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Potemkin, Grigory Aleksandrovich Prince
1739-1791. was born at Chizheva near Smolensk./ He was educated at the Moscow
University, and in 1755 entered the Horse Guards. His participation in the coup
d'etat of July 8, 1762 attracted the attention of the new empress Catherine II
who made him a Kammerjunker and gave him a small estate. He distinguished
himself in the Turkish War of 1796 and in 1771 became Catherine's prime
favorite. She bestowed on him the highest honors, among others the post of
commander in chief and governor general of New Russia - Ukraine. In 1775 he was
superseded as the empresses lover by Zavadovsky, but the relations bewtween
Catherine and him continued to be most friendly. His influence with her was
never seriously disturbed by any of her subsequent favorites.|
In 1776 he sketched the plan for conquest of Crimea. After he bacame field
marshal in 1784 he introduced many reforms into the army and built a fleet in
the Black Sea. His colonizing system was exposed to very severe criticism. Yet
he achieved great success. The arsenal at Kherson begun in 1778, the harbor of
Sevastopol, and the new fleet of fifteen liners and twenthy five smaller
vessels were monuments of his genius.
He was commander in chief in the second Turkish war in 1787. The army was ill
equipped and unprepared. Potemkin in an hysterical fit of depression would have
resigned but for the steady encouragement of the empress. Only after Suvarov
had valiantly defended Kinburn did he take heart again. He besieged and
captured Ochakov and Bender. In 1790 he conducted the military operations on
the Dniester and held his court at Jassy with more than Asiatic pomp. In 1791
he returned to St. Petersburg were he made vain efforts to overthrow the new
favorite Zubov. The empress grew imaptient and compelled him to return to Jassy
to conduct the peace negotiations as chief Russian plenipotentiary. He died on
Oct 5 on the way to Nikolayev.
In preparation for the empress's inspection visit he created a false show
place. His action has gone into the popular history lexicon as a "Potemkin
village".
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