His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Potemkin | |
|---|---|
Григорий Потёмкин | |
 1847 portrait, copy of an earlier work | |
| President of the College of War | |
| In office 1774–1791 | |
| Preceded by | Zakhar Chernyshev |
| Succeeded by | Nikolay Saltykov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 October 1739 (N.S.)[nb 1] Chizhevo, Smolensk Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 16 October 1791 (aged 52) (N.S.) Iași, Principality of Moldavia, Ottoman Empire |
| Spouse | Catherine II of Russia (possible) |
| Children | Elizabeth Grigorieva Temkina (alleged) |
| Parents |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Russia |
| Branch/service | Imperial Russian Army Imperial Russian Navy |
| Years of service | 1762–1791 |
| Rank | Field marshal |
| Commands | Black Sea Fleet, Yekaterinoslav Army,[a] Southern Army[b][1] |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Turkish wars (1768–1774, 1787–1792) |
Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski[c] (11 October [O.S. 30 September] 1739[nb 1] – 16 October [O.S. 5 October] 1791) was a Russian military leader, statesman, nobleman, and favourite of Catherine the Great. He died during negotiations over the Treaty of Jassy, which ended a war with the Ottoman Empire that he had overseen.
Potemkin was born into a family of middle-income noble landowners. He first attracted Catherine's favor for helping in her 1762 coup, then distinguished himself as a military commander in the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). He became Catherine's lover, favorite and possibly her consort. After their passion cooled, he remained her lifelong friend and favored statesman. Catherine obtained for him the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and gave him the title of Prince of the Russian Empire among many others: he was both a Grand Admiral and the head of all of Russia's land and irregular forces. Potemkin's achievements include the peaceful annexation of the Crimea (1783) and the successful second Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), during which the armed forces under his command besieged Ochakov.
In 1775, Potemkin became the governor-general of Russia's new southern provinces. An absolute ruler, he worked to colonize the wild steppes, controversially dealing firmly with the Cossacks who lived there. He founded the towns of Kherson, Nikolayev, Sevastopol, and Yekaterinoslav. Ports in the region became bases for his new Black Sea Fleet.
His rule in the south is associated with the (probably mythical) "Potemkin village", a ruse involving the construction of painted façades to mimic real villages, full of happy, well-fed people, for visiting officials to see. Potemkin was known for his love of women, gambling and material wealth. He oversaw the construction of many historically significant buildings, including the Tauride Palace in Saint Petersburg.
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- ^ "ПОТЕМКИН-ТАВРИЧЕСКИЙ, ГРИГОРИЙ АЛЕКСАНДРОВИЧ | Энциклопедия Кругосвет". www.krugosvet.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Potemkin". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Potemkin". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Potemkin". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Potemkin". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 13 August 2019.