Video: Palace secrets: Were Catherine II and Grigory Potemkin legal spouses
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The love story of the great empress and Grigory Potemkin began in the days of the coup, and ended, according to historians, only when "death separated them." The loving empress did not deny herself feminine joys, changing her favorites quite often, but only this person she called "husband" and "kind spouse" in her letters. Despite the fact that there are no documents that accurately confirm the fact of their marriage, there is a lot of evidence that Catherine really entered into this morganatic marriage.
The story of this love is very indicative, since in it the personality of the great Russian empress was revealed from different sides. She, undoubtedly, was in these relations just a Woman who wanted romance and a solid male shoulder, but on the other hand, she appreciated this particular favorite for his merits, thus remaining the Empress. Only Grigory Potemkin was able to become for her not only a lover, but also a strong help in state affairs.
Grigory Potemkin became the third "official" favorite of the empress, replacing the young Alexander Vasilchakov. These were quite mature relations, they began in 1774, Potemkin was 34, Catherine - well over 40. The fact that Catherine had a new "case" immediately became known to all the courtiers, messages were sent to their sovereigns and all foreign ambassadors. The English envoy Gunning wrote: And the German Solms spoke out even more frankly:
Indeed, for two years, Ekaterina and Potemkin became inseparable. The favorite received huge chambers both in the Winter Palace and in Tsarskoe Selo, and in the latter he had to make his way along a cold corridor, and the empress carefully writes to her beloved:. In general, during this period of time they write to each other a lot: long tender letters and short notes, if they cannot see each other for a couple of hours. The Empress, as a true woman, wrote more and invented many affectionate nicknames for her beloved: "my dear darling", "treasure", "wolf", "my golden pheasant" and, especially touching, "Grishefishenka". Potemkin is more restrained in his correspondence, but he makes the lackeys kneel while writing the answer.
The courtiers could not help but wonder how the new favorite had "dried" the empress's heart to himself. She seems to have completely lost her head. The favorite walks around the palace in a night dressing gown and shoes on his bare feet, constantly gnaws something and scatters bits on the floor, picks his teeth in front of everyone and bites his nails, and neat, brought up in strict German rules, Catherine only admires him, laughs and composes comic rules: - the favorite constantly forgets his clothes and other things in her chambers. Once the Great Empress even stood at his chambers in a draft, not daring to enter, since there were people there. After she wrote in her hearts:
It is the correspondence of lovers that gives researchers a reason to believe that their relationship was legalized. In several dozen notes, Ekaterina calls Potemkin “husband” and “spouse”, and calls herself “wife”.“Dear husband”, “dear husband”, “dear husband”, “gentle husband”, “invaluable husband”, “dear husband”, “my own husband” - it is difficult to imagine that a woman in love would write it just like that. The first such appeal is found in a letter dated April 7, 1774. Researchers believe that at this moment Potemkin probably received consent to the marriage from Catherine. Several possible dates for this event are named, but, most likely, the wedding took place on Sunday, late in the evening of June 8, 1774 in the Church of St. Sampson the Stranger on the Vyborg side in St. Petersburg. A letter has survived, written a few days earlier, in which the Empress appears to be giving instructions on preparation:
After June 8, the Empress writes:
There is an even bolder version that the reason for the wedding may have been Catherine's pregnancy. If the wedding took place later, in January 1775 (this is another possible date), then the child who appeared in Potemkin's house in July 1775 may well be the daughter of the empress. The girl was named Elizabeth and was given the truncated surname of her father, usual for bastards, - Temkin.
Probably the happiest period in the history of this uneasy love was the summer of 1775. The lovers spent several months in a small house in Tsaritsyno and just enjoyed life. Then they were waiting for state affairs, which would gradually begin to distance them from each other, a crisis of relations that was difficult for both, a new round of life, when a series of hobbies with young favorites would become simply indecent and seeming alienation for both. Historians, however, believe that Potemkin remained Catherine's real husband until his death. That all other hobbies were necessary, but insignificant entertainment for this strange couple, and they kept their marital relationship.
When on October 12, 1791, a courier brought the news of Potemkin's death to St. Petersburg, Catherine did not hide her despair. Her secretary reports that she cried continuously and did not receive anyone. A little later, Catherine will write:
Continue reading: The Secret Children of the Russian Empresses: Who They Become, and How Their Life Developed
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