon Gavrilovich (1743/1745-1799)		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.	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.	Official favorite	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.
9	Rimsky-Korsakov, Ivan Nikolaevich (1754-1831)		1778, June. Noticed by Potemkin, who was looking for a replacement for Zorich, and distinguished by him due to his beauty, as well as ignorance and lack of serious abilities that could make him a political rival. Potemkin introduced him to the Empress among three officers (including Bergman, Rontsov). On June 1, he was appointed adjutant wing to the Empress.	1779, October 10. Removed from the court, after the empress found him in the arms of Countess Praskovya Bruce, sister of Field Marshal Rumyantsev. This intrigue of Potemkin had as its goal the removal not of Korsakov, but of Bruce herself.	Official favorite	25 years younger than the empress; Catherine was attracted by his announced "innocence". He was very handsome and had an excellent voice (for the sake of it, Catherine invited world-famous musicians to Russia). After losing favor, he first stayed in St. Petersburg and talked about his connection with the empress in the living rooms, which hurt her pride. In addition, he left Bruce and began an affair with Countess Ekaterina Stroganova (he was 10 years younger than her). This turned out to be too much, and Catherine sent him to Moscow. Stroganova went with him to the Bratsevo estate, given to her by her husband. She never divorced her husband, Count Alexander Sergeevich Stroganov, continuing to bear this surname until the end of her life. Korsakov lived with her all his life, they had four children: two sons and two daughters.
1778/1779 was a chaotic year in Catherine's personal life, she could not choose a permanent lover for herself. Perhaps this was due to the blow from Korsakov's betrayal. Information about men of this period is contradictory..				Chronology of the "interregnum" (according to Kazimir Valishevsky): 1778, June - the rise of Korsakov 1778, August - rivals are trying to beat off the favors of the empress from him, they are supported by Potemkin (on the one hand) and Panin and Orlov (on the other) September 1778 - Strakhov triumphs over rivals 4 months later - the rise of Levashov. A young man patronized by Countess Bruce, Sveikovsky (or Svihovsky), pierced himself with a sword in despair that this officer was preferred to him. Rimsky-Korsakov on short time returns to previous position Rimsky-Korsakov vs. Stoyanov
10	Stakhiev (Fear)		1778; 1779, June.	1779 October.		According to the description of contemporaries, "a jester of the lowest sort." Strakhov was a protégé of Count N.I. Panin Strakhov may be Ivan Varfolomeevich Strakhov(1750-1793), in this case, he was not the lover of the Empress, but a man whom Panin considered insane, and who, when Catherine once told him that he could ask her for some kind of favor, threw himself on his knees and asked her hands, after which she began to avoid him.
11	Stoyanov (Stanov) Perhaps two separate people.		1778	1778		Potemkin's henchman
12	Rantsov (Rontsov), Ivan Romanovich (1755-1791)		1779. Mentioned among those who participated in the "competition", it is not entirely clear whether he managed to visit the empress's alcove	1780		One of the illegitimate sons of Count R. I. Vorontsov, Dashkova's half-brother. A year later, he led the London mob in a riot organized by Lord George Gordon.
13	Levashov, Vasily Ivanovich (1740(?) - 1804)		1779 October	1779 October		Major of the Semyonovsky regiment, a young man patronized by Countess Bruce. He was witty and funny. The uncle of one of the subsequent favorites is Ermolova. He was not married, but had 6 "pupils" from a student of the theater school Akulina Semyonova, who were granted the dignity of nobility and his surname.
14	Vysotsky, Nikolai Petrovich (1751-1827)		1780, March. Potemkin's nephew	1780 March
15	Lanskoy, Alexander Dmitrievich (1758-1784)		1780, April. He was introduced to Catherine by the Chief of Police, 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.	1784 July 25 Died after a five-day illness with toad and fever	Official favorite	29 years younger than the 54-year-old at the time of the beginning of the relationship of the empress. 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, didn’t cheat on her, didn’t dare, but so touching […] he lamented her disgrace and suffered so sincerely that he won her love again.”
16	Mordvinov		1781, May. On the a short time Catherine drew attention to the young man, which almost cost the resignation of the favorite of the Empress A. D. Lansky.	1781 June		Probably, Mordvinov, Nikolai Semyonovich(1754-1845). The admiral's son, the same age as Grand Duke Paul, was brought up with him. The episode was not reflected in his biography, usually not mentioned. Became a famous naval commander. Relative of Lermontov.
17	Ermolov, Alexander Petrovich (1754-1834)		February 1785 The officer, Potemkin's adjutant, was introduced to them. Gelbig reports that Potemkin specially arranged a holiday to introduce Yermolov to the Empress. Only 9 months after the death of Lansky, whose loss hit her hard, Catherine resumed her personal life. Before he got into the “case”, he had to carry out a difficult fight with other rivals, of which the most serious was 22-year-old Pavel Mikhailovich Dashkov, son of Dashkova.	1786 June 28 He decided to act against Potemkin (the Crimean Khan Sahib-Girey was supposed to receive large sums from Potemkin, but they were detained, and the khan turned to Yermolov for help), in addition, the empress cooled off. He was expelled from St. Petersburg - he was "allowed to go abroad for three years."	Official favorite	In 1767, while traveling along the Volga, Catherine stopped at his father's estate and took the 13-year-old boy to St. Petersburg. Potemkin took him into his retinue, and almost 20 years later he proposed a candidate as a favorite. He was tall and slender, blond, sullen, taciturn, honest and too simple. With letters of recommendation from Chancellor Count Bezborodko, he left for Germany and Italy. Everywhere he kept himself very modest. After his resignation, he settled in Moscow and married Elizaveta Mikhailovna Golitsyna, with whom he had children. The nephew of the previous favorite is Vasily Levashov. Then he left for Austria, where he bought a rich and profitable estate Frosdorf near Vienna, where he died at the age of 82.
18	Dmitriev-Mamonov, Alexander Matveevich (1758-1803)		1786, July. A distant relative of Potemkin and his adjutant. Presented to the Empress the day after Yermolov's departure.	1789 November He 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.	Official favorite	28-year-old at the time of the beginning of the relationship. 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.
19	Miloradovich		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 which were influential courtiers (Potyomkin, Bezborodko, Naryshkin, Vorontsov and Zavadovsky).	1789		Probably, Miloradovich, Mikhail Andreevich(1771-1825). The famous general, was killed on 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. Barskov, he is included in the Don Juan list of Catherine.
20	Miklashevsky		1787.	1787. Miklashevsky was a candidate, but did not become a favorite.		According to the evidence, during the trip of Catherine II in 1787 to the Crimea, among the candidates for favorites was some Miklashevsky. Perhaps it was Miklashevsky, Mikhail Pavlovich(1756-1847), who was part of Potemkin's retinue as an adjutant (the first step towards favor), but it is not clear from what year. . In 1798, Mikhail Miklashevsky was appointed Little Russian governor, but was soon dismissed. In the biography, the episode with Catherine is usually not mentioned.
21	Zubov, Platon Alexandrovich (1767-1822)		1789, July. A protege of Field Marshal Prince N. I. Saltykov, the main educator of Catherine's grandchildren.	1796 November 6th The last favorite of Catherine. The relationship ended with her death.	Official favorite	22-year-old at the time of the beginning of relations with the 60-year-old empress. The first official favorite since the time of Potemkin, who was not his adjutant. Behind him were N. I. Saltykov and A. N. Naryshkina, and Perekusikhina also bothered for him. He enjoyed great influence, practically managed to oust Potemkin, who threatened to “come and snatch 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.

Children [ | ]

Catherine's motherhood is indisputable only in relation to three children. The family ties with her of the remaining children (highlighted in blue in the table) are unprovable. Her only legitimate child, Grand Duke Paul, was the result of her third pregnancy, the first two ending in miscarriage (December 1752 and May 1753).

№	Name	Portrait	Years of life	Father	Note
1	Pavel I		September 20, 1754 - March 11, 1801	Peter III or Sergei Saltykov	The question of this paternity remains one of the main mysteries of the Romanov dynasty, although the appearance and character of Paul rather confirm its legitimacy. There is a memoir about how Alexander III, having learned about Saltykov's paternity from Pobedonostsev, crossed himself: "Thank God, we are Russians!". And when he heard a refutation from historians, he crossed himself again: “Thank God, we are legal!”.
	Branitskaya, Alexandra Vasilievna		1754-1838	Vasily Andreevich Engelhardt; mother - Elena Alexandrovna, nee Potemkina (sister of the Most Serene Prince). If you believe in the legend - the daughter of Peter III or Saltykov.	There was a rumor regarding Alexandra Branitskaya, Potemkin's niece and mistress, whom Catherine greatly spoiled, that Alexandra was in fact her daughter. It is associated with the person of Grand Duke Paul: Alexandra was born in the same year as the Grand Duke, and according to legend, Catherine gave birth not to a boy, but to a girl, who was replaced by the son of a Kalmyk servant. The Kalmyk boy became Paul, and the daughter of the Empress was allegedly given to the Engelhardts.
2	Anna Petrovna (daughter of Catherine II)		December 9, 1757 - March 8, 1759	Stanislav Poniatowski (most likely)	Officially recognized Grand Duchess. Lived only two years.
	, Countess of Buxhoeveden		1758-1808	Grigory Orlov (?). If the daughter of the Empress, then she was born during the Poniatowski period	Pupil and "niece" of Orlov. At the direction of Gelbig - the illegitimate daughter of Orlov, according to Khmyrov - his daughter from Catherine. Married to his aide-de-camp, the Baltic German Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoveden. According to the archives of the Smolny Institute, is eldest daughter Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Alekseev (d. 1776), married to Agafya Vasilievna Pushchina. Lopatin, in the comments on the correspondence between Catherine and Potemkin, calls Catherine's motherhood possible.
			1760-1844	Grigory Orlov (?)	Orlov's pupil. Playwright's wife	Grigory Orlov	Immediately after birth, he was given by Catherine to her wardrobe master Shkurin, in whose family he was brought up until 1774.
	Tyomkina, Elizaveta Grigorievna		1775-1854	Grigory Potemkin	The baby was given to the upbringing of Potemkin's relatives. Although the version regarding Catherine's motherhood is considered generally accepted, there are also doubts about her - for example, the modern biographer Potemkin Montefiore doubts this, pointing out that there is no evidence that Potemkin took care of her, as he usually took care of his relatives, and also pointing out that that Tyomkin was never advertised at court, unlike Bobrinsky, who was not hidden at all. It is also worth noting the large time interval between the birth of Bobrinsky and Tyomkina, as well as the mature age of Catherine II by this time.

In addition, her legitimate grandchildren from Paul (Alexander, Konstantin, etc.) were brought up in Catherine’s rooms, as well as his eldest for some time, illegitimate son- Semyon the Great.

Young grand duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna

• According to Lavoe, Catherine allegedly had a lover back in Stettin, Count B..., who thought he was married to her, but this marriage was fictitious, since during the wedding Catherine was replaced in front of the altar by one of her friends, hidden under veil. This, at the direction of Valishevsky, is just a stupid fairy tale. The same Lavoe, gossiping, wrote that Saltykov had given way to some buffoon Dalolio, a Venetian by birth, and he also arranged new acquaintances for several days with his august mistress in the Yelagin house.
• Favoritism at the court of Catherine was condemned by many, primarily by those who found themselves in political opposition (for example, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, Semyon Vorontsov, Pyotr Panin). Mikhail Shcherbatov in his essay “On the Damage of Morals in Russia” criticized her vice. This theme has become especially fashionable in last years the reign of Catherine, when not a single foreigner who wrote about Russia could do without mentioning her. Gossip lover Oxford professor John Parkinson, who visited the empire after Potemkin's death, collected and popularized jokes about Catherine: “In one company there was a dispute about which of the channels cost the most. One of those present noted that there can be no two opinions about this matter: the most expensive channel is Catherine's. Ambassador Sir John Macartney stated, in particular, that Catherine's taste for Russian men was due to the fact that "Russian wet nurses have a habit of constantly pulling off the male organ in babies, which miraculously lengthens it."
• A description of the “tasting” of a potential favorite by women close to Catherine has been preserved. The author of the highly dubious memoirs Saint-Jean, who may have served in Potemkin's cavalry, repeated this story with Potemkin's selection of the candidate, examination by the doctor, and "the main test" - and this legend is almost completely false, being true except for the possibility of examination by a doctor and the mention of dinner. The version of the "tasting" of future favorites, in particular Praskovya Bruce, is called into question by the fact that Bruce and the favorite Rimsky-Korsakov were removed from the court by Catherine for becoming lovers.
• Almost everyone believed in Potemkin's pimping: "Now he plays the same role as Pompadour at the end of his life under Louis XV," he declared. Other short stories in the collection are also devoted to the adventures of Catherine in line with the beloved by the author, from whom she allegedly became pregnant; 2 years after the start of communication with Orlov, they mention “the handsome Pole Vysotsky, whom she saw in the park” (in fact, a person with such a surname was Potemkin’s nephew and was introduced to the empress’s alcove several decades later). In the same text, however, it is described that she was with Vasilchikov for several weeks, while in fact - almost 2 years; also attributed to her as a constant lover of Chancellor Panin, the court stoker Teplov, a certain Armenian merchant (Lazarev?), As well as lesbian ties, for example, with a gypsy brought by Potemkin. In particular, Suvorov's disgrace and his exile to the estate are associated with the fact that he allegedly refused to provide the empress with his daughter for carnal pleasures. Zorich’s “case” is here connected not with Potemkin’s intrigue, but with the fact that Catherine decided to caress the nephew of a certain midwife named Zorich, who, on her orders, allegedly poisoned the wife of Grand Duke Paul Natalya Alekseevna (hussar Zorich, however, was from the nobility, and it is unlikely whether he had such relatives); Lanskoy in this case also turns out to be "poisoned" on the orders of Potemkin. Then they name among her favorites a certain officer Khvostov, Chancellor Bezborodko, Prince de Lin and Count de Segur. Mamonov’s wife, the maid of honor Shcherbatova, is not named Daria, but Elizabeth, and here she is not only given out with a dowry to marry a retired favorite, but on the orders of Catherine, the “overdone” Sheshkovsky immures her alive in the wall, then they take her out of there, marry, soldiers break into the bedroom of the newlyweds, Mamonov is tied up, and his wife is raped by a company and beaten with whips on her back in blood. These and similar fabrications of pornographers, who record any of her close associates as lovers of the Empress, do not agree with the studies of Catherine's scholars, who, based on the memoirs of contemporaries, compiled the list published above.
• The Polish-Jewish religious figure, the false messiah Jacob Frank spread rumors that his daughter Eva Frank was born Catherine Kabanov… (…) He remembered Catherine the Great and her Russian boar, and he became curious what this young child would do in such a situation. Would you scream like an angry schoolgirl, or protest animal cruelty?”
• In one of the episodes of the animated series a clone of Catherine has a sexual relationship with a clone