Catherine the Great & Potemkin: The Imperial Love Affair

2 AKV 13: 216–22, A. A. Bezborodko to P. V. Zavadovsky November 1791, Jassy. Also ZOOID 11: 3–5. AAE 20: 360–2, Langeron, ‘Evénements 1791’. Lopatin, Perepiska pp 961–4. There were stories that Dr Timan had poisoned the Prince on either Zubov’s or Catherine’s orders. Even Langeron discounts them. Soon a scurrilous pamphlet appeared entitled Panslavin – Prince of Darkness (Fürst der Finsternis) by J. F. E. Albrecht, a Freemason – the beginning of the anti-Potemkin mythology. This suggested that a good queen had ordered the poisoning of her demonic co-ruler.

3 Engelhardt 96–7. AKV 13: 216–22, Bezborodko to Zavadovsky ud, November 1791: RA (1878) 1 pp 20–5, V. S. Popov to CII 8 October 1791, Jassy. General Kahovsky was supposed to take command but he was in the Crimea, so Mikhail Kamensky, future Field-Marshal in the Napoleonic Wars, seized control and went berserk in the street, beating Jews, but the army refused to obey his authority. GAP’s wishes prevailed.

4 Khrapovitsky pp 377–8, 16, 17 and 18 October 1791.

5 RGADA 5.131.5–5, CII to Popov 4 November 1791.

6 RGADA 11.1096.1–1, Countess Ekaterina Skavronskaya to CII 3 November 1791.

7 RA (1878) 1 p 25, Princess Varvara V. Golitsyna to Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin 2 November 1791, Jassy.

8 SIRIO 23 (1878): 561, CII to Baron F. M. Grimm 22 October 1791.

9 RGVIA 52.2.55.285, news from Vienna 1/12 October 1791, unpublished. AKV 13: 221–2 Bezborodko to Zavadovsky November 1791.

10 RGADA 5.138.9, M. S. Potemkin to CII 6 December 1791, Jassy.

11 V. L. Esterhazy, Nouvelles Lettres du Comte Valentin L. Esterhazy à sa femme 1792–95 p 371, 23 December 1791–3 January 1792. Stedingk p 216, Count Stedingk to Gustavus III 26 December 1791–9 January 1792. AKV 8: 58, F. V. Rostopchin to S. R. Vorontsov 28 September 1792, St Petersburg. Russkiy Biographicheskiy Slovar vol 14 (1904). AKV 13 (1879): 256, Bezborodko to S. R. Vorontsov 15 May 1792, Tsarskoe Selo.

12 LeDonne p 262. ZOOID 9: 222–5, report of M. S. Potemkin. ZOOID 9: 227, Emperor Alexander I to the State Treasurer Baron Vasilev 21 April 1801, St Petersburg. ZOOID 8: 226–7, Popov’s explanation of GAP’s finances 9 May 1800. ZOOID 8: 225–6, brief note on income and expenditure of extraordinary sums at command of Prince GAPT. ZOOID 9 (1875): 226, CII ukase to the cabinet on GAP’s debts 20 August 1792, Tsarskoe Selo. Brückner Potemkin, p 274. Karnovich p 314. The Sutherland financial scandal is best told in Cross, By the Banks of the Neva pp 80–1. GAP was not the only magnate exposed by Sutherland’s death. Prince Viazemsky, Count Osterman and Grand Duke Paul himself were all hugely in debt to him. Rulikowski, Smila. RS (1908) 136 pp 101–2. Tregubov. Tregubov wrote, ‘The benefit to the country, felt by all, was worth all the money he spent.’ This was literally true for the soldiers under his command.

13 Stedingk p 188, Stedingk to Gustavus III 28 October 1791, St Petersburg.

14 AKV 13: 216–22, Bezborodko to Zavadovsky November 1791, Jassy.

15 RGADA 11.902a Register of Prince GAPT’s Debts, and RGADA 11.902a.30. These debts extended from the vast sums owed to Sutherland to onyx pillars for the Taurida Palace, diamonds, gold muslin shawls (1,880 roubles), female dresses (over 12,000 roubles), oysters, fruit, asparagus and champagne.

16 AKV 13: 223–8, Bezborodko to Zavadovsky 17 November 1791, Jassy.

17 Esterhazy p 333, 17/28 October 1791, St Petersburg.

18 Masson p 113.

19 Stedingk p 188, Stedingk to Gustavus III 4 November 1791.

20 Esterhazy p 333.

21 Stedingk pp 186–8, Stedingk to Gustavus III 28 October 1791, St Petersburg.

22 AKV 8: 39, Rostopchin to S. R. Vorontsov 25 December 1791, Jassy, and AKV 8: 53, Rostopchin to S. R. Vorontsov 8 July 1792, St Petersburg.

23 Stedingk p 196, J. J. Jennings to Fronce ud, St Petersburg.

24 S. N. Glinka, Russkiye chteniya, izdavaemye Sergeem Glinkoyu. Otechestvennye istoricheskiy pamyatniki xviii i xix stoleiya pp 78–9.

25 AKV 13: 223–8, Bezborodko to Zavadovsky 17 November 1791, Jassy.

26 Petrushevsky p 263. Suvorov, Pisma (Lopatin) p 224, A. V. Suvorov to D. I. Khvostov 15 October 1791; pp 232–3: Suvorov to Khvostov 20 July 1792; p 251, Suvorov to Khvostov 24 November 1796 and Suvorov to P. I. Turchaninov 7 May 1793.

27 Engelhardt 1997 p 97.

28 Stedingk pp 188 and 195, Stedingk to Gustavus III 28 October 1791 and Jennings to Fronce ud, St Petersburg.

29 AKV 8: 39, 25 December 1791, Jassy.

30 AKV 13: 223–8, Bezborodko to Zavadovsky 17 November 1791, Jassy.

31 Ligne, Mélanges vol 22 p 82, Prince de Ligne to CII 1793.

32 Ségur quoted by Castera vol 3 p 333.