Simon Dixon - Catherine the Great

childhood 24, 28–9

education 26–7, 28

journeys to Russia (1744) 37–40

meets Empress Elizabeth 47–8

accepted into the Russian faith 51–2

engaged to Grand Duke Peter 10, 52

name day (24 November) 54, 77, 101, 147, 191, 254, 255

marries Peter (1745) 56–63

mounting debts 73, 97–8

birthday 77, 89, 112, 160, 177, 233, 266, 270, 271, 279, 289, 290, 300, 307

relationship with Zakhar Chernyshëv 86, 269

pregnancies by Sergey Saltykov 87

third pregnancy 89

birth of Paul 91–2

affair with Poniatowski 93–4, 95, 103

maturing political aspirations 100–103, 112, 113

pregnant by Poniatowski 103, 106

birth of Anna Petrovna 104–5

and Bestuzhev’s arrest 106

death of Anna Petrovna 106

pregnant by Orlov 112, 114, 117, 118, 120

birth of Aleksey Grigoryevich 6, 120

Peter III insults her at a banquet 122, 143

coup (1762) 11–14, 20, 22, 118, 122–4, 316

ceremonial re-entry into the capital 127–8

early reforms 125, 129–30, 155

long-serving state secretaries 130–32

coronation (1762) 4–22, 125, 136

correspondence with Voltaire 28, 153, 154, 158, 168–9, 175, 182, 191, 202, 203, 204, 206, 208, 209, 211, 217, 218, 224, 237, 244, 321

Volga expedition 155, 156, 158–69, 175, 235

accession anniversaries 169–70, 242, 256, 288

denies any expansionist ambitions 185–6, 250

and Poniatowski’s election as king of Poland 186

inoculation against smallpox 24, 188–90

art collection 192–4, 260–63

Greek project 206, 250, 263

‘plantomania’ 210

urban reconstruction 211–14

Vasilchikov becomes her new favourite 216, 217

improved relations with Paul 218–19

correspondence with Grimm 25, 223–4, 238–9, 245, 246, 247, 251–4, 256–7, 259–62, 265, 266, 269, 275, 277, 280, 283–4, 293, 295, 302, 304, 305, 310, 312, 313, 314, 330, 333

relationship with Grigory Potëmkin 6, 27, 229, 231–2, 234, 238, 241

Provincial Reform 239–40, 250, 254, 271

relationship with Zavadovsky 28, 241, 242–3

relationship with Zorich 243, 252

buys off Sophia Dorothea’s fiancé 245

love for grandson Alexander 247, 249, 268, 323

and education issue 248, 252, 295, 296

visits Mogilëv 250–53

secret correspondence with Joseph 253, 254, 276

busts of 261, 305

deaths of General Bauer and Lanskoy 265–9

relationship with Yermolov 270–71

passion for garden design 94, 275–6

visits Kiev 281–6

journeys South 286–8

her last and youngest favourite, Zubov 291, 294

coronation anniversaries 302, 315, 320

and Potëmkin’s death 303–4

and the second partition of Poland 309

opposes independent publishing 310

daily routine 132–3, 310–11

gifts given by 311–12

will 313–14

death (6 November 1796) 1, 315, 316

succession 316–17

lies in state 317–19

burial 318–20

publications on her 321–29

and exhibition of imperial portraits (1905) 331

self-assessment 333

contemporary criticism of 333–4

achievements 334–5

personality

bookishness 63, 67

competitiveness 204, 265

courage 18

eagerness to learn 63

fashions her own persona 27

impetuous nature 118

intelligence 63

joie de vivre 271

obsessed by the value of time 11

obsessed with her posthumous reputation 174, 181, 205, 209, 212, 333

optimism 127

scepticism 4

secretiveness 27–8

values precision 5, 133, 273

values trustfulness 134, 231

work ethic 28, 134, 184–5

works

The Antidote 12, 201

‘Authentic relation of a journey overseas that Sir Léon the Grand Equerry would have undertaken in the opinion of some of his friends’ 287

The Beginning of Oleg’s Reign (libretto) 280, 295

The Deceiver 276

Fedul and his children 297

Great Instruction ( Bolshoy Nakaz ) 67, 101, 156–7, 171–5, 182, 199, 277, 324, 325

Linguarum totius orbis, vocabularia comparativa 268, 275

memoirs 26, 27, 28, 30, 34, 35, 36, 46, 63, 68, 74, 82, 85–8, 92, 104, 106, 143–5, 200, 306, 314, 328, 329

The Misunderstanding 279–80

O, these times! 200, 215, 217–18

Russian primer to teach young people to read 248, 249, 255

Ryurik 280

The Shaman of Siberia 277

Tale of Tsarevich Khlor 249

Catherine Palace, Tsarskoye Selo 214

censorship 310, 328, 331

census (1745) 58

Chamfort, Nicolas: The Merchant of Smyrna 300

Chancellery of Guardianship of Foreigners 145

Chappe d’Auteroche, abbé 110, 111, 166, 204

A Journey into Siberia 201

Charles XII, King of Sweden 35, 93

Charnutsky, Bishop Feofan 166

Charter to the Nobility (1785) 119, 271, 320

Charter to the Towns (1785) 271, 273

Cheboksary 167

Chemical Psalter (Masonic text) 277

Cheremis 168

Cherkasov, Alexander 141, 189, 230

Cherkasov, Ivan 141

Chernigov 282

Chernyshëv, Andrey 66

Chernyshëv, Ivan 140, 141, 158, 160, 187, 196, 210, 268

Chernyshëv, Count Zakhar 66, 140, 141, 149, 185, 197, 233, 240

a gentleman of the bedchamber 65

relationship with C 86, 269

at the College of War 133

mishandling of the Cossacks 233

governs lands acquired in first partition of Poland 250

lavish entertainment of guests 251, 252

death 269

Chernyshëv family 137, 161, 239

Chesme naval battle of (1770) 202–3, 206, 209, 211, 262, 334

Chesme Palace, St Petersburg 326

Chétardie, Marquis de la 50, 68

Chevakinsky, Savva 79, 95, 100

Chevaliers Gardes 9, 59, 116, 132, 137, 230, 318

Chichagov, Admiral 293

Chika, Zarubin 228

Chinese Village, Tsarskoye Selo 210, 312

Chinoiserie 210

Choglokov, Nikolay 66, 67, 87, 89

Choglokova, Maria 67, 70, 73

appointed C’s leading lady-in-waiting 65, 66

initially disliked by C 66

and C’s relationship with Sergey Saltykov 87

becomes a friend to C 89

Choglokova, Vera 136

Choiseul, duc de 194

Chrysostom, St John 17

Chrysostom monastery, Moscow 176

Chuguyev 80

Chulkov, Vasily 74

Church of St Sampson the Hospitable, St Petersburg 234

Church of the Annunciation, Alexander Nevsky monastery 319

Church of the Dormition, St Petersburg 127

Church of the Sign, Tsarskoye Selo 105

Chuvash 168

Cicero 65, 299

Clérisseau, Charles-Louis 258, 261

Cobenzl, Count 253, 264–5, 269, 270, 272, 279, 284

College of Commerce, St Petersburg 134, 140

College of Foreign Affairs, Moscow 9, 56, 278

College of Guardianship 154

College of Manufactures, St Petersburg 134, 162

College of War 133, 233

Collot, Marie-Anne 181

comet (1744) 38–9

Commission on Church Lands 131

Commission of National Schools 248

Companion of Lovers of Russian Literature, The (journal) 264

Complete Collected Laws of the Russian Empire 101

Condoidi, Dr 113

Confederation of Targowica 309

conscience court 240, 254–5

Constantine Pavlovich, Grand Duke 273, 284, 299, 320–21

birth (1779) 247, 250

personality 249

wedding to Princess Juliana Henrietta 313

Constantingorod 249

Constantinople 196, 213, 298

falls to the Turks (1453) 17

Russian ambassador imprisoned in (1768) 183, 204

Constantine destined for 249

Russian ambassador imprisoned again (1787) 288

Construction Chancellery 158, 159, 179