The conspiracy is revealed! We are dead! – with such an exclamation, Princess Vorontsova-Dashkova burst into Catherine’s bedroom and froze on the threshold. The Empress washed her lace cuffs in a tub.
- Empress, what are you doing?!
- Don't you see, I'm doing the laundry. What surprises you? I was not being prepared to be a Russian empress, but, God willing, to be the wife of some German prince. That’s why they taught us how to wash and cook.
The future empress of the vast Russian empire, Catherine the Great, was born not in a luxurious palace, but in an ordinary German house and received a bourgeois education: she was actually taught to clean and cook. Her father, Prince Christian Augustus, was the younger brother of the sovereign German prince, but due to a constant lack of money he was forced to hire a job. And Sophia-Augusta-Frederica-Emilia, as Catherine was called in childhood, despite her royal origins, played in the city square with the children of the burghers, received slaps from her mother for poorly polished cauldrons and respectfully kissed the hem of the dresses of the wives of rich townspeople if they entered the house. Catherine's mother, Joanna Elisabeth, was a powerful and riotous woman. It was even rumored that Catherine's real father was none other than Frederick the Great himself. It was he who proposed the candidacy of the young Princess Sophien as a wife to the Russian heir to the throne, Peter, when he heard a rumor that Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was looking for a bride for her nephew, to whom she intended to leave the throne.
So the little German princess came from the dirty city streets to the glittering gold Russian imperial palace. Having received the name Catherine in baptism, the future wife of the heir to the throne began studying with the best court teachers and fabulously succeeded not only in the Russian language, but also in the art of flirting. Having inherited an irrepressible sexual temperament from her mother, Catherine used her seduction at the Russian court. Even before the wedding, she flirted so openly with the court Don Juan Andrei Chernyshev that, in order to avoid rumors, Elizabeth was forced to send the poor count abroad.
As soon as Catherine turned sixteen, Elizaveta Petrovna hastened to marry the German princess to Peter, making it clear to her that her only duty was to give birth to an heir. After the wedding and a magnificent ball, the newlyweds were finally taken to the wedding chambers. But Catherine woke up just as she went to bed - a virgin. Peter remained cold towards her both on their wedding night and for many months after. Some people look for the reasons for this attitude towards his wife in Peter’s infantility and dementia, others in his tragic love.
Peter fell in love with the maid of honor Natalya Lopukhina, whose mother was Elizabeth’s personal enemy. Lopukhina Sr. was Anna Ioannovna’s favorite lady of state and pleased the Empress in every possible way, humiliating her hated daughter-in-law, Tsarevna Elizabeth. A historical anecdote has been preserved. Balls were often held in the Lopukhins' house. Elizabeth was also invited there. One day Lopukhina bribed Elizabeth’s maids and offered them a sample of yellow brocade with silver, from which the princess sewed herself a dress for the ball.
When Elizabeth entered the living room, there was a burst of laughter. The walls, chairs, armchairs and sofas in the room were upholstered in the same yellow and silver brocade. The humiliated princess rushed out of the palace and sobbed for a long time in her bedroom.
When Peter asked his reigning aunt for permission to marry Lopukhina’s daughter, Elizabeth decided to take revenge. She accused Lopukhina of treason, and the court sentenced the unfortunate countess to death. Elizabeth, with her “great mercy,” commuted the punishment. Lopukhina Sr. was shamefully flogged on Trinity Square, her tongue was cut out and she was exiled to Siberia. After this tragic story with the mother of his beloved, Tsarevich Peter lost his mind. But Catherine did not strive to please her husband: she quickly found solace in the arms of the Swedish envoy Count Polenberg. Empress Elizabeth turned a blind eye to the young couple's relationship: she needed an heir, but Catherine still could not get pregnant.
Meanwhile, in the bed of the eighteen-year-old crown princess, one favorite replaced another: Kirill Razumovsky, Stanislav Poniatovsky, Zakhar
Chernyshev (brother of Andrei, exiled abroad), Lev Naryshkin and the Saltykov brothers, who knew a lot about love. Their mother, nee Golitsyna, was famous throughout St. Petersburg for drunkenness and debauchery in the soldiers' barracks - there were rumors that she had three hundred lovers among the empress's grenadiers.
After a few years of marriage, a miracle happened - Catherine became pregnant. Sergei Saltykov openly boasted that he was the father of the future heir, and was expelled from St. Petersburg. Later in Sweden, he spread terrible rumors about the debauchery of the Russian princess and assured that she herself hung on his neck, made appointments, and he allegedly deceived and did not come, which made Catherine suffer unspeakably.
Elizaveta Petrovna was so happy about the good news that she gave her pregnant daughter-in-law one hundred thousand rubles and a lot of jewelry. The poor German princess, who came to Russia with three dresses and half a dozen handkerchiefs, began to waste money in the Russian treasury. The born baby was named Pavel and was immediately taken away from the young mother. However, Catherine was not interested in her son and never loved him. It is still unknown who was Pavel’s real father - they name Zakhar Chernyshev, Lev Naryshkin, and other lovers of the crown princess. Among the guesses, an amazing fact is noted: Pavel is unusually similar to his official father, Pyotr Fedorovich - which History does not joke about...
After the death of Elizabeth, Peter III ascended the throne and declared that he would send Catherine to a monastery for her dissolute behavior, and that he would marry Elizaveta Vorontsova, his mistress. But by that time, with the help of her favorites, Catherine had woven a huge network around Peter. Chancellor Panin, Prince Baryatinsky, Catherine's lover Grigory Orlov and four of his brothers organized a conspiracy against the emperor. But then one of the conspirators got cold feet and decided to warn the emperor - Peter did not attach any significance to his words, for which he paid not only with the throne, but also with his life.
At the court of Catherine II in Russia, favoritism became a new position, as at the court of Louis XIV in France, and bed careerists were recognized as people who served the fatherland and the throne. For their loving efforts they received
palaces and considerable financial resources from the Russian treasury. But Catherine was a passionate woman and could not live without a man. In her palace there was a special room with a huge bed. If necessary, a secret mechanism divided the bed into two parts by a wall - the favorite remained on the hidden half, and on the second the empress, not cooled down from love pleasures, received ambassadors and ministers.
Catherine had a weakness for huge, gigantic men with a sensual face. Potential lovers were introduced to the empress by Chancellor Panin and Countess Bruce, who was called the “assay lady” at court. Panin was Catherine's constant lover - he was smart, not demanding, not jealous. He came to the empress's bedroom no more than once a week, and in his free time in his harem, consisting of serf concubines - every day he acquired a new girl, and gave away the tired ones to friends or sold them. For Catherine, he chose tall soldiers who were not distinguished by intelligence, so as not to create rivals for himself. One day Panin and Countess Bruce recommended the handsome Potemkin.
Catherine was embarrassed by the fact that the lieutenant general only had one eye (the second one was once knocked out by Grigory Orlov in a fit of jealousy), but the countess convinced Catherine that Potemkin was going crazy with love for
to the empress. After a night of love, Catherine promoted Potemkin to lieutenant general, gave him a magnificent palace and a million rubles for its improvement. This is how bed careers were made overnight under Catherine. But the imperial gifts seemed not enough for Potemkin - one day at dinner he demanded that Catherine make him a member of the State Council. Catherine was horrified:
- But my friend, this is impossible!
- Wonderful! Then I go to the monastery. The role of your kept woman does not suit me!
Catherine began to cry and left the table. Potemkin did not come to the room of favorites. Catherine cried all night, and the next morning Potemkin was appointed senator.
Once Potemkin went to St. Petersburg for several days on business. But the empress could not be left alone for long. Once upon a time in
In the Tsarskoye Selo Palace, Catherine woke up at night from the cold. It was winter, and all the wood in the fireplace burned out. She slept alone - Potemkin was on business in St. Petersburg. Not finding a servant behind the screen, Catherine went out into the corridor, along which the stoker was just walking with a bundle of firewood on his shoulders. The sight of this huge young Hercules, carrying firewood like a feather, took Catherine’s breath away.
- Who are you?
- Court stoker, Your Majesty!
- Why haven’t I seen you before? Light the fireplace in my bedroom.
The young man was delighted with such mercy from the empress and lit a huge fire in the fireplace. But Catherine remained dissatisfied:
- Don’t you understand how to warm the empress?
And the stoker finally understood. And the next morning he received an order granting him hereditary nobility, ten thousand peasants, an order never to return to St. Petersburg and change his surname to Teplov - in memory of how he warmed the empress.
In her old age, Catherine reached the point of complete debauchery. Hefty men were no longer enough for her - and she turned her passion to a young gypsy, given to her by Potemkin.
There were rumors at court about how the empress treated her maids and young peasant women. At the final exam at the Smolny Institute, the Empress drew attention to the beautiful graduate, who turned out to be the daughter of Suvorov.
- Give your daughter to me as a favorite.
Having heard about the adventures of the Empress, Suvorov replied:
- Mother, if I die for you, I will die, but I won’t give you my Suvorochka!
The angry empress sent the old man and his daughter to their estate, forbidding him to appear at court - which is what Suvorov needed.
In Potemkin's absence, Catherine had many lovers: Ambassador Bezborodko and his secretaries Zavadovsky and Mamonov, the midwife's nephew Zorich, guard officers Korsakov and Khvostov, and finally, the provincial youth Alexander Lanskoy.
Twenty-year-old Lansky was accidentally seen by Potemkin and introduced to the empress. The young man had an angelic appearance: huge blue eyes filled with sadness, blond curls, a light blush on his cheeks and coral lips. He would have looked like a girl if not for his enormous height and broad shoulders.
He accepted Catherine's attention as the care of a mother, and besides, he was too loyal to his state to refuse the empress anything. He was ashamed of his position as an imperial concubine, but over time he became attached to Catherine with all his heart. The Empress was touched by such reading love from an innocent young man who had never known women before her. Her aging heart was so jealous of Sashenka that Catherine locked her lover in several rooms, surrounding him with unheard-of luxury. The Empress awarded Lansky the title of count, vast lands, and tens of thousands of peasants. But the young man in love did not need ranks and wealth - he was probably the only favorite who loved the empress as a woman. And the Empress said to Potemkin:
My soul, I am going to marry Lansky.
- What did he do to deserve such an honor?
- He never cheated on me.
Potemkin lowered his eyes. He himself cheated on Catherine almost every day with different women.
A month later, Lanskoy fell ill in bed. And not a single court doctor could make an accurate diagnosis. Catherine knew that her lover was poisoned on behalf of Potemkin. Catherine wrote to her friend: “I, sobbing, have the misfortune to tell you that General Lansky is gone... and my room, which I loved so much before, has now turned into an empty cave.” After the death of her lover, the empress walked around the palace like a shadow. She abandoned all government affairs and did not receive anyone. It was so unlike her... Apparently, love, which she did not know in her youth, overtook her in old age. The only topic on which the empress kept up the conversation was about Alexander Lansky, the only place she visited was his grave. She spent many hours at Lansky's grave in anguish and tears. Potemkin was furious. Was he jealous - and of whom, of the dead man? In fits of anger, Potemkin circled like a kite among the guards officers. Finally, he chose Pyotr Ermolov, made him his adjutant and sent him to Catherine. His calculation was justified: Ermolov occupied the room of the favorites, which had been empty for almost six months. Still, Catherine was a woman, and the desire to love overpowered her grief over loss. Noticing that one of the ladies-in-waiting was secluded with Eromlov, Catherine ordered the soldiers to flog the aristocrat until she bled in the presence of the other eleven ladies-in-waiting - so as not to be disgraced. Ermolov was too stupid, arrogant and narcissistic, besides, he loved to play and often ran away from the empress to gaming houses and to prostitutes. His place was soon taken by another of Potemkin’s adjutants, Alexander Mamonov.
“Priceless Sasha” - that’s what the Empress of Mamon called him. But Sasha began to disappear somewhere more and more often. He was not there that ill-fated night when tired Catherine returned from the Council meeting. She waited for him half the night, but greeted him playfully:
- Where, my dear sir, have you disappeared?
“Mother Empress…” his tone and facial expression did not bode well. “You have always been kind to me, and I am frank with you.” I can no longer carry out my duties at Your Majesty's side.
Catherine's face changed:
- What’s the matter, are you joking?
- No, your Majesty. I fell in love with another and ask your gracious permission to marry her. Her name is Princess Shcherbatova.
What can an aging woman who has lost her former attractiveness answer when a young lover says that he fell in love with another, good and young woman?
- I give you permission to get married. Moreover, I will arrange your wedding myself.
Lizanka Shcherbatova kissed the empress’s hands for her kindness. Catherine gave the newlyweds wedding rings with diamonds, three thousand souls of peasants, ten thousand rubles in gold. For some reason, the young bride was crying all the time under the aisle... Perhaps the empress forgave Count Mamonov’s betrayal, but the offended woman could not forgive her. Two weeks later, soldiers broke into the newlyweds' home. Mamonov was tied to a chair and gagged, and the soldiers abused the young countess, after which they whipped her until she was completely deformed. Lizanka miraculously survived. Count Mamonov took his sick wife abroad, never to return to Russia again.
Meanwhile, a new and final favorite reigned in the palace - twenty-four-year-old Platon Zubov. He inherited the room of favorites from his brother, Valerian Zubov, who was the empress’s lover for only a short time. Platon Zubov was arrogant, arrogant and loved only one thing in the world - money. Having received unlimited power, he mocked Tsarevich Paul, completely confident that he would not get the throne. Potemkin planned to kill his new favorite, but did not have time - he died. The Empress wept for a long time and inconsolably, gave her former favorite a magnificent funeral and ordered two monuments to be erected to him. During Catherine's reign, palaces and jewelry worth nine million rubles and forty thousand peasants passed from the Russian treasury into Potemkin's pocket.
Catherine herself died not at all like an emperor: in the outhouse. Has she experienced the love she longed for in her life? It’s unlikely... True love cannot be bought for titles and palaces - Great Catherine never understood this.
The first Catherine on the Russian throne was of dubious origin. We only know what her name was at birth Marta Skavronskaya and was captured by the Russians as a prisoner during the Northern War. Having changed several patrons, Marta fell in love with herself PetruI, who later married her. Of all the children of Peter and Martha (Catherine I), only two girls, born before their official marriage, survived - Anna And Elizabeth. They, unwittingly, brought their own mother’s namesake to the throne.
Karl and Fike
After the era of palace coups, Elizabeth finally ascended the throne. And Anna was married to the Duke of Holstein.
People still gossip about Elizabeth Petrovna’s personal life, but officially the monarch remained unmarried and childless. When choosing a successor to the Russian throne, she immediately pointed to her own nephew, Anna’s son. Although he had the name at birth Karl Peter Ulrich, I didn’t dream about Russia at all and more than anything in the world I loved everything connected with the army.
The boy by that time was an orphan, he was raised harshly and taught little, and Elizabeth was somewhat disappointed upon the arrival of her nephew: he was not good-looking, almost ignorant and generally stupid.
At birth, the future Catherine II was also not called Katenka, but Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst. At home they called her Fike. She was born on April 21 (old style) 1729 in the then Prussian Stettin, into a poor, but, as they say, well-connected family. Fike was a year younger than her future husband. Mother Fike, Johanna Elisabeth, was Karl Peter's cousin.
Both Johanna and her daughter’s dreams extended much further than the seedy Stettin. The girl had been dreaming of a crown since she was seven years old. She didn’t know how it would be, but she studied very diligently with home teachers. In 1742, the future Catherine visited Berlin, where a portrait of her was specially painted to show the Russian empress selecting a bride for her nephew-heir. And I liked the portrait.
End justifies the means
Fike and her mother arrived at the rich Russian court in rags, without a decent supply of dresses and underwear, but the girl, who was not even 15, made a good impression. Karl Peter, who by that time was already called Petr Fedorovich, was also delighted to see a relative of the same age. There was nothing “groomish” about him. He immediately complained to her about the “wild Russians,” showed her his toy soldiers, and told her which of the ladies-in-waiting at court he liked best. Fika didn’t care: she had a chance! Yes, even if her fiance were a werewolf, she would marry him. After all, the seedy Holstein princess arrived in Russia with the firm intention: “she will please her husband, Elizabeth and the people.”
The girl diligently studied Russian, comprehended the wisdom of Orthodoxy, and crammed prayers. Nothing stopped her: neither her mother, who got involved in a spy scandal, nor severe pneumonia. On June 28 (July 9), 1744, Fike converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy and received the name Ekaterina Alekseevna, and the next day she became engaged to Peter. She made a great impression because during the ceremony she was able to recite the Russian text she had memorized. Elizabeth was sure that Catherine would continue to be just as obedient and eager to please. The empress was very mistaken in this.
Hanged Rat
Elizabeth lived for another 17 years, and all these years she closely followed the young couple. The spouses did not love each other; their relationship could rather be called friendly. Peter even called his wife “Madame Help.” Son Paul was born to them almost 10 years later, although paternity is attributed to one of Catherine’s first favorites Sergei Saltykov. Peter's official mistress was considered Elizaveta Vorontsova.
Elizabeth immediately took Pavel away from her parents to raise her. Since family life was not working out, the heir’s wife focused on education. She was interested in economics and philosophy, read such authors as Plutarch, Tacitus, Montesquieu, and did not forget about the ancient Russian chronicles. At the same time, she made funny mistakes in Russian until the end of her life.
Peter, as Catherine said in her Notes, at that time played soldiers, played the violin, and also amused himself, for example, by hanging live rats. However, one must trust Catherine’s testimony with caution. She was an intelligent woman and, as they would say now, she coped brilliantly with her self-PR.
Death Crown
Finally, right at the turn of 1761-1762, Elizabeth passed away, and Peter III became the Russian emperor. His contemporaries did not like him too much, they even called him “the biggest oaf of his time.” True, impartial historians later testified that Peter did take rational steps. But it is difficult to say what his reign would have been like: it lasted 186 days.
During this time, Catherine managed to give birth to another child, the father was her new favorite Orlov. The boy got a surname Bobrinsky and was immediately given to the valet Shkurin. Later, Catherine did not leave Alexei Bobrinsky with her attention and paid off his debts.
Having freed herself from the unnecessary child, Catherine began to prepare a conspiracy, taking advantage of the fact that her husband was not loved. She was helped by officers, brothers Orlov, brothers Roslavlevs and others, as well as several prominent nobles. Perhaps she had no other choice, because the emperor decided to marry Vorontsova and throw Catherine out. Catherine managed to organize a coup, which for the first time went beyond the walls of the palace. The former emperor was taken to the town of Ropsha. A week later he died, it is still unknown whether he died and from what. Subsequently, “living Peters” were constantly announced in Rus', one of which was Emelyan Pugachev.
Expensive pleasure
Catherine never married again, but, as the historian later put it, Valishevsky, favoritism under her became “almost a state institution.” Among those whom Catherine showered with money and positions there were truly extraordinary people, like Grigory Potemkin, who became her favorite, already being a military general. This really strong love also benefited Russia.
But mostly these were men who were either lazy or selfish. For example, the poor officer Vasilchikov, who became a count and chamberlain, received estates and hundreds of thousands of peasants. Son of a Cossack Zavadovsky After the death of Catherine, he rose to the rank of Minister of Public Education. The midwife's nephew Zorich whistled all the handouts at the card table.
The only one of the favorites HELL. Lanskoy, who was much younger than Catherine, not only did not strive for anything, but also refused all posts and orders. Catherine, who had given him both titles and awards, dreamed of marrying him and announced this to Panin and Potemkin. It is believed that after this Potemkin poisoned his young rival.
Catherine II's favorites received from her only in cash an amount one and a half times higher than the Russian annual budget. U Platon Zubov there were so many awards that he looked like “a tape and hardware salesman.” Potemkin’s niece received about 100 thousand rubles annually “just like that,” and grabbed a million from the state treasury for her wedding.
White and black
Of course, Catherine’s personality was not limited to conspiracies and lovers. She was distinguished by her enormous capacity for work, determination, courage and at the same time cunning, hypocrisy, unlimited ambition and vanity. She knew how to flatter and deceive. She somehow gracefully managed to “forget” that her own son should ascend the throne. Moreover, she diligently sowed rumors that Pavel was out of his mind, and the flatterers supported these gossips in every possible way.
She was sure that Pavel could not be trusted with power and the state, which she built not only as a result of wars. Catherine did a lot for which her contemporaries and descendants were grateful to her. For example, she was not afraid to be the first in Russia to get vaccinated against the terrible smallpox.
She laid the foundation for women's education, with her the famous Smolny Institute and the Hermitage were opened, colleges and schools, and charity homes for widows and orphans arose.
Catherine herself wrote plays, mostly comedies and fables. She founded the magazine "All Things and Everything". She was rightfully proud of herself, remembering that poorly educated German girl who came to Russia.
But at the same time, she closed the magazine “Truten”, published Novikov, for daring to touch on social issues, and actually ruined Radishcheva.
On the one hand, Catherine introduced the right fashion - to study, which at the same time meant reading, speaking languages, being able to communicate and dance, and understanding painting, literature, and politics. Under her, the Russian Academy of Sciences came to the forefront in Europe. But at the same time, Catherine relied on foreign scientists. Russian painters and sculptors almost never received her orders; talented people vegetated in poverty simply because they were Russian. Under Catherine, many even seriously wanted to “sign up as Germans,” because life was certainly good for foreigners in Rus'.
Potemkin villages
It is believed that Catherine was friends with famous philosophers Diderot And Voltaire. They were happy with such a “friend”: from the impoverished Diderot, the Russian empress bought his library for 15 thousand livres, left it to the philosopher and appointed him to look after this library for “only” 1000 livres a year - from the Russian treasury. Voltaire also made extensive use of her favors. The two of them sang hosannas to Catherine, but what they really thought is unknown.
It is no coincidence that it was during the reign of Catherine that the expression “Potemkin villages” was born and took root, when it was not clear what stood behind the luxurious display case. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia in 1783, the empress wanted to travel around new lands. For the voyage of three thousand people, the treasury paid out about 10 million rubles. Along the route, facades and fences were urgently painted. The population was ordered to wear their best. And at this time there was a drought in Russia, and famine was approaching, which then swept the entire country.
Prose of death
In the end, life played a rather cruel joke on the empress. In August 1796, Catherine, like Elizabeth once, invited her nephew, the 17-year-old Swedish king, to Russia Gustav Adolf IV- to be my granddaughter's husband Alexandra. The engagement was supposed to take place on September 8th.
But in vain the empress and the unfortunate bride waited for the groom. The young crowned Swede refused to marry an Orthodox woman. Alexandra Pavlovna, in his opinion, should have accepted Lutheranism.
And although Catherine herself once changed her faith without regret, her nephew’s act struck her to the very heart. Very soon, on November 5, the servants found the empress lying unconscious near the “night vase.” Without regaining consciousness, the empress died the next day.
The history of the relationship between the Russian Empress Catherine II and men is no less than her state activities. Many of Catherine's favorites were not only lovers, but also major statesmen.
Favoritism and Catherine's childrenII
The development of relationships between the rulers of European countries and the opposite sex in the 17th – 18th centuries created the institution of favoritism. However, you need to distinguish between favorites and lovers. The title of favorite was practically a court one, but was not included in the “table of ranks.” In addition to pleasures and rewards, this brought the need to fulfill certain state duties.
It is believed that Catherine II had 23 lovers, and not every one of them can be called a favorite. Most European sovereigns changed sexual partners much more often. It was they, the Europeans, who created the legend about the depravity of the Russian Empress. On the other hand, you can’t call her chaste either.
It is generally accepted that the future Catherine II, who came to Russia at the invitation of Empress Elizabeth, was married in 1745 to Grand Duke Peter, an impotent man who was not interested in the charms of his young wife. But he was interested in other women and periodically changed them, however, nothing is known about his children from his mistresses.
More is known about the children of the Grand Duchess, and then Empress Catherine II, but there are even more unconfirmed rumors and assumptions:
There are not that many children, especially given that not all of them necessarily belonged to Catherine the Great.
How Catherine diedII
There are several versions of the death (November 17, 1796) of the Great Empress. Their authors never cease to mock the sexual irrepressibility of the empress, as always “not seeing the beam in their own eye.” Some of the versions are simply full of hatred and clearly fabricated, most likely, by revolutionary France, which hates absolutism, or by its other enemies:
- The Empress died during sexual intercourse with a stallion raised above her on ropes. Allegedly, it was he who was crushed.
- The Empress died while having an affair with a wild boar.
- Catherine the Great was killed in the back by a Pole while relieving herself in the toilet.
- Catherine, with her own weight, broke a toilet seat in the toilet, which she had made from the throne of the Polish king.
These myths are completely baseless and have nothing to do with the Russian Empress. There is an opinion that impartial versions of death could have been invented and disseminated at court by the son who hated the empress, the future Emperor Paul I.
The most reliable versions of death are:
- Catherine died on the second day after she suffered a severe heart attack.
- The cause of death was a stroke (apoplexy), which found the empress in the restroom. In painful agony, without regaining consciousness for about 3 hours, Empress Catherine died.
- Paul organized the murder (or untimely provision of first aid) of the empress. While the empress was in her death throes, her son Paul found and destroyed the will transferring power to his son Alexander.
- An additional version of death is the gallbladder ruptured during a fall.
The official and generally accepted version when determining the causes of the empress’s death is a stroke, but what actually happened is not known or has not been conclusively proven.
Empress Catherine II the Great was buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
The personal life and death of people of great importance for the history of the state always gives rise to a lot of speculation and rumors. The corrupted “free” Europe, as soon as it saw the results of European “enlightenment” in Russia, tried to prick, humiliate, and insult the “wild” one. How many favorites and lovers there were, how many children Catherine the Great had are not the most important questions for understanding the essence of her reign. What is more important for history is what the empress did during the day, not at night.
The period of the reign of Catherine II is rightly called the “golden age” of the empire. This was the heyday of Russia's political and military power. At the same time, Catherine herself appears before us in a very contradictory light.
1. The reign of Catherine II (1762-1796) contributed to the growth of Russia in many areas. Treasury revenues increased from 16 to 68 million rubles, the size of the army almost doubled, and the number of battleships increased from 20 to 67, 144 new cities were built and 11 provinces were acquired, and the population increased from 30 to 44 million people.
2. From the first years of her stay in Russia, Sofia Augusta (in Orthodoxy, Catherine) demonstrated diligence in studying the Russian language, culture and history of the state. Her classes often lasted until late. The frosty air rushing in through the open window did not become a hindrance. In the end, the future empress fell ill with pneumonia. Her condition turned out to be so serious that her mother wanted to bring a Lutheran pastor. But Sofia wanted to see an Orthodox priest. This incident undoubtedly increased her popularity at the Russian court.
3. By 1782, Catherine II was ripe for a grandiose plan. She was seized by the idea of dividing Turkish territories and creating the Greek - read Byzantine Empire with its capital in Constantinople. The plans also included the formation of the puppet state of Dacia, which would serve as a kind of buffer zone between Russia, the Greek Empire and Austria. The “Greek project” was not destined to live, however, this year brought reinforcements - Crimea was recaptured for Russia.
4. The Empress, being the author of a number of literary works in various genres, has repeatedly received high marks for her work, in particular from Diderot and Voltaire. In the opinion of historians, the praise addressed to Catherine II expressed by French educators was poorly concealed flattery. The only thing they were counting on was financial support from Northern Semiramis. An annual “salary” of 1,000 livres, paid to Diderot from the Russian treasury, is the best reward for flattery. In fairness, it should be noted that Catherine herself was self-critical and denied herself the presence of a great creative mind.
5. Catherine’s dining table impressed with its sophistication and variety. On it one could see such exotic dishes as poulards with truffles, chiryata with olives, and gateau Compiègne. It is quite natural that the daily expenses for food for the empress cost up to 90 rubles (for example, the annual salary of a soldier was only 7 rubles).
However, contemporaries called the queen’s favorite dish boiled beef with pickles or sauerkraut. She washed down her lunch with currant water. Once visiting Mikhail Lomonosov, Catherine was invited to a table on which there was nothing except sour cabbage soup and porridge. She immediately reassured the owner, assuring him that this was her favorite food.
6. The domestic policy of Catherine II was distinguished by religious tolerance. During her reign, the persecution of Old Believers was stopped, and Catholic and Protestant churches were actively built. For promoting the popularization of Buddhism by the lamas of Buryatia, Catherine was considered one of the manifestations of White Tara.
It is known that the empress recognized the polygamy existing among Muslims as beneficial, which, according to her, contributed to population growth. When representatives of the Russian clergy complained to Catherine about the construction of a mosque in Kazan near Orthodox churches, she responded approximately as follows: “The Lord tolerates different faiths, which means their churches can stand next to each other.”
7. In 1791, Catherine II signed a decree prohibiting Jews from settling outside the Pale of Settlement. Despite the fact that the Empress was never suspected of having a bad attitude towards Jews, she was often accused of anti-Semitism. However, this decree was dictated by purely economic considerations - to prevent competition from Jewish businessmen, which could undermine the position of the Moscow merchants.
8. Catherine did not trust doctors, considering them mostly charlatans. She treated all illnesses with one proven remedy: when the empress was unwell, they opened her vein and released the “bad blood.” Bloodletting often had a positive effect and Catherine recovered. However, sometimes the empress listened to the recommendations of doctors - for example, she limited herself in food. So, on the advice of the English doctor Thomas Dimmesdale, she refused dinner to calm the headache.
9. Once, the historian Vasily Klyuchevsky said in one of his lectures that Catherine II read a lot and was an educated woman, but he noted in passing that the empress could not cope with the Russian language and made incredible mistakes. So, in a word consisting of three letters, she managed to make four mistakes - instead of “yet” she wrote “ischo”.
10. Catherine used to personally deal with controversial cases, where she tried to act as a fair and impartial judge. Once, in one of the churches, the empress met a landowner who was filing a complaint with the “queen of heaven” against her, the “queen of the earth.” The note placed in front of the icon spoke about the unfair decision of the Senate (approved by the empress herself), according to which the landowner’s estate was taken away.
It took Catherine three days to request the case and carefully study its details. The queen's verdict was this: the Senate made a mistake. Ekaterina personally apologized to the complainant. The landowner was not only returned the estate, but also presented with a valuable gift.
11. The period of the reign of Catherine II turned out to be very favorable for the aristocracy. During her reign, there were no high-profile resignations, none of those close to her were disgraced, much less executed. It is no coincidence that Catherine’s time went down in history as the “golden age” of the Russian nobility. However, researchers accuse Catherine of being excessively lenient towards officials who abused power.
12. Brought up in the spirit of the ideas of the Enlightenment, Catherine was a staunch opponent of serfdom, believing that every person is born free. Her papers even preserved reflections on the abolition of serfdom. But things didn’t go further than paperwork. As historian Nikolai Pavlenko noted, under Catherine “serfdom developed in depth and breadth.”
It is estimated that during her entire reign, Catherine gave away more than 800 thousand serfs to landowners and nobles, thereby setting a kind of record. There is an explanation for this. The Empress had every reason to fear a noble rebellion or another coup d'etat.
13. During the war between England and its North American colonies, Catherine refused the kingdom military assistance. On the initiative of diplomat Nikita Panin, in 1780 the Empress issued a Declaration of Armed Neutrality, which was joined by most European countries. This step greatly contributed to the victory of the colonies and the early independence of the United States of America.
14. Catherine initially reacted to the Great French Revolution with a certain degree of sympathy, seeing it as a consequence of the unreasonable and despotic policies of the French monarchs. However, everything changed with the execution of Louis XVI. Now, Paris, embraced by freedom, is for her “a hellish heat” and “a den of robbers.” She could not help but see the danger of revolutionary revelry, both for Europe and for Russia itself.
15. Catherine’s time was the heyday of favoritism, which was very characteristic of Europe in the second half of the 18th century. Catherine's scholar Pyotr Bartenev attributed 23 novels to the Empress herself. If you believe the surviving correspondence, she was attracted to all her lovers by an “uncontrollable feeling.”
None of Catherine's favorites was allowed to resolve important political issues, with the exception of two - Grigory Potemkin and Pyotr Zavadovsky. Catherine usually lived with her favorites for no more than two or three years - problems got in the way longer: age difference, incompatibility of characters, or the queen’s strict daily routine. None of the favorites was disgraced; on the contrary, they were all generously rewarded with titles, money, and estates.
16. Shortly before her death, Catherine the Great composed an epitaph for her future tombstone, which became a kind of self-portrait of the ruler. Among other things, there are the following lines: “She easily forgave and did not hate anyone. She was forgiving, loved life, had a cheerful disposition, was a true Republican in her convictions and had a kind heart. She had friends. The work was easy for her. She liked social entertainment and the arts."
Catherine II had 23 lovers and at least three illegitimate children. At the lecture “Secrets of the Imperial House” at the Tretyakov Gallery, I learned many interesting, funny and sad facts from the life of the Empress.
Namely:
Pavel is not the son of Catherine the Great
Historians suggest that the first-born Paul (the future Emperor Paul I) is not the son of Catherine the Great at all, but one of the illegitimate children of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. As if in fact Catherine II gave birth to a girl, but during childbirth she was changed to a boy who was completely different from her mother. The version is confirmed by the fact that Elizabeth raised Pavel herself from the first minutes of birth, and Catherine treated him coolly all her life.
Scheduled dates
“Son” Pavel was taken from Catherine immediately after the birth and was shown only 40 days later. In 9 months, the woman saw the child only 3 times. Another confirmation of Elizaveta Petrovna’s motherhood: it was probably she who breastfed Pavel.
“Second Madame” for her own husband
Catherine II's husband, Peter III, did not love his wife, called him “second madam” and openly started affairs. It is known that Peter preferred to play soldiers on the first wedding night. “I saw very clearly that the Grand Duke did not love me at all,” Catherine later recalled, “two weeks after the wedding, he told me that he was in love with the girl Carr, the Empress’s maid of honor. He shared with Count Divier, his chamberlain, that there is not even any comparison between this girl and me.”
How to hide pregnancy from your husband?
Catherine took lovers and gave birth to children from them. At the same time, she easily managed to hide her pregnancy from her husband (remember how comfortable the dresses were for this!). When Alyosha (the son of Grigory Orlov) was born out of wedlock in 1762, she ordered a servant to distract her husband with an impromptu fire. Pyotr Fedorovich loved to watch other people’s houses burn. When he returned from the “fun”, the child was no longer in the palace. The wife stood smart and slender, as if nothing had happened. However, as soon as Peter left, the exhausted Catherine fainted. This woman had amazing fortitude!
"Left" son
He had to give up his beloved son Alyosha. The first time Catherine saw him was only a year after birth. But even being separated from him, Catherine actively arranged Alexei’s life: she bought estates with serf souls, sent cadets to school, and supplied them with money. In addition, she maintained a constant correspondence with his guardians, asking everything about him.
What is Alyosha like?
Alyosha grew up shy and meek. In children's portraits, he looks more like a girl, like a small clone of Catherine herself.
The guardians did not hide the fact that the boy was in poor health, withdrawn and indifferent to games. “Isn’t he mentally weak?” - the mother was worried. The boy has bad heredity: his grandmother on his father’s side went crazy, and later the same thing happened to Alyosha’s father, Count Orlov.
Beavers are kind
Catherine's favorite word was “beavers.” :). It is no coincidence that she bought Alyosha the Bobriki estate and then gave him his last name - Bobrinsky. This has nothing to do with loving animals. Newborn Alyosha was carried away from the house in a beaver skin.
Snub noses
Catherine was the first in Russia to be vaccinated against smallpox. And her “son” Pavel was the first person whose nose tip rotted due to complications after sinusitis. He survived, but remained snub-nosed.
Smolyanki and cadets
At one of the cadet balls, Alyosha, who did not yet know about his origin, was squeezed into a dark corner by a noble girl from the Smolensk Institute and began to make friends. “We’re both shy, we’re both orphans, we need to be together!” - the girl hinted. Frightened Alyosha complained to Catherine. The enterprising mother took urgent measures: she married the girl off, and also gave her dresses as a dowry. Needless to say, after this incident the girls of the Smolensk Institute rushed at Alyosha in droves. :).
First love
When Alyosha fell in love with Potemkin's niece Katenka, he lost his former modesty. The Empress describes it this way: “Little Bobrinsky says that Katenka has more intelligence than all the other women and girls in the city. They wanted to know on what he bases this opinion. He said that, in his opinion, this was proved only by the fact that she wore less rouge and adorned herself with jewels than others. At the opera, he decided to break the bars of his box, because it prevented him from seeing Katenka and being seen by her; Finally, I don’t know how he managed to enlarge one of the lattice cells - and then, goodbye to the opera, he no longer paid attention to the action.” To cool her son's feelings, the empress finally reveals to him the secret of his birth. But that's a completely different story :).
And where do melodrama screenwriters look...
Lecturer— Marina Petrova, candidate of art history, leading researcher at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
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