The Russian Empress Catherine II the Great was born on May 2 (Old Style April 21), 1729 in the city of Stettin in Prussia (now the city of Szczecin in Poland), died on November 17 (Old Style November 6), 1796 in St. Petersburg (Russia). The reign of Catherine II lasted more than three and a half decades, from 1762 to 1796. It was filled with many events in internal and external affairs, the implementation of plans that continued what was being done during. The period of her reign is often called the "golden age" of the Russian Empire.
By her own admission, Catherine II, she did not have a creative mind, but she was good at capturing any sensible thought and using it for her own purposes. She skillfully selected her assistants, not being afraid of bright and talented people. That is why Catherine's time was marked by the appearance of a whole galaxy of outstanding statesmen, generals, writers, artists, and musicians. Among them are the great Russian commander, Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, satirist writer Denis Fonvizin, the outstanding Russian poet, Pushkin's predecessor Gavriil Derzhavin, Russian historiographer, writer, creator of the "History of the Russian State" Nikolai Karamzin, writer, philosopher, poet Alexander Radishchev , outstanding Russian violinist and composer, founder of Russian violin culture Ivan Khandoshkin, conductor, teacher, violinist, singer, one of the founders of the Russian national opera Vasily Pashkevich, composer of secular and church music, conductor, teacher Dmitry Bortyansky.
In her memoirs, Catherine II characterized the state of Russia at the beginning of her reign as follows:
Finances were depleted. The army did not receive a salary for 3 months. Trade was in decline, for many of its branches were given over to a monopoly. There was no correct system in the state economy. The War Department was plunged into debt; the marine was barely holding on, being in utter neglect. The clergy were dissatisfied with the taking away of his lands. Justice was sold at a bargain, and the laws were governed only in cases where they favored the strong person.
The Empress formulated the tasks facing the Russian monarch as follows:
— It is necessary to enlighten the nation, which should govern.
- It is necessary to introduce good order in the state, to support society and force it to comply with the laws.
- It is necessary to establish a good and accurate police in the state.
- It is necessary to promote the flowering of the state and make it abundant.
“We need to make the state formidable in itself and inspire respect for its neighbors.
Based on the tasks set, Catherine II carried out active reformatory activities. Her reforms affected almost all spheres of life.
Convinced of the unsuitable system of government, Catherine II in 1763 carried out a Senate reform. The Senate was divided into 6 departments, losing the importance of the body that manages the state apparatus, and became the highest administrative and judicial institution.
Faced with financial difficulties, Catherine II in 1763-1764 carried out the secularization (conversion to secular property) of church lands. 500 monasteries were abolished, 1 million souls of peasants passed to the treasury. Due to this, the state treasury was significantly replenished. This made it possible to ease the financial crisis in the country, to pay off the army, which had not received a salary for a long time. The influence of the Church on the life of society has been significantly reduced.
From the very beginning of her reign, Catherine II began to strive to achieve the internal order of the state. She believed that injustices in the state could be eradicated with the help of good laws. And she decided to adopt new legislation instead of the Cathedral Code of Alexei Mikhailovich of 1649, which would take into account the interests of all classes. For this purpose, in 1767, the Legislative Commission was convened. 572 deputies represented the nobility, merchants, Cossacks. In the new legislation, Catherine tried to carry out the ideas of Western European thinkers about a just society. Having reworked their works, she compiled the famous "Order of Empress Catherine" for the Commission. "Instruction" consisted of 20 chapters, divided into 526 articles. It is about the need for a strong autocratic power in Russia and the class structure of Russian society, about legality, about the relationship between law and morality, about the dangers of torture and corporal punishment. The commission worked for more than two years, but its work was not crowned with success, since the nobility and the deputies themselves from other classes stood guard only for their rights and privileges.
In 1775, Catherine II carried out a clearer territorial division of the empire. The territory began to be divided into administrative units with a certain number of taxable (who paid taxes) population. The country was divided into 50 provinces with a population of 300-400 thousand in each, provinces into counties of 20-30 thousand inhabitants. The city was an independent administrative unit. Elected courts and "judicial chambers" were introduced to deal with criminal and civil cases. Finally, "conscientious" courts for minors and the sick.
In 1785, the "Letter of Letters to the Cities" was published. It determined the rights and obligations of the urban population, the system of governance in cities. Residents of the city every 3 years elected a self-government body - the General City Duma, the mayor and judges.
Since the time of Peter the Great, when all the nobility was obliged to lifelong service to the state, and the peasantry to the same service to the nobility, gradual changes have taken place. Catherine the Great, among other reforms, also wanted to bring harmony into the life of the estates. In 1785, the Letter of Complaint to the Nobility was published, which was a code, a collection of noble privileges, formalized by law. From now on, the nobility was sharply separated from other classes. The freedom of the nobility from paying taxes, from compulsory service was confirmed. Nobles could only be judged by a noble court. Only nobles had the right to own land and serfs. Catherine forbade subjecting nobles to corporal punishment. She believed that this would help the Russian nobility to get rid of the slave psychology and acquire personal dignity.
These charters streamlined the social structure of Russian society, divided into five classes: the nobility, the clergy, the merchants, the bourgeoisie ("the middle class of people") and the serfs.
As a result of the education reform in Russia during the reign of Catherine II, a system of secondary education was created. In Russia, closed schools, educational homes, institutes for girls, nobles, townspeople were created, in which experienced teachers were engaged in the education and upbringing of boys and girls. A network of non-estate two-class schools in the counties and four-class schools in provincial towns was created in the provinces. A classroom lesson system was introduced in schools (single dates for the beginning and end of classes), methods of teaching disciplines and educational literature were developed, and uniform curricula were created. By the end of the XVIII century in Russia there were 550 educational institutions with a total of 60-70 thousand people.
Under Catherine, the systematic development of women's education began, in 1764 the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens, the Educational Society for Noble Maidens were opened. The Academy of Sciences has become one of the leading scientific bases in Europe. An observatory, a physics office, an anatomical theater, a botanical garden, instrumental workshops, a printing house, a library, and an archive were founded. The Russian Academy was founded in 1783.
Under Catherine II, the population of Russia increased significantly, hundreds of new cities were built, the treasury quadrupled, industry and agriculture developed rapidly - Russia began to export bread for the first time.
Under her, paper money was introduced for the first time in Russia. On her initiative, the first vaccination against smallpox was carried out in Russia (she herself set an example, became the first to be vaccinated).
Under Catherine II, as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars (1768-1774, 1787-1791), Russia finally gained a foothold in the Black Sea, the lands were annexed, called Novorossia: the Northern Black Sea region, Crimea, the Kuban region. She took Eastern Georgia under Russian citizenship (1783). During the reign of Catherine II, as a result of the so-called partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, 1795), Russia returned the Western Russian lands torn away by the Poles.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
Portrait of Catherine II, F. S. Rokotov
- Years of life: May 2 (April 21), 1729 - November 17 (6), 1796
- Years of government: July 9 (June 28), 1762 - November 17 (6), 1796
- Father and mother: Christian-August of Anhalt-Zerbst and Johanna-Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp.
- Spouse: .
- Children: Pavel (Pavel I), Anna, Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky.
Catherine II ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. She was born on April 21 (May 2 according to the new calendar), 1729 in Prussia in the city of Stettin (currently it is called Szczecin and is part of Poland).
Catherine II Alekseevna: childhood and adolescence
At birth, she was called Sophia Frederick August of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her father was Prince Christian-August of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the service of the King of Prussia. And his mother, Johanna Elizabeth, was a cousin of Peter III.
Sophia was homeschooled and taught dance, foreign languages, history, geography, theology, etc. From childhood, she was distinguished by perseverance, curiosity, independence and loved outdoor and active games. Catherine from an early age was distinguished by a strong character.
Catherine II in Russia
In 1744, Elizaveta Petrovna invited Sophia and her mother to Russia. Sophia immediately began to diligently study the language, traditions and customs of her new homeland. She even worked at night. On June 28, Sophia converted to Christianity and received a new name - Ekaterina Alekseevna.
From the very beginning, the marriage of Catherine and Peter was not successful. At first, he was not at all interested in his wife, he even declared that he had another. Catherine, on the other hand, continued to actively engage in self-education: she studied the works of French enlighteners, jurisprudence, economics and history. Obviously, all this significantly influenced Catherine's worldview and her policy: she was a supporter of the ideas of the Enlightenment. She also paid great attention to the study of the traditions and customs of the Russian people. Catherine's pastimes were hunting, dancing and horseback riding.
The lack of relations between the spouses led to the fact that Catherine had lovers. At the beginning of 1750, she began an affair with an officer of the guard, Saltykov S.V. But despite the cold relationship between the spouses and their infidelity, Empress Elizabeth was unhappy with the lack of heirs.
Catherine had two unsuccessful pregnancies, but on September 20, 1754, she gave birth to a son, Pavel. There was an opinion that Saltykov was his real father, but evidence of these rumors was not presented. After the birth of the heir, Empress Elizabeth ordered to immediately take him away, his mother was not allowed to engage in his upbringing. Catherine saw Pavel for the first time only when he was over a month old.
After these events, the relationship between Peter and Catherine finally deteriorated, and he stopped hiding his mistresses. Catherine had a new affair with Stanisław Poniatowski, who later became King of Poland.
December 9, 1757 Anna was born - the second child of Catherine. Peter was dissatisfied, because. suspected that he was not the father. The girl did not live long - only two years.
During this period, the position of Catherine II became rather precarious. It was caused not only by the lack of marital relations, but also by the fact that Catherine corresponded with her close friend, the English ambassador Williams. He repeatedly provided loans to her in exchange for information relating to political issues. Catherine promised him that in the future she would conclude a friendly alliance between Russia and England.
Elizaveta Petrovna was ill, and Catherine was preparing a plot against her husband so that the throne would go to her, and not to him. Catherine's supporters were Apraksin, Bestuzhev. But Elizabeth found out about this betrayal and arrested them, later Catherine had to look for new allies, which were Orlov G.G., Panin N.I., Dashkova E.R., Razumovsky K.G. etc.
On December 25, 1761, she died, and Peter III ascended the throne. His relationship with his wife worsened even more: he began to live with his mistress Elizaveta Vorontsova, and settled his wife on the other side of the Winter Palace. During these events, Catherine had a love relationship with Grigory Orlov, from whom she gave birth to a son, Alexei Bobrinsky, in 1762. Of course, she had to hide the pregnancy, the birth also took place in secret, because at that moment she hardly saw her husband.
Peter's actions both in foreign and domestic policy caused discontent. He concluded an agreement with Prussia and returned part of the land to her, despite the fact that Russia won a number of battles of the Seven Years' War. In addition, he planned to oppose Denmark together with Prussia. In addition, Peter III was going to abolish church land holdings, making them secular property, and change church rites. In parallel with this, Catherine's supporters persuaded the officers to their side.
Peter's actions led to the fact that they began to consider him unworthy to govern the state, he looked ignorant, not respecting traditions, Catherine, who planned to stage a coup, looked favorably against his background.
The reign of Catherine II. The essence of politics
On June 28, 1762, Catherine arrived in St. Petersburg, where the Izmailovsky regiments swore allegiance to her. At this time, Peter III was in Oranienbaum. Upon learning of the coup, he proposed negotiations, which were immediately rejected, so he was forced to abdicate. Catherine II became the head of state. But Peter did not give up trying to return the throne, on July 17, 1762 he died.
Catherine, having become empress, issued a manifesto in which she substantiated the overthrow of Peter because of the conclusion of peace with Prussia and an attempt to carry out church reform. The son of Peter Pavel should become the emperor, but the justification for the transition to power of Catherine was the desire of the entire Russian people.
The reign of Catherine II is called the "golden age" of the Russian Empire. She knew how to select assistants well and was not afraid to surround herself with bright people; it was during her reign that many famous statesmen and creative people appeared.
In her policy, Catherine acted smoothly, she reformed the Senate, turned church lands into secular property, and made changes to the administrative and judicial spheres.
She believed that it was important to educate the people she managed. It was during the reign of Catherine II that new educational institutions were opened, for the first time special for women, free printing houses were created, the Hermitage and the Public Library were opened. She loved writing, during her life she wrote quite a few comedies, fairy tales, fables and even librettos for operas.
Catherine II was categorically against serfdom, but she did not dare to abolish it, because. she understood that as a result she would lose the support of the nobility, and perhaps another coup would come. In addition, the peasants were not educated and were not yet ready to live freely.
As for foreign policy, Catherine believed, as well as that it was necessary to take an active position and act. First of all, she broke the agreement with Prussia, which Peter III concluded. Catherine II ensured that the Polish throne was occupied by her henchman Stanislav August Poniatowski. Austria and Prussia offered Russia to divide the lands of the Commonwealth, in case of disagreement they threatened war. As a result, after three partitions, Russia received part of Belarus, Lithuanian provinces and Ukrainian lands.
From 1768 to 1792 there were Russian-Turkish wars, the result of which was the expansion of the territory of Russia at the expense of the lands of the Crimea, the North Caucasus and the Black Sea region. Relations with both Sweden and Prussia also normalized.
Catherine's novels with each were short-lived: she lived with them for several years, after which she parted. But she did not disgrace any of them, she awarded everyone with titles, good positions and money. It was under Catherine II that favoritism peaked.
Death of Catherine II
November 17 (November 6 according to the old calendar) Catherine II died. She was buried together with her husband Peter III (his ashes were transferred from the Winter Palace) in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
An incredible amount of myths, gossip and rumors always gather around historical figures, cultural figures, art and politics. The Russian Empress Catherine II was no exception. According to various sources, the children of Catherine II were born from her lawful husband Peter III, favorites Grigory Orlov and Potemkin, as well as adviser Panin. Now it is difficult to say which of the rumors is true and which is fiction, and how many children Catherine II had.
Children of Catherine II and Peter III
Pavel Petrovich- the first child of Catherine II from Peter III, was born on September 20 (October 1), 1754 in the Summer Imperial Palace in St. Petersburg. At the birth of the heir to the empire were present: the current Empress of Russia Elizaveta Petrovna, the future Emperor Peter III and the Shuvalov brothers. The birth of Paul was an extremely important and expected event for the empress, so Elizabeth arranged festivities on this occasion and took all the trouble of raising the heir upon herself. The empress hired a whole staff of nannies and educators, completely isolating the child from her parents. Catherine II had almost no contact with Pavel Petrovich and did not have the opportunity to influence his upbringing.
It should be noted that the father of the heir doubted his paternity, although Catherine II herself categorically denied all suspicions. There were also doubts at court. Firstly, the child appeared after 10 years of marriage, when everyone at the court was sure of the infertility of the spouses. Secondly, it is not known for certain what caused the long-awaited pregnancy of Catherine II: the successful cure of Peter III from phimosis by surgical intervention (as the Empress claims in her memoirs) or the appearance at the court of the noble handsome Sergei Saltykov - Catherine's first favorite. In fairness, it should be noted that Pavel had an extraordinary external resemblance to Peter III and was completely different from Saltykov.
Anna Petrovna
Princess Anna was born on December 9 (20), 1757 in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. As in the case of Paul, Empress Elizabeth immediately took the baby to her chambers for education, forbidding her parents to visit her. In honor of the birth of a girl from the Peter and Paul Fortress, 101 shots were fired around midnight. The baby was named Anna in honor of the sister of the Empress Elizabeth, although Catherine intended to name her daughter Elizabeth. The baptism was carried out almost secretly: there were no guests and representatives of other powers, and the empress herself entered the church through a side door. For the birth of Anna, both parents received 60,000 rubles, which greatly pleased Peter and offended Catherine. The children of Catherine II from Peter grew up and were brought up by strangers - nannies and teachers, which deeply saddened the future empress, but completely suited the current one.
Stanislav August Poniatowski
Peter doubted his paternity and did not hide it, there were rumors at court that Stanislav Poniatowski, the future king of Poland, was the real father. Anna lived a little over a year and after a short illness she died. For Catherine II, the death of her daughter was a strong blow.
Illegitimate children
Children of Catherine II and Grigory Orlov
Alexey Bobrinsky
The connection between Catherine II and Grigory Orlov was quite long, because many are inclined to the idea that the empress gave birth to several children of the count. However, information about only one child, Alexei Bobrinsky, has been preserved. It is not known whether Orlov and Catherine II had other children, but Alexei is the official offspring of the couple. The boy became the first illegitimate child of the future empress and was born on April 11-12 (22), 1762 at the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg.
Immediately after birth, the boy was transferred to the family of Vasily Shkurin, Catherine's wardrobe master, where he was brought up with Vasily's other sons. Orlov recognized his son, secretly visited the boy with Catherine. The son of Catherine II from Grigory Orlov, despite all the efforts of his parents, grew up as a mediocre and infantile man. The fate of Bobrinsky cannot be called tragic - he received a good education, arranged his life well at the expense of state funding, and even maintained friendly relations with his brother Pavel after his coronation.
Other children of Orlov and Catherine II
In various sources, one can find references to other children of the empress and favorite, but there is not a single fact or document confirming their existence. Some historians are inclined to the version that Catherine II had several failed pregnancies, others speak of stillborn children or those who died in infancy. There is also a version about the illness of Grigory Orlov and his inability to bear children after it. However, the count, having married, became a father again.
Children of Catherine II and Grigory Potemkin
As well as with Orlov, with Potemkin, Catherine II had a close relationship for a long time, because there are many myths around this union. According to one version, Prince Potemkin and Catherine II had a daughter who was born on July 13, 1775 in the Prechistensky Palace in Moscow. existence itself Elizabeth Grigoryevna Tyomkina there is no doubt - such a woman really existed, even left behind 10 children. The portrait of Tyomkina can be seen in the Tretyakov Gallery. More importantly, the origin of the woman is unknown.
The main reason for doubt that Elizabeth is the daughter of Potemkin and the Empress is the age of Catherine II at the time of the birth of the girl: at that time the Empress was about 45 years old. At the same time, the baby was transferred to be raised in the family of the prince's sister, Potemkin appointed his nephew as guardian. The girl received a good education, Gregory allocated significant amounts for her maintenance and fussed about the marriage of his alleged daughter. In this case, it is more obvious that Grigory Potemkin was Elizabeth's father, while one of his favorites, and not Empress Catherine, could well have been her mother.
Other illegitimate children of Catherine II
It is not known for certain how many children Empress Catherine II had and how their fate turned out. Different sources call a different number of children, mention different fathers. According to some versions, miscarriages and stillborn babies were attributed to Catherine's union with Potemkin, as well as with Orlov, but there is no evidence of this.
From the age of 16, Catherine married her 17-year-old cousin Peter, nephew and heir to Elizabeth, the reigning Empress of Russia (Elizabeth herself had no children).
Peter was completely insane and also impotent. There were days when Catherine even thought about suicide. After ten years of marriage, she gave birth to a son. In all likelihood, the father of the child was Sergei Saltykov, a young Russian nobleman, Catherine's first lover. As Peter became completely insane and increasingly unpopular with the people and at court, Catherine's chances of inheriting the Russian throne looked completely hopeless. Peter, in addition, began to threaten Catherine with a divorce. She decided to organize a coup d'état. In June 1762, Peter, who by that time had already been emperor for half a year, was seized by another crazy idea. He decided to declare war on Denmark. To prepare for military operations, he left the capital. Catherine, guarded by a regiment of the imperial guard, left for St. Petersburg, and declared herself empress. Peter, shocked by this news, was immediately arrested and killed. Catherine's main accomplice was her lovers Count Grigory Orlov and his two brothers. All three were officers of the imperial guard. During her more than 30 years of rule, Catherine significantly weakened the power of the clergy in Russia, put down a major peasant uprising, reorganized the state administration apparatus, introduced serfdom in Ukraine, and added more than 200,000 square kilometers to Russian territory.
Even before marriage, Catherine was extremely sensual. So, at night she often masturbated, holding a pillow between her legs. Since Peter was completely impotent and completely uninterested in sex, the bed for him was the place where he could only sleep or play with his favorite toys. At 23, she was still a virgin. One night on an island in the Baltic Sea, Catherine's lady-in-waiting left her alone (possibly at the direction of Catherine herself) with Saltykov, a famous young seducer. He promised to give Catherine great pleasure, and she really did not remain disappointed. Catherine was finally able to give free rein to her sexuality. Soon she was already the mother of two children. Naturally, Peter was considered the father of both children, although one day his close associates heard such words from him: “I don’t understand how she becomes pregnant.” Catherine's second child died shortly after his real father, a young Polish nobleman who worked at the British embassy, was expelled from Russia in disgrace.
Three more children were born to Catherine from Grigory Orlov. Fluffy skirts and lace each time successfully hid her pregnancy. The first child was born to Catherine from Orlov during Peter's lifetime. During childbirth, a large fire was set up near the palace by Catherine's faithful servants to distract Peter. It was well known to everyone that he was a great lover of such spectacles. The remaining two children were brought up in the homes of Catherine's servants and ladies-in-waiting. These maneuvers were necessary for Catherine, since she refused to marry Orlov, as she did not want to end the Romanov dynasty. In response to this refusal, Gregory turned Catherine's court into his harem. However, she remained faithful to him for 14 years and finally abandoned him only when he seduced her 13-year-old cousin.
Catherine is already 43 years old. She still remained very attractive, and her sensuality and voluptuousness only increased. One of her faithful supporters, cavalry officer Grigory Potemkin, swore his allegiance to her for the rest of his life, and then retired to a monastery. He did not return to social life until Catherine promised to make him her official favourite.
For two years, Catherine and her 35-year-old favorite led a stormy love life filled with quarrels and reconciliations. When Catherine got tired of Gregory, he, wanting to get rid of her, but not lose his influence at court, managed to convince her that she could change her favorites as easily as any of her other servants. He even swore to her that he himself would be engaged in their selection.
Such a system worked great until Ekaterina turned 60. A potential favorite first got to be examined by Ekaterina's personal doctor, who checked him for any signs of a venereal disease. If a favorite candidate was recognized as healthy, he had to pass another test - his masculinity was tested by one of Catherine's ladies-in-waiting, whom she herself chose for this purpose. The next step, if the candidate, of course, reached it, was moving into special apartments in the palace. These apartments were located directly above Catherine's bedroom, and a separate staircase, unknown to outsiders, led there. In the apartments, the favorite found a significant amount of money prepared in advance for him. Officially, at court, the favorite had the position of Catherine's chief adjutant. When the favorite changed, the outgoing "night emperor", as they were sometimes called, received some kind of generous gift, for example, a large amount of money or an estate with 4,000 serfs.
Over the 16 years of the existence of this system, Catherine has changed 13 favorites. In 1789, 60-year-old Catherine fell in love with a 22-year-old officer of the Imperial Guard Platon Zubov. Zubov remained the main object of Catherine's sexual interest until her death at the age of 67. There were rumors among the people that Catherine died while trying to have sexual relations with a stallion. In fact, she died two days after suffering a severe heart attack.
Peter's impotence is probably explained by the deformity of his penis, which could be corrected with surgery. Saltykov and his close friends once got Peter drunk and persuaded him to undergo such an operation. This was done in order to explain Catherine's next pregnancy. It is not known whether Peter had sexual relations with Catherine after that, but after a while he began to have mistresses.
In 1764, Catherine made the Polish Count Stanisław Poniatowski, her second lover, who had once been expelled from Russia, King of Poland. When Poniatowski was unable to cope with his internal political opponents, and the situation in the country began to get out of his control, Catherine simply erased Poland from the world map, annexing part of this country and giving the rest to Prussia and Austria.
The fate of the rest of Catherine's lovers and favorites turned out differently. Grigory Orlov went crazy. Before his death, it always seemed to him that he was being haunted by the ghost of Peter, although the assassination of the emperor was planned by Alexei, brother of Grigory Orlov. Alexander Lansky, a favorite of Catherine's favorites, died of diphtheria, undermining his health by excessive use of aphrodisiacs. Ivan Rimsky-Korsakov, the famous Russian composer's grandfather, lost his place as favorite after he returned to Countess Bruce, Catherine's lady-in-waiting, for more "trials". It was Countess Bruce who at that time was the maid of honor who "gave the go-ahead" after the candidate proved to her that she had considerable sexual capabilities and was able to satisfy the empress. The Countess was replaced in this post by a woman of a more mature age. Another favorite, Alexander Dmitriev-Mamonov, was allowed to leave his post and marry a pregnant courtier. Catherine sulked for three days, and then gave the newlyweds a luxurious wedding gift.
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 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, Elizabeth Tyomkina was granted large estates in the Kherson region - the region, the development and arrangement of which gave a lot of effort to the most illustrious 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 the 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 of the ancient Greek goddess Diana, bare-chested, with a crescent-moon decoration 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.
