Being a maid of honor during Tsarist Russia was considered very prestigious. Parents dreamed that their daughters would be placed in the imperial family. It would seem that luxurious life at court, dresses, balls... In fact, everything is not quite so rosy. 24-hour duty near the empress, precise execution of all her whims and clearly regulated behavior in parallel with attending all the balls and holidays literally exhausted the ladies-in-waiting, who served the empresses for years, or even decades. 
Portrait of Countess Varvara Alekseevna Sheremeteva (maid of honor to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna), I. P. Argunov, 1760. Usually, girls of noble families became ladies-in-waiting, but sometimes this status was awarded to a person from a poor family, who was considered the best graduate of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens. Of course, there were intrigues for a “place in the sun,” but at the same time it was necessary to thoroughly know court etiquette: how many steps to approach the empress, how to bow your head and hold your hands. 
Portrait of Maria Mikhailovna Volkonskaya (maid of honor of Empress Maria Feodorovna). K. E. Makovsky. You might think that the maid of honor's duties consisted entirely of balls and walks around the palace. In fact, this service was quite difficult. The maids of honor were on duty for 24 hours. At this time, they had to immediately appear when called and carry out any orders of the empress or other royal person whom they served. All court ladies-in-waiting had insignia: the monograms of the person they served. They were decorated with jewels and attached to a blue ribbon bow. 
Maid of honor of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Kantemir (Golitsyna) Ekaterina Dmitrievna. In addition to distinctive ribbons, the maids of honor had outfits of clearly regulated colors. Maids of honor and ladies of state wore a dress made of green velvet, trimmed with gold thread along the bottom. The Empress's ladies-in-waiting wore crimson outfits. Those who served the Grand Duchesses had to wear blue dresses. Of course, with the arrival of the new empress, the colors and styles of outfits changed, depending on the wishes of Her Majesty. It is worth noting that the ladies-in-waiting did not look as luxurious and rich as at the court of the Russian autocrats anywhere else in Europe. 
Maid of honor Praskovya Repnina with the maid of honor cipher of Catherine II on a moire ribbon. In addition to their court functions, some ladies-in-waiting were assigned to perform “unofficial” duties. Everyone understood this, but it was impossible to refuse. If one of the high-ranking guests liked any lady-in-waiting, she was presented as a nightly gift to the guest's bedroom. In addition, emperors often had mistresses among their ladies-in-waiting, or “promoted” the girls they liked to this position, so that they would always be at court. 
Sofia Vasilievna Orlova-Denisova in a maid of honor dress and with a Bantu code. It was almost impossible to refuse a position at court. The only case was marriage. Court ladies could count on noble and wealthy suitors. In addition, as a dowry from the empress they received outfits, bed and bed clothes, and haberdashery worth from 25 to 40 thousand rubles. 
Portrait of State Lady Maria Andreevna Rumyantseva (maid of honor to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna), A.P. Antropov, 1764. But in reality, not everyone was able to get married. Therefore, the girls grew up, became old maids, still serving the empress, and then in old age they became teachers of their children.
Anna Semyonovna Ushakova
Countess Sofya Stepanovna Razumovskaya, born Ushakova(September 11 - September 26) - maid of honor, mistress of Emperor Paul I, from whom she had a son, Semyon, wife of Count P.K. Razumovsky.
Biography
Origin
Metressa
In her first marriage, Sofya Stepanovna was married to Major General Mikhail Petrovich Chertoryzhsky, adjutant of Peter III (not of the princely family), she was widowed early, and she had no children from her sick, consumptive husband.
At court, Sophia was known for her panache, her love of light and all kinds of entertainment, and had the reputation of a “little mistress.”
Sofya Stepanovna was five years older than her husband, and Count Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky was very dissatisfied with this wedding, he strongly disliked his daughter-in-law, whom he called "cartoise woman" and reproached her for her wastefulness. In this, however, she was quite suitable for her husband, and with her indecisiveness and changeable character she was very similar to him; therefore, the spouses probably loved each other dearly and lived very amicably.Their marriage was childless; the countess's very poor health and incurable, in the opinion of the old hetman, illness (tapeworm) required constant treatment, and the countess lived with her husband almost continuously abroad: in Italy, Switzerland, Holland, as well as in Paris and the south of France, in Montpellier, a fashionable resort at the time. This, according to the hetman, "gypsy life" caused huge expenses and constant requests to his father and father-in-law for benefits.
By appointment of Count Pyotr Kirillovich, at the accession of Paul I to the throne, present in the Senate, the Razumovskys returned to St. Petersburg and settled on the corner of Naberezhnaya and Gagarinskaya streets, in their house, which was decorated with many valuable things purchased in France during the revolution. It was here that Countess Sofia Stepanovna died, shortly after arriving in Russia, on September 26, 1803.
From the will she left (dated November 28, 1802) it is clear that although she was a narrow-minded woman, she was simple-minded, kind and religious, and before her death she tried to put her affairs in order, making an inventory of her personal debts, and assigning monetary payments to her people, whom she asked her husband to release. At the same time, it is curious that she distributes among her loved ones the things remaining after her, “my little treasures,” as she puts it, among which she innocently renames images and “Madonna” by Carlo Dolci.
Countess S.S. Razumovskaya was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, at the Lazarevskoye cemetery, where a large white marble sarcophagus with jellyfish heads and a weeping female figure was erected for her by her husband who mourned her; The epitaph is carved on the monument:
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Excerpt characterizing Razumovskaya, Sofya Stepanovna
Princess Marya blushed in spots and fell silent, as if she felt guilty.“I didn’t tell you anything, but they already told you.” And it makes me sad.
Red spots appeared even more strongly on Princess Marya’s forehead, neck and cheeks. She wanted to say something and could not say it. The brother guessed right: the little princess cried after dinner, said that she foresaw an unhappy birth, was afraid of it, and complained about her fate, about her father-in-law and her husband. After crying, she fell asleep. Prince Andrei felt sorry for his sister.
“Know one thing, Masha, I cannot reproach myself for anything, I have not reproached and will never reproach my wife, and I myself cannot reproach myself for anything in relation to her; and it will always be so, no matter what my circumstances. But if you want to know the truth... do you want to know if I'm happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? Don't know…
Saying this, he stood up, walked up to his sister and, bending down, kissed her on the forehead. His beautiful eyes shone with an intelligent and kind, unusual sparkle, but he looked not at his sister, but into the darkness of the open door, over her head.
- Let's go to her, we need to say goodbye. Or go alone, wake her up, and I’ll be right there. Parsley! - he shouted to the valet, - come here, clean it up. It's in the seat, it's on the right side.
Princess Marya stood up and headed towards the door. She stopped.
– Andre, si vous avez. la foi, vous vous seriez adresse a Dieu, pour qu"il vous donne l"amour, que vous ne sentez pas et votre priere aurait ete exaucee. [If you had faith, you would turn to God with a prayer, so that He would give you the love that you do not feel, and your prayer would be heard.]
- Yes, is that so! - said Prince Andrei. - Go, Masha, I’ll be right there.
On the way to his sister’s room, in the gallery connecting one house to another, Prince Andrei met the sweetly smiling Mlle Bourienne, who for the third time that day had come across him with an enthusiastic and naive smile in secluded passages.
- Ah! “je vous croyais chez vous, [Oh, I thought you were at home,” she said, for some reason blushing and lowering her eyes.
Prince Andrei looked at her sternly. Prince Andrei’s face suddenly expressed anger. He said nothing to her, but looked at her forehead and hair, without looking into her eyes, so contemptuously that the Frenchwoman blushed and left without saying anything.
When he approached his sister’s room, the princess had already woken up, and her cheerful voice, hurrying one word after another, was heard from the open door. She spoke as if, after a long abstinence, she wanted to make up for lost time.
– Non, mais figurez vous, la vieille comtesse Zouboff avec de fausses boucles et la bouche pleine de fausses dents, comme si elle voulait defier les annees... [No, imagine old Countess Zubova, with false curls, with false teeth, like as if mocking the years...] Xa, xa, xa, Marieie!
Prince Andrei had already heard exactly the same phrase about Countess Zubova and the same laugh five times in front of strangers from his wife.
He quietly entered the room. The princess, plump, rosy-cheeked, with work in her hands, sat on an armchair and talked incessantly, going over St. Petersburg memories and even phrases. Prince Andrei came up, stroked her head and asked if she had rested from the road. She answered and continued the same conversation.
Six of the strollers stood at the entrance. It was a dark autumn night outside. The coachman did not see the pole of the carriage. People with lanterns were bustling about on the porch. The huge house glowed with lights through its large windows. The hall was crowded with courtiers who wanted to say goodbye to the young prince; All the household were standing in the hall: Mikhail Ivanovich, m lle Bourienne, Princess Marya and the princess.
Prince Andrei was called into his father’s office, who wanted to say goodbye to him privately. Everyone was waiting for them to come out.
When Prince Andrei entered the office, the old prince, wearing old man's glasses and in his white robe, in which he did not receive anyone except his son, was sitting at the table and writing. He looked back.
-Are you going? - And he began to write again.
- I came to say goodbye.
“Kiss here,” he showed his cheek, “thank you, thank you!”
- What do you thank me for?
“You don’t hold on to a woman’s skirt for not being overdue.” Service comes first. Thank you, thank you! - And he continued to write, so that splashes flew from the crackling pen. - If you need to say something, say it. I can do these two things together,” he added.
- About my wife... I’m already ashamed that I’m leaving her in your arms...
- Why are you lying? Say what you need.
- When it’s time for your wife to give birth, send to Moscow for an obstetrician... So that he is here.
The old prince stopped and, as if not understanding, stared with stern eyes at his son.
“I know that no one can help unless nature helps,” said Prince Andrei, apparently embarrassed. – I agree that out of a million cases, one is unfortunate, but this is her and my imagination. They told her, she saw it in a dream, and she is afraid.
“Hm... hm...” the old prince said to himself, continuing to write. - I'll do it.
He drew out the signature, suddenly turned quickly to his son and laughed.
- It's bad, huh?
- What's bad, father?
- Wife! – the old prince said briefly and significantly.
“I don’t understand,” said Prince Andrei.
“There’s nothing to do, my friend,” said the prince, “they’re all like that, you won’t get married.” Do not be afraid; I won't tell anyone; and you know it yourself.
He grabbed his hand with his bony little hand, shook it, looked straight into his son’s face with his quick eyes, which seemed to see right through the man, and laughed again with his cold laugh.
The son sighed, admitting with this sigh that his father understood him. The old man, continuing to fold and print letters, with his usual speed, grabbed and threw sealing wax, seal and paper.
September 22 marked the 267th anniversary of the birth of Sofia Stepanovna Ushakova (1746 - 1803), married to Razumovskaya, maid of honor and mistress of Emperor Paul I, from whom,
According to rumors, she had a son, Semyon, who at birth received the surname Velikiy.
Sofya Spepanovna was the daughter of the Governor General of St. Petersburg, Senator and Privy Councilor S.P. Ushakov, who, among other things, wrote monographs on agricultural issues (“On the fertility of winter grain” and “On turf roofing”).
Information about Sofia Stepanovna’s childhood and youth is extremely scarce. Her first husband was Count Adam-Yuri Czartoryski, aide-de-camp to Peter III, who by the end of his life rose to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs; in her second marriage (1770s), she bore the title of Countess Razumovskaya, and her husband was Count Pyotr Kirillovich, one of the eldest sons of the last hetman of Ukraine, Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky. Moreover, Sofya Stepanovna was five years older than her husband, which was the subject of constant dissatisfaction with her father-in-law, who did not like her and called her a “cartoise woman.”
These circumstances, obviously, were the reason that the countess lived with her husband almost constantly abroad - in Italy, Switzerland, Holland, as well as in Paris and in the south of France, in Montpellier, a very fashionable and prestigious resort at that time. Their marriage was childless, which evil tongues regarded as a consequence of the countess’s illness.
Upon the accession of Paul I to the throne, P.K. Razumovsky was appointed present in the Senate and the couple returned to Russia. Soon after returning home, on September 26, 1803, the Countess died and was buried in the Lazarevskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Over time, her grave was decorated with a monument with the following epitaphs on all four cardinal points:
Headstone on the grave of S.S. Razumovskaya
On the east side:
"In the hope of the resurrection of the dead / Here lie the ashes / of Madam Actual Privy Councilor Countess / Sofia Stepanovna Razumovskaya nee Ushakova / born 1746 September 11 days, / died 1803 September 16 days".
On the west side:
"Sin weighed heavily on my soul! my flesh oppressed my spirit,
But you me, my God! I loved you so much!
Under the burden of the cross to you, my God cried:
Your love from the cross inspired me with hope;
Without your grave showing balm, you poured balm into mine, Savior;
Saved by You, I appeared before Your judgment".
On the north side:
"In the darkness of faith you loved the Savior,
She loved her neighbor and did not judge the vicious,
You loved me, you loved all people,
Love for the Savior was the holy of your paths..
O my priceless friend, unforgettable friend of the heart,
The ashes of my dear wife, the ashes of my precious heart!
Accept this monument as a pledge of my love,
Rest until the trumpet - live in the dawns of heaven!"
On the south side:
"Having passed through the phenomenal world, completing your earthly path,
Come into your world of beings, heavenly soul!
Flow love to the father, exemplary through the son,
Reign with the Eternal, be blessed forever,
Enjoy with Him in the non-evening days;
What have you harvested here in the joys of reaping!
Thus the orphan prays, the widow cries thus,
Here your friend sighs and sheds tears".
The list of Catherine II's men 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 lovers, but how can we object to the empress, then of course they had their own 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 was June 28 (July 9), 1762 - 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 from a form of impotence, and in the first years he 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 Saltykov drunk.
2. While she was engaged, she also had an affair, Saltykov, Sergei Vasilyevich (1726-1765). In 1752 he was at the small court of the Grand Dukes Catherine and Peter. The beginning of the novel in 1752. The end of the relationship was the birth of a child, Pavel, in October 1754. After which Saltykov was expelled from St. Petersburg and sent as 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 affair, her daughter Anna Petrovna (1757-1759) was born; Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich himself thought so, who, judging by Catherine’s Notes, said: “God knows how my wife gets pregnant; I don’t know for sure whether this child is mine and whether 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. Likewise, Catherine 2 was not upset and continued to fall in love. Her next secret lover was Orlov, Grigory Grigorievich (1734-1783). The beginning of the novel In the spring of 1759, Count Schwerin, the aide-de-camp of Frederick II, who was captured in the Battle of Zorndorf, arrived in St. Petersburg, to whom Orlov was assigned as a guard. Orlov gained fame by wresting his mistress from Pyotr Shuvalov. The end of the relationship in 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, Alexey Grigorievich was born on April 22, 1762, a few months after the death of Elizaveta Petrovna. It is reported that on the day she went into labor, her faithful servant Shkurin set fire to his house, and Peter rushed off to watch the fire . Orlov and his passionate brothers contributed to the overthrow of Peter and the accession of Catherine 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. He often stood guard in Tsarskoe Selo and received a golden snuffbox. Took Orlov's room. 1774, March 20, in connection with the rise of Potemkin, he was sent to Moscow. Catherine considered him boring (14 years difference). After retirement, 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 Grigorievna Tyomkina. Despite the gap in her personal life, thanks to her abilities, she maintained Catherine's friendship and respect and for many years remained the second person in the state. He was not married, his personal life consisted of “enlightening” his young nieces, including Ekaterina Engelgart.
7. Zavadovsky, Pyotr Vasilievich (1739-1812) official favorite.
The beginning of the relationship in 1776. November, presented to the empress as an author, interested Catherine. In 1777, June did not suit Potemkin and was removed. Also in May 1777, Catherine met Zorich. He was jealous of Catherine 2, which did the damage. 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 guard. 1778 June caused inconvenience, expelled from St. Petersburg (14 years younger than the Empress) Was dismissed and sent into retirement with little remuneration. Founded the Shklov School. Enmeshed in debt and suspected of counterfeiting.
9. Rimsky-Korsakov, Ivan Nikolaevich (1754-1831) Official favorite. 1778, June. Noticed by Potemkin, who was looking to replace 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 aide-de-camp 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. 25 years younger than the empress; Catherine was attracted by his announced “innocence.” He was very handsome and had an excellent voice (for his sake, Catherine invited world-famous musicians to Russia). After the loss of favor, he first stayed in St. Petersburg and talked in living rooms about his connection with the empress, 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’s husband eventually gave her a divorce. Korsakov lived with her until the end of her life, they had a son and two daughters.
10 Stakhiev (Strakhov) Beginning of relations 1778; 1779, June. End of relationship 1779, October. According to the description of contemporaries, “a jester of the lowest order.” Strakhov was a 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 could 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) Beginning of relations 1778. The end of relations 1778. Potemkin’s protégé.
12 Rantsov (Rontsov), Ivan Romanovich (1755-1791) Beginning of the relationship 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 a London mob in riots organized by Lord George Gordon.
13 Levashov, Vasily Ivanovich (1740(?) - 1804). Beginning of relations 1779, October. End of relationship 1779, October. Major of the Semenovsky regiment, a young man protected by Countess Bruce. He was distinguished by his wit and cheerfulness. Uncle of one of the subsequent favorites - Ermolov. 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). Beginning of relationship 1780, March. Potemkin's nephew. End of relationship 1780, March.
15 Lanskoy, Alexander Dmitrievich (1758-1784) Official favorite. Beginning of relationship 1780 April He was introduced to Catherine by Chief of Police P.I. Tolstoy, she paid attention to him, but he did not become a favorite. Levashev turned to Potemkin for help, he made him his adjutant and supervised his court education for about six months, after which in the spring of 1780 he recommended him to the empress as a warm friend. The end of the relationship was 1784, July 25. He died after a five-day illness with toad and fever. 29 years younger than the 54-year-old at the time the empress began her relationship. The only one of the favorites who did not interfere in politics and refused influence, ranks, and orders. He shared Catherine’s interest in science and, under her guidance, studied French and became acquainted with philosophy. He enjoyed universal sympathy. He sincerely adored the Empress and tried his best to maintain peace with Potemkin. If Catherine began to flirt with someone else, Lanskoy “wasn’t jealous, didn’t cheat on her, wasn’t insolent, but so touchingly […] lamented her disfavor and suffered so sincerely that he won her love again.”
16. Mordvinov. Beginning of relationship 1781 May. Relative of Lermontov. Probably Mordvinov, Nikolai Semyonovich (1754-1845). The admiral's son, the same age as Grand Duke Paul, was brought up with him. The episode did not affect his biography and is usually not mentioned. He became a famous naval commander. Relative of Lermontov
17 Ermolov, Alexander Petrovich (1754-1834) February 1785, a holiday was specially organized to introduce the Empress to him. 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 Ermolov for help), in addition, the empress also lost interest in him. 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 proposed him as a favorite. He was tall and slender, blond, gloomy, taciturn, honest and too simple. With letters of recommendation from the Chancellor, Count Bezborodko, he left for Germany and Italy. Everywhere he behaved very modestly. After retirement, he settled in Moscow and married Elizaveta Mikhailovna Golitsyna, with whom he had children. Nephew of the previous favorite - Vasily Levashov. Then he left for Austria, where he bought the rich and profitable Frosdorf estate near Vienna, where he died at the age of 82.
18. Dmitriev-Mamonov, Alexander Matveevich (1758-1803) In 1786, June was presented to the empress after the departure of Yermolov. 1789 fell in love with Princess Daria Fedorovna Shcherbatova, Catherine’s understanding was complete. asked for forgiveness, forgiven. After the wedding, he was forced to leave St. Petersburg. Future married people in Moscow. He repeatedly asked to return to St. Petersburg, but was refused. His wife gave birth to 4 children, and eventually they separated.
19.Miloradovich. The relationship began in 1789. He was among the candidates proposed after Dmitriev’s resignation. Their number also included retired second major of the Preobrazhensky regiment Kazarinov, Baron Mengden - all young handsome men, behind each of whom stood influential courtiers (Potemkin, Bezborodko, Naryshkin, Vorontsov and Zavadovsky). End of relationship 1789.
20. Miklashevsky. The beginning of the relationship was 1787. The end was 1787. Miklashevsky was a candidate, but did not become a favorite. According to evidence, during Catherine II’s trip to Crimea in 1787, a certain 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 to favor), but it is unclear from what year. In 1798, Mikhail Miklashevsky was appointed governor of Little Russia, but was soon dismissed. The episode with Catherine is usually not mentioned in biography.
21. Zubov, Platon Alexandrovich (1767-1822) Official favorite. Beginning of relationship 1789, July. A protege of Field Marshal Prince N.I. Saltykov, the chief educator of Catherine’s grandchildren. End of relationship 1796, November 6. Catherine's last favorite. The relationship ended with her death. The 22-year-old at the time of the start of a relationship with the 60-year-old empress. The first official favorite since Potemkin, who was not his adjutant. N.I. Saltykov and A.N. Naryshkina stood behind him, and Perekusikhina also worked for him. He enjoyed great influence and practically managed to oust Potemkin, who threatened to “come and pull out a tooth.” Later he 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 2. Monuments dedicated to her.
Even great eras do not always end gracefully. Even great women do not always know how to age with dignity.
Catherine the Great, whose reign is called the “golden age of the Russian Empire,” alas, was not among those who take the autumn of life for granted.
Clinging to her vanishing youth, Mother Empress followed the usual path of high-ranking and wealthy ladies of all eras - the older Catherine became, the younger her favorites became.
In 1789, the Russian Empress turned 60, which was quite a respectable age for the 18th century. And in the same year, Catherine the Great found her last favorite.
Third son of a retired lieutenant colonel and provincial vice-governor Alexandra Zubova Plato was not endowed with any special talents. Enrolled at the age of 8 as a sergeant in the Semenovsky regiment, in 1779 he was transferred to the Horse Guards with the rank of sergeant. He did not achieve any special military merits, and did not strive for them. The young man grew up in ranks, thanks to his parental connections, and dreamed of getting everything at once - big ranks, money and power.
In 1789, Second Captain of the Horse Guards Platon Zubov begged his superiors to allow him to command the convoy that accompanied Catherine II during her trip from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoe Selo.
The 22-year-old Horse Guardsman, endowed with a slender figure and attractive appearance, during the trip desperately tried to attract Catherine’s attention and achieved his goal. He was invited to dinner, where he received a friendly conversation. After some time, Platon Zubov found himself in the personal chambers of the empress.
Wreck of a Giant
Perhaps this advancement would not have been so rapid if not for the court intrigues. Almost all of the empress's favorites had previously been selected and controlled by the all-powerful Potemkin, and Zubov ended up in Catherine’s bed without the approval of his Serene Highness. Potemkin’s enemies, of whom he had a great many, did their best.
Potemkin himself did not take the Empress’s new lover seriously - he was stupid, devoid of any talents, narcissistic, ignorant, how could such a person argue with the Prince of Tauride for influence on Catherine?
Grigory Potemkin reasoned soberly, but did not take into account that the 60-year-old empress was increasingly less capable of sober reasoning. When she saw Platon Zubov, she completely lost her head.
Favors showered on the new favorite, he rapidly rose in rank: already in October 1789, Zubov received an appointment as a cornet of the Cavalry Corps with promotion to major general.
For Plato, Catherine did not spare awards: only in 1790 he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, the Prussian Orders of the Black and Red Eagles and the Polish Orders of the White Eagle and St. Stanislav, as well as the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Immersed in state affairs, Potemkin did not immediately understand how serious everything was. And when I realized, it was already too late - the empress, who doted on “Platosha,” chose to sacrifice friendship and alienate Potemkin from herself, rather than admit that her new lover was a dissolute and stupid man.
Weakness of an aging woman
In the fall of 1791, Potemkin died suddenly. The Empress was shocked by the loss of her closest associate, whom, despite everything, she considered indispensable in state affairs.
However, she decided that the “new Potemkin” could be raised from “Platoshi”. Catherine persistently tried to involve him in the affairs of public administration, categorically refusing to see that her favorite had neither the knowledge nor the abilities for this.
His political projects were completely divorced from reality, but Catherine was ready to consider them brilliant. The fact that some of the cases entrusted to Zubov were not failed is the merit of the secretaries assigned to him, among whom, for example, was the founder of Odessa Joseph Deribas. However, Catherine entirely considered these successes to be the achievements of “Platoshi”.
The bravest people at court whispered: the empress had become stupid in her old age. Together with Plato, the entire Zubov clan broke through to high government positions: father, brothers and other relatives.
Thanks to the Zubovs, embezzlement and bribery flourished in full bloom. The courtiers, realizing that the favorite was securely entrenched in the empress's bedchamber, lined up to him, asking for favors.
High-born nobles, military generals, respectable officials - they all humbly begged Platon Zubov for help in resolving various issues. And the favorite, a pathetic shadow of Orlov and Potemkin, reveled in his power, which he so dreamed of.
Poet Derzhavin dedicated odes to Zubov, the future hero of the Patriotic War Kutuzov prepared him special coffee, and the great Suvorov gave his only, dearly beloved daughter to his favorite brother.
“The old generals and nobles were not ashamed to caress his insignificant lackeys. We often saw how these lackeys pushed away generals and officers who had been crowding at the door for a long time and were preventing them from being locked. Lounging in an armchair, in the most obscene negligee, with his little finger stuck in his nose, with his eyes aimlessly directed at the ceiling, this young man, with a cold and pouting face, barely deigned to pay attention to those around him. He amused himself with the foolishness of his monkey, which jumped over the heads of vile flatterers, or talked with his jester. And at this time the elders, under whose command he began to serve as a sergeant, - Dolgoruky, Golitsyn, Saltykov and everyone else was waiting for him to lower his gaze in order to humbly rest at his feet,” this is how they later wrote about the time of omnipotence of the last favorite of Catherine the Great.
If at that time the Russian Empire did not stagger under the weight of “Zubovism,” it was only because it was reliably established during the best years of Catherine’s reign.
Portrait of Platon Zubov by Johann Lampi. 1793 Photo: wikipedia.org
Life after Catherine
By the end of the Empress’s life, Zubov’s title had grown to the point of indecentness: “General-Feltzeichmeister, Director General of the fortifications, commander-in-chief of the Black Sea Fleet, Voznesensk Light Cavalry and Black Sea Cossack Army, Adjutant General of Her Imperial Majesty, Chief of the Cavalry Corps, Yekaterinoslav, Voznesensky and Tauride Governor-General, Member of the State Military Collegium, Honorary Benefactor of the Imperial Orphanage, Honorary Lover of the Imperial Academy of Arts and the Russian Orders of St. Apostle Andrew, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, 1st degree, Royal Prussian Black and Red Eagle, Polish White Eagle Eagle and St. Stanislaus and the Grand Duke's Holstein St. Anne's Knight."
But everything that has a beginning also has an end. On November 6, 1796, Catherine the Great died in the Winter Palace.
It was as if her favorite had been replaced - pathetic, frightened, he was expecting punishment from the new Emperor Paul I. At first Pavel did not pay attention to Zubov, considering him unworthy of any revenge. Then, however, he still fell into disgrace - his estates were taken away from the treasury, and the former favorite himself was ordered to go abroad.
The disgrace and favor of Emperor Paul were very changeable. In 1800, Platon Zubov returned to Russia, received his estates back and was appointed director of the First Cadet Corps and renamed infantry generals.
This did not prevent Zubov from becoming one of the active participants in the conspiracy against Paul I. Plato, together with his brothers, was directly involved in the murder of the emperor in the Mikhailovsky Palace on March 11, 1801.
It seems that Platon Zubov himself believed that he was a major statesman. In any case, he seriously expected to occupy a high post under Alexandra I, writing new plans for government reforms.
However, Alexander I perfectly understood the true value of both Zubov and his ideas. Very soon he found himself on the sidelines of political life.
Possessing a huge fortune and extensive possessions, Platon Zubov towards the end of his life became an extremely greedy and economical person. It is believed that his Stingy Knight Alexander Pushkin I copied it from Platon Zubov.
By the age of 50, the handsome young man with whom Catherine once fell in love has turned into a decrepit old man.
In 1821, at the age of 54, he decided to marry the 19-year-old daughter of a poor Vilna nobleman, Tekle Ignatievna Valentinovich. The girl’s parents did not want to hear about such a marriage, but here the miser unexpectedly showed generosity, giving a million rubles for the bride.
Zubov's Corner in Rundāle Palace. Photo: wikipedia.org
This marriage did not last long - already in April 1822, Platon Zubov died at Ruenthal Castle in Courland. His only legitimate daughter was born three weeks after her father's death and died in infancy.
The young widow, who inherited her husband's fortune, married the count four years later. Andrey Petrovich Shuvalov, with whom she lived in a happy marriage for almost half a century, giving birth to four children.
Tekla Valentinovich-Zubova-Shuvalova. Photo circa 1867. Photo:
