"I have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with by far the greatest and most interesting person of this Iron Century." -Catherine the Great, in a letter describing Grigory Potemkin.
"Lived on gold, died on grass." -Anonymous; attributed to a hitherto unknown Cossack who placed coins over the eyes of Potemkin's corpse
So it occurs to me, I have an entire section in the Table of Contents labelled "Biographies," and after several years on the site there is only one entry in it: Sun Zhongshan (Yat-Sen). I have intended for some time to remedy that and I suppose the next entry to add to that list should be Grigory Potemkin, the man who featured heavily in my "2020: Year of Russia" study. My guess is the next afterward will be Emperor Songtsen Ghampo of Tibet.
A One-Man Case-Study in Contradictions
[Potemkin] was a man of extremes, Slavic to the core, by turns affectionate and raging, merry and sad, lazy and active, savage and delicate.
-Henri Troyat, Catherine the Great, p. 255
If the secret of life is having a story to tell, as I once claimed, then Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (more on how he got the hyphenated surname later) captured it perfectly. The man who would -almost literally- build the Russian Empire, came from humble birth in a family of rural nobles barely any wealthier than the peasants they ruled over (Montefiore, p. 19). Despite having a later reputation for nearly superhuman virility and, shall we say, "impressive equipment (History.co)," he was raised in an otherwise all-female household (Montefiore, p. 18). As a schoolboy, he was a mischievous and precocious student known for pranks (Soloveytchik, p. 29), yet became famous at university for his academic prowess. And to further complicate the man's profile, his response to this praise was to neglect his studies and flunk out of the university (Soloveytchik, p. 30).
The predilection for extremes and opposites continued throughout his life. He and the empress of Russia, Catherine the great, were by all accounts deeply in love, yet they found each other's presence exhausting and exasperating. Though his devotion to the empress bordered on worship (Soloveytchik, 34), he resented his dependency upon her (Massie, 440). He spent his entire life preparing for a decisive strike against the Ottoman Empire, then nearly gave up this endeavor, on the eve of its completion no less, at the first sign of difficulty from the weather (Montefiore, 386-387).
And of course, despite being co-ruler-in-all-but-name of the Russian Empire (at a time when Russia was at the peak of its power, thanks largely to Potemkin's work), and despite being famous for his flamboyant and lavish displays of wealth (Montefiore, p. 429; Soloveytchik, p. 216), he died in a field, nearly alone, and his eyes were close with coins worth 5 kopeks(1) each (Montefiore, p. 486; Troyat, p. 358).
Love at First Coup D'etat
When writing of Grigory Potemkin, it is impossible not to write of Catherine the Great, since she is the context through which much of his life must be viewed. Indeed, this fact of his dependency upon Catherine was a source of irritation to a man so eager to dominate his surroundings (Rounding, p. 282 & 307). In a large part, Potemkin's career began (and ended) with, by, and because of, Empress Catherine II.
Shortly after being expelled from the University of Moscow as mentioned above, young Grigory Potemkin did what most Russian noblemen did to advance themselves. He joined the military. He became part of an elite regiment of horse guards in St. Petersburg (2), which was the capital at the time. It was here that he began to rub elbows with five men who were giants in stature, martial prowess and reputation: the Orlov Brothers. This friendship would change the course of Potemkin's life and, indeed, the future of the Russian Empire, for two reasons.
One is because these five brothers were the masterminds of a plot to depose the almost universally reviled Czar Peter III and put his wife, Catherine (whose not-so-secret love affair with one of the Orlov brothers, Grigory, might have been part of their motivation to enthrone her), on the throne, and Potemkin became a key part of this coup (Montefiore, p. 41). The other reason is that during the coup itself, young Potemkin met Catherine face-to-face and fell wildly in love with her on the spot.
During the coup, Catherine donned the uniform of the Preobrazhenzsky Guard Regiment for symbolic reasons, and the commonly repeated legend about their meeting is this. Potemkin allegedly noticed that she was missing a key article of the uniform (a sword-knot), and boldly rode right up to her to offer her his own instead, much to the chagrin of his commanding officer. It is also said that during this meeting, Potemkin's horse refused to leave the side of Catherine's horse until Potemkin forced him, with great difficulty, to do so. It was as if Heaven was sending them signs that they were meant to be together. Catherine herself repeats this legend in her later letters (Montefiore, p. 45 & 46), though Potemkin's own nephew denied it could have been possible (Soloveytchik, p. 32). Regardless of how much of this highly romanticized legend is truth and how much is fantasy, what is known is that from that day forward, Potemkin's thoughts were of Catherine, Catherine, and Catherine alone.
Catherine herself took note of the dashing young cavalier, and Grigory Orlov was none-too-pleased with it.
A short time later, after one particularly violent encounter with the Orlovs, a fight which some sources claim was the reason for the loss of Potemkin's left eye (Soloveytchik, p. 34), Potemkin left St. Petersburg and served on the front lines of the Russo-Turkish War. Several years would pass -years during which Potemkin earned a reputation as a skilled tactician (Foussianes), especially during the siege of Silistra- before he would return to the capital and take his place as Catherine's new lover (after quickly dispensing with Catherine's "rebound from Orlov," a man named Alexander Vassilchikov). That was when his career truly began.
The Fires of Love and Rage
Oh God, what torment it is to love one to whom I dare not speak my love, one who can never be mine? ... O Barbarous Heaven, why did you make her so beautiful, why so great? Why must it be she and she alone whom I can love?"
-Potemkin's personal journals, quoted in Troyat, p. 249
Given the passion in Potemkin's writings about Catherine, and the fact that Catherine herself seemed charmed by Potemkin even before her relationship with Grigory Orlov ended, it would not be unreasonable to expect that the two had a long and happy relationship. However, this was not the case, at least not in the normal sense. Their relationship was fraught with arguments almost from the beginning. Records of their correspondence show the almost cloying mutual affection one would expect from the "honeymoon phase" from about February through March of 1774 (Smith, p. 17 - 33). From that point forward, their correspondence consists almost entirely of Catherine rebuking Potemkin in print for his verbal rebukes of her, interspersed with occasional "why would you think I hate you" reassurances, and it continued in this vein until the amusingly symbolic date (at least for Americans) of July 5, 1776 (Smith, p. 34 - 88). By this point, after two exhausting years of near-constant strife, the two had a dilemma.
Their relationship was not only personal, but professional. They were more than lovers, they were partners in all matters pertaining to the governance of Russia. What was more, they did truly feel a deep and abiding love for one another. The problem was, neither of them could stand being around someone they did not rule. Having spent her early adulthood entirely at the mercy of a cold and unfeeling child of a husband who hated her almost as badly as he hated Russia, Catherine would never allow herself to be subordinate to a man again (Soloveytchik, p. 34).
Potemkin, for his part, could not abide the fact that the woman who elevated him to power could tear him from it on a whim (Smith, p. 15). He needed to know -and for the world to know- that his achievements were his own, his glory was his own. Yes, it had been Catherine who recognized his talent and started his career, but it had been him who had perpetuated it. This titan of his time could not stand living in a world where it was believed that he was merely the Czarina's boy-toy (Rounding, p. 282). Something had to change, and it had to change in a way that enabled them to remain partners, even if it meant doing so from a distance.
Partners Everywhere But the Bedroom
The resulting arrangement was unorthodox (pun very much intended), yet surprisingly effective. Potemkin, who craved a life of action and, more importantly, a life of significance, left St. Petersburg to begin putting into motion all the grand designs the two imperial lovers had discussed, namely, the ambitious plans to settle "New Russia" and what was supposed to be the dismemberment and conquest of the Ottoman Empire. Catherine remained in St. Petersburg and tended to the governance of the Empire while Potemkin expanded its frontiers.
Meanwhile, both of them took a host of other lovers, and made no secret of this. In fact, Catherine seemed intrigued and even amused to hear of Potemkin's amorous conquests. Catherine took a great interest in Potemkin's mistresses, inquiring after their well-being in her letters and even treating most of them almost as adopted daughters (which they were young enough to be). Potemkin, for his part, was a bit more jealous and wished to make sure no other man who had a chance of supplanting him would approach the empress. Rather than simply hear about Catherine's lovers, he actually chose them. Each was carefully selected to be what Potemkin refused to be: an entertaining, though largely useless, toy for the empress of Russia to play with.
With proximity no longer an issue, the deep and passionate bond between the two reignited. Each sought the other's counsel in everything, and their correspondence makes no efforts to hide the love they still felt for each other. At the risk of being crude, one could say they were joined everywhere but at the hips.
During this time, Potemkin was in his element. He built not only cities, but entire provinces where uninhabited lands had been before. He moved from one victory to another and everywhere he went, settlements grew like flowers. Russia, which had never had a southern coast before, suddenly became the dominant power in the Black Sea, thanks to ports and an entire fleet whose construction was overseen, from beginning to end, by Potemkin. Indeed, nearly every major city in what is now southern Ukraine(3) owes its existence to this man. He was so instrumental in the settling of Crimea (or Tauride, as it was called in those days) that Catherine even awarded him the right to add "Tavrichevsky," meaning "of Tauride," to his surname on official documents.
He had two main reasons, and those reasons tell us a great deal about the man. One was self-serving. Despite having assured himself that Catherine would never abandon him in life, he was aware that she was ten years his senior and that her son (and heir-apparent) hated him. He had no illusions about his grim future prospects if Paul, who blamed Potemkin for his role in the coup that deposed his grandfather, ascended the throne. Potemkin sought to build a region strong enough to become a semi-autonomous kingdom (albeit under vassalage of the Russian Empire) with him as its king. The other reason, can be found in the name of the city he created as the region's capital: Ekaterinoslav, or "Catherine's Glory."
In all of Potemkin's letters to Catherine, letters spanning 17 years, the words "Russia" or "the Russian Empire" appear fewer than ten times. When Potemkin refers to the State in these letters, he uses the phrase "Your Empire, Matushka(4)." This is what nobody except (perhaps) Catherine herself understood about Prince Potemkin's efforts: he was not building "the Russian Empire." He was building "Catherine's Empire." He wasn't fighting "for Russia." He was fighting "for Catherine." Most men give their lady flowers. Or chocolates. Or jewelry.
But Grigory Potemkin?
He gave his lady an empire.
For a man whose life was built around baffling contradictions, it is fitting that the manner of his death was the polar opposite of his life. Rather than a glorious death in battle, he died of a malarial fever, with no companions except his niece-turned-concubine, in the Bessarabian Hills. His body was embalmed after his death, and most of the remains are believed to lie in Kherson. And it is perhaps perfectly fitting that the church where he is entombed, is the Church of St. Catherine. As for the empress herself, she lingered on five more years, little more than a shadow of the glorious empress she had been with Potemkin at her side, before finally joining him in death.
A Man of His Time
Grigory Potemkin was not merely a man of 18th century Russia. He was the man of 18th century Russia, it's penultimate symbol. Victorious against impossible odds, he was defeated by his own indecisiveness. He subjugated kingdoms, but could not subjugate his own temper. Though by most accounts hideously ugly, he was adored by nearly every woman he encountered. He was the picture of chivalry, yet an unabashed womanizer. And of course, he was a scion of patriarchal values, yet he disdained the company of men, and the few who he ever considered his equals, were women. This can, perhaps, be partially attributed to growing up as the only male in an all-female household.
Grigory Potemkin is best remembered, best defined, by his relationship with Catherine. He needed an empress to adore, to love, to swear fealty to, and to put on a high pedestal. Yet when this object of his adoration was beside him, a flesh and blood companion, he could not abide treating her as his equal. He would shamelessly fall to both knees before her and swear his undying allegiance one minute, and resent her for the power she held over him the next. She was a to him an idol, to be revered, worshipped even, but only from a distance. In his mind she was an ideal; a symbol. She was his goddess, and he was her conquering crusader. Every city he built, every fortress he subdued, was an altar to her glory. Yet when face-to-face with her he could not abide a position of subordination and dependency.
In short, he was the willing and unhesitantly obedient slave of Catherine the Empress (and by his sword, entire populations were sworn to the same servitude), but longed for dominion and mastery over Catherine the woman.
He all-but-ruled Russia. Yet he ruled not in his own name, but in the name of the woman he loved.
Footnotes
(1) A "Kopek" is a Russian penny.
(2) Sources differ about his rank at the time of the coup. I have seen him referred to as a "Subaltern," a "Captain," a "Captain-at-Arms," a "Non-commissioned Officer" and a "Detachment Commander," though I have been unable to find what size of element a "detachment" was. Frankly, considering that the rank structure of the Imperial Russian Army differed so wildly from anything in the modern world, attempting to discern which source used the right title seems a bit moot.
(3) For clarity, I'm including Crimea in my definition of the phrase "Southern Ukraine." There was barely a major city there when Potemkin annexed it from the Ottomans. Kherson, Nikolayev, Sevastopol, and Ekaterinoslav were all empty grassland before he built them.
(4) Trying to translate this literally will yield the words "little mother," which sounds odd to English-speakers, but in context it is a term of both endearment and reverence.
Works Cited
Foussianes, Chloe. "Grigory Potemkin and Catherine the Great Have One of History's Greatest Love Stories." Town & Country. 22 Oct, 2019. Web. 3 Feb. 2022. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a29355163/grigory-potemkin-catherine-the-great-affair-true-story/
History.co Staff. "HISTORY’S GREATEST LOVE AFFAIR: CATHERINE THE GREAT AND GRIGORY POTEMKIN." History.co.uk. Web. 31 Jan, 2022. https://www.history.co.uk/article/historys-greatest-love-affair-catherine-the-great-and-grigory-potemkin
Massie, Robert K. Catherine the Great - Portrait of a Woman. New York, 2011. Random House.
ISBN 978-0-345-40877-8
Montefiore, Simon Sebag. Catherine the Great & Potemkin - The Imperial Love Affair. New York, 2016. Vintage Publications.
ISBN 978-0-525-43196-1
Rounding, Virginia. Catherine the Great - Love, Sex and Power. New York, 2006. St. Martin's Griffin.
ISBN 978-0-312-37863-9
Smith, Douglas. Love and Conquest - Personal Correspondence of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin. 2005, Dekalb. Northern Illinois University Press.
ISBN 978-0-87580-607-4
Soloveytchick, George. Potemkin - A Picture of Catherine's Russia. London, 1949. Percival and Marshall
No ISBN available due to publication date
Troyat, Henri. Trans. Pinkham, Joan. Catherine the Great. New York, 1977. E.P. Dutton
No ISBN available due to publication date