Terrible Tsarinas

The new tsarina was determined to encourage that metamorpho-

sis. But her next ambition was to make everyone forget her Ger-

manic origins, her German accent, her former name of Sophia of

Anhalt-Zerbst, and to have all the Russians accept her as the most

Russian of sovereigns, the Empress Catherine II of Russia. She

was 33 years old, and had her whole life before her to prove her

merit. And that is more than one needs when one has, as she had,

faith in one’s own star and in one’s country. What difference did

it make that this wasn’t her country by birth — it was her coun-

try by choice. What could be more noble, she thought, than to

build a future independent of the concepts of nationality and ge-

nealogy? And isn’t that why she would one day be known as

Catherine the Great?

< 239 >

Terrible Tsarinas

Footnotes

1. The details of this meeting and the remarks that were exchanged were

recorded by Catherine II in her Mémoires. Cf. Henri Troyat, op. cit.

2. Ibid.

3. Cf. K. Waliszewski, op. cit.

4. Cf. Daria Olivier, op. cit.

5. Anna died at the age of three months, on March 19, 1759.

6. For a detailed account of these and other critical moments, see, among

others, Henri Troyat, op. cit.

< 240 >

INDEX

Adadurov (Vasily) — 165

168-70, 178-79, 181-83, 195-96, 202-

Aksakov — 151

04, 207-12, 216-19

Alexis Petrovich (Tsarevich) — 5, 7, 40 Bestuzhev (Mikhail Petrovich) — 131,

Allion — 149

157-59, 206

Ambroise — 139, 170

Bestuzhev (Mme Mikhail, née

Amelot de Chailloux — 128, 137, 141

Golovkin) — 157, 158, 159

Anhalt-Zerbst (Christian August) —

Bestuzhev (Peter) — 75, 93

161

Betsky (Count Ivan) — 177

Anhalt-Zerbst (Johanna) — 168, 169

Biron (see Bühren, Johann Ernst)

Anhalt-Zerbst (Sophia) — 161, 162-65,

Bismarck (Chancellor Otto von) — 98

166, 167, 169

Bismarck (General Rudolph von) — 78,

Anna Petrovna (Grand Duchess, daugh-

80

ter of Peter I and Catherine I) — 6,

Boerhaave (doctor) — 195

16, 18, 26-29, 34-37, 39, 40, 50-51, 53

Boris Godunov — 10

Anna Petrovna (Grand Duchess, daugh- Botta D’Adorno (Marquis de) — 100,

ter of Peter II and Catherine II) —

156, 167-59, 167

210

Bourbon (Duke of, and regent) — 21, 22

Apraxin (Alexis Petrovich) — 81

Buturlin (General Alexander) — 46, 47,

Apraxin (Field Marsal Stefan) — 182,

50, 140, 228

204, 206, 208-10, 216-19, 222

Buturlin (Lieutenant-colonel Ivan) — 5,

Apraxin (Grand Admiral Fydor)

8, 9, 29

— 5, 9, 12, 17

Brantôme (Pierre de Bourdeilles) — 194

Augustus III (King of Poland) — 86

Breteuil (Baron of) — 224, 225-27, 236

Balakirev — 81, 82

Brevern (Baron von) — 78, 133

Baryatinsky (Prince Ivan) — 78

Brummer — 164, 166

Behring (Vitus) — 18

Brunswick (family) — 131, 156, 157

Beketov (Nikita) — 183-84

Brunswick-Bevern (Prince Anthony

Bestuzhev (Alexis Petrovich) — 131,

Ulrich of) — 88-92, 95, 99, 100, 102,

134-35, 141-45, 156-59, 162-63, 166,

106, 108, 115

< 241 >

Terrible Tsarinas

Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Charlotte

Dolgoruky (Prince Vasily Lukich) — 56,

of) — 33

59, 67, 72, 80, 130

Bühren (Ernest Johann) — 65, 68-69, 73, Dolgoruky (Prince Vasily Vladimi-

75-80, 84-87, 89, 91-98, 102, 142

rovich) — 59, 63

Bühren (Peter) — 92

Dolgoruky (Princess Catherine, called

Katya) — 54, 55, 56, 60, 63-64, 80,

Campredon (Jacques de) — 16, 20, 21-23

171

Caravaque — 20, 184

Dubiansky (Father) — 155, 213

Catherine Alexeyevna (Grand Duchess, Douglas (Mackenzie) — 203, 205

future Catherine II), see Anhalt-

Dubois (Cardinal Guillaume) — 20

Zerbst (Sophia)

Catherine Ivanovna (Grand Duchess) — Éon (Charles de Beaumont, chevalier

35, 65, 88

d’) — 185, 205

Chailloux (Amelot de) see Amelot de

Esterhazy (count) — 211, 219, 224

Chailloux

Eudoxia (Tsarina) — 40, 41, 47, 48, 55

Chapuzot — 181

Charles VI (Emperor of Germany) — 80 Fyodor II — 10

Charles VII (Emperor of Germany) —

Fermor (Count and General) — 219,

155

222, 227

Charles XI (King of Sweden) — 18

Finch (Edward) — 89, 95, 105, 106, 133

Charles XII (King of Sweden) — 31

Flück — 133

Charles of Prussia (Margrave) — 88, 89 Fornay — 153

Charolais (Duke of) — 23

Franklin (Benjamin) — 190

Cherkassky (Prince Alexis) — 70

Frederick II (King of Prussia) — 95, 132-

Chernyshev (family) — 179

33, 142, 149, 157, 161-62, 167, 180, 188,

Chernyshev (Zahar) — 179

202, 204, 206, 208, 221-28, 232, 235

Choglokov

Frederick IV (King of Denmark) — 24

Choglokov (Maria)

Füchs — 153

Choiseul (Duke Etienne Francois of) —

185, 219, 224, 227

Golitsyn (family) — 46, 48, 50, 63, 66,

Chulkov (Vasily)

72

Clermont (Count of) — 219

Golitsyn (Admiral Alexis

Conti (Prince of) — 205

Dmitrievich) — 204

Courland (Duke Ferdinand of) — 80, 84 Golitsyn (Prince Dmitri) — 5, 7, 46, 48,

Courland (Duke Frederick William

65, 67, 72, 73

of) — 65

Golitsyn (Mikhail Alexeyevich) — 81-

Courland (Duke Jacques of) — 75

85

Courland (Duchesse of) — 35

Geoffrin (Mme) — 202

George II (King of England) — 204

Glück (pastor) — 9

D’Acosta — 81

Golovin (Count Nikolai) — 45

Descartes (René) — 187

Golovkin (Count Gabriel) — 5, 12, 17,

Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin (Jean) — 194

35, 63, 69, 78

Devier — 16, 29, 133

Golovkin (Count Mikhail) — 102, 110,

Dmitri (the false princes) — 10, 87

129, 131