Catherine the Great & Her Many Lovers 

“To distract the emperor who liked to watch things burn” killed me.

I can't help but delight in how much her lovers whine and complain at having no control over Catherine even tho they were treated much better by Catherine than most men treated their mistresses throughout history. What's good for the goose...

Emperor Paul's petty grudge against his mother is what inevitably ended the Romanov dynasty by only allowing men to take the throne after him.

Why am I starting to get the impression that almost every European nation was saved from the brink of total collapse by having a woman ruler at one time or another? Less incompetence, less corruption, more reforms.

I always thought that if anything, she was demonized rather than sanitized, considering how many people believe the horse myth

One of the most fascinating and complex people in European Royalty.

Actually... We can't say for sure that Sergei Saltykov was Paul's father, either. There's actually quite a lot of evidence as to Peter being Paul's father. From what I understand, I dont think Catherine knew who really was Paul's father. In the earlier version of her diary, she wrote that Sergei Saltykov was definitely Paul's father because she had no interest in Peter whatsoever. Yet, in the final version of her memoir, that was later given to her son Paul, she claims that Peter was definitely Paul's father because, she felt it was her duty to produce a true Romanov heir for Russia. Only after Paul's birth was she allowed by Empress Elizabeth to have lovers once her duty in producing a strong male heir was done. Furthermore, let's face it, Paul had a rather striking resemblance to Peter and apparently shared the same mental malady that Peter had, as well. Catherine literally stated that she hated him for being Peter's son.

Nicely done, Lindsay. I love "The Great" Normally I hate inaccurate historical dramas but The Great is sooooo farcical that it can hardly be considered a drama at all. Its more of a satirical comedy. I do think this kind of history representation has a place in today's society. No one watching it , even if they have zero knowledge of Russian history, could possibly think many of those events portrayed were truthful. This in itself encourages fans to dig into history just to satisfy their curiosity. Huzzah!!! It has promoted an educational endevour. 😀

I love The Great simply because it’s funny. I know they are taking liberties with history. The supporting characters make it even more entertaining. Aunt Elizabeth is one of my favorite characters. Peeing on hay for a pregnancy test and having a frog on her pregnant belly are just funny.

He. Set. Fire. To. His. Own. House...

26:57 it was rumored that the artist Borovikovsky, who painted this very portrait of her, was also one of her lovers. It is said she was quite upset with him for showing her in such an informal way, wearing a morning gown, as if they'd just had "relations". The painting was allegedly never publicly displayed during Catherine's remaining years.

So much about Catherine's early marriage makes me think she lived most of those years with 'FML' hanging right behind her eyes

I just finished re-reading "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" by Robert K. Massie, it's a great read, by the way. Perhaps you could do a video on Tsarina Elizabeth, Peter's aunt. It's so fascinating that this woman almost became Catherine the Great's aunt, because she was engaged to Catherine's maternal uncle. Unfortunately, he died on his way to Russia to marry her. Everyone close to Elizabeth died; her father, Peter the Great, her mother, Catherine I (who was born a peasant), her sister Anna (Peter's mother), and her betrothed. And after her mother died, Elizabeth was passed over for the crown at least 3 times, her half-brother's son became emperor, then her father's half-brother's daughter, Tsarina Anna, then Anna's great-nephew, an infant. At last, Elizabeth seized the throne through a bloodless coup and threw the infant Tsar Ivan VI into prison where he remained until he was killed almost 3 decades later when Catherine the Great seized the throne from her husband. I love Catherine the Great, she's one of my favorite female historical figures. What a woman! With all the things she accomplished, she really deserved the title "the Great".

Hey Lindsay, I would like to make a video request about Queen Min (or Queen Myeongsang) of 19th century Chosan Korea. She was one of the most powerful and ambitious queens who pushed for Korean independence from China, but she met an untimely demise from assassination. I wholly appreciate you if you make a video about her.

I love The Great, as long as you go into it realizing that about the only resemblance it has to history is that there were rulers of Russia named Peter and Catherine. Nicholas Hoult does an amazing job as Peter. I've very rarely gone from vehemently rooting for a character's murder to rooting for him to live (and back and forth several times) in the space of a season or two. It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but it's firmly on my guilty pleasure list!

The bedding ceremonies of these ancient royals were just pure comedy.

Listening to that part about her having affairs with much younger men, I was like 'What in the Leonardo DiCaprio is going on here?'.

Catherine deserves the title of the Great.

Her son was Peter’s. That’s why she hated him so much. Plus look at the portraits it’s his son.

I love it when I open RU-vid and there’s new stuff from history teatime

Yes! Tell them! It irks me everytime pple criticize historical dramas for their inaccuracy yet it's only just meant for fun. Why do pple waste time fact-checking instead of enjoying a good show?

Magnificent video as always Lindsay! Catherine is one of my favorite rulers of all time and you sure made her incredible story and love life justice!

Do you know about the 2014 TV series Ekaterina? I think it paints a more accurate picture, though of course, it's also a drama. I especially liked how the first season also portrays Peter's own complex issues, which makes one almost feel sorry for him. It's really quite interesting

When I heard her son’s playmate. I was like ‘what?!’.

After our dearest Lindsay graced us Europeans with her visit, she uploads a great video about Catherine the Great. Thanks for the work you put into it. A wonderful video, as always.

26:33 Not quit. It's a much longer story. In 1795 was the third partition of Poland. Before that, there were two more in 1772 and 1793. Maria Theresa took part in only one in 1772. She died in 1780. So she might have had a little problem taking part in the third. It was a hard time. We Poles had quite a difficult "friendship" with Catharine II... :D

The only thing good about his dementia is forgetting how Catherine took the gem and then sent him on his way 🤣

1:10 “But in reality, Peter was the one who was impotent, and the couple probably never consummated their marriage.” I have to stop and add correction here, because this statement, while based on Catherine’s own implications in the early versions of her memoirs (that had serious political reasoning behind such claims, primarily with the goal of diminishing Paul’s claim to the throne, which bettered her own claim) I think presenting Saltykov as Paul’s undisputed father is misleading and ignores a significant amount of historical evidence which points to Peter being Paul’s actual sire. I think it is important to consider Paul’s date of birth and likely conception when considering paternity. Paul was born in September 1754, meaning he was conceived around New Years 1754. Catherine is known to have spent New Years 1754 with Empress Elisabeth, which means Catherine would be unable to spend time with Saltykov and had to plenty of time (forcibly) alone with Peter in which Paul was likely conceived. Peter acknowledging Paul as his son is also another point towards Peter being Paul’s father. While Peter and Empress Elisabeth were incredibly cold towards Catherine’s known illegitimate children, they treated Paul warmly, proudly announced his birth, presented him at court, and supervised his education. This is in comparison to Catherine’s known illegitimate daughter Anna who received none of those things. Catherine’s hatred of Paul, in comparison to her loving her other children (known to not be fathered by Peter), also likely stems from him being Peter’s son. Catherine projected her hatred towards his father onto him, and had to be reminded that her heir was not sired by one of her handsome lovers, but by a man she despised and overthrew. Paul acted a living personal reminder that Peter lived on and that Paul would continue Peter’s bloodline. Finally, I think one need only look at portraits of Paul and Peter to see the clear similarities in physical appearance. Although Catherine and Saltykov were handsome, Peter and Paul were not. Paul resembled so much of Peter in his appearance and mannerisms (another reason Catherine hated him). I think that all these factors act as evidence that point towards Peter being Paul’s biological father. Although stating Saltykov is undoubtedly Paul’s father certainly works towards increasing the scandal of Catherine’s story, I think that it is important to include the counter evidence as it can lead to a greater, and likely more accurate, image of history

I have to watch one of your videos every night before I fall asleep because I love them and they relax me so much. Thank you!!

Lindsay, you've been firing on all cylinders with these videos lately! 🔥

If Catherine's husband was truly impotent and couldn't biologically father a child, then that would mean that as far as the actual bloodline goes, no other tsars after that would have been true Romanovs by blood - only by name. I would hate to think that the 300 year Romanov dynasty actually biologically ended after her husband died. In royalty, lineage and bloodlines are crucial.

Ella Fanning who played her and Dakota fanning are sister’s! I was shocked to read this because she has a great British accent.

The story that Peter III was impotent is likely false. He may have had phimosis and after an operation was able to perform the sexual act. In the final edition of Catherine's memoirs, she admitted that Peter was the father of Paul after all.

Patempkin was in love with her, he stayed with her the whole time.

Hope you do more "many lovers" videos!!❤❤❤

So good. Could you do a video about the two wives of Paul I, Natalia and Maria. They are so interesting!

Thank you Lindsay!🥰

Oh yeah. Huge fan of her, Russia's greatest Empress sure knew what she wanted and how to get it.😉😉

Belated welcome back🌸☮️

As Mae West said: "Catherine...was great"

“Handsome” lovers. None in those paintings were good looking😂

Great video! I learned so many new facts about her ❤👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

It’s such a good story! Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Honestly, I’d be more interested in seeing the original.

Like some of those Elizabeth I movies, they didn't have to make up stories about the Empress Catherine when her own life was interesting and entertaining enough to keep viewers engaged.

She was born as Sophie Frederike Auguste, the Hereditary Princess of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg under the Kingdom of Prussia. No more, no less.

Fantastic Video. I actually want to go and watch "The Great" now!

Thanks for the upload.

Great video! I kind of wish the show had more of these lovers in it. The constant on off with Peter got tiring very soon.

“Oh, he must’ve died of hemorrhoids” is so disrespectful, I absolutely love it 😂

Delightful! So well done. 😊

There's a good light-hearted but informative take on Catherine's life in the recently published POTTED PORTRAITS book.

Hmmm. Historians generally agree that Paul was indeed Peter's true son. Contemparies of the day noted Paul's undenial resemblance to his father (Peter), particularly as he grew older, as well as their similar personalities.

This was gold

Fun fact Stanisław was one of the worst King of PLC in history . He spent a lot of money for his lovers and many people in PLC want to kill or do something to him .

Lmao the fact that they pretended he died of HEMORRHOIDS is HILARIOUS.

looooove the great

Probably my favourite video to date Lindsay ❤

I love this channel..ur voice is absolutely perfect for a history lesson...beautiful, clear voice..👏👏👌👍

If you look at most 18th Century Monarchs they are all fairly extreme characters. Catherine is no exception.

I really like this video it’s got great knowledge that we all should know. I want to watch more videos like this.

This was a great video! Catherine is definitely an interesting person.

Peter was not impotent. He had a mistress and if impotent she would definitely have stated that. Let’s face it, the Russian court then was not exactly subtle and secretive

The town of Zerbst in present-day Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, where Catherine came from, is my dad's home town. This geographical connection to Catherine is one of the few bits of pride he allows himself :)

22:45 Ain't he thr composer's ancestor?

Excellent video! Do you think you could do one for Empress Elizabeth?

Love your channel!

If its any consolation the lady who creates the horse rumor in the show gets shot by a noble turned serf turned noble again

Awesome! Im so excited to watch this.

I love The Great too.

Catherine is great, but she’s no Cinderella Princess 👸.

That valet is a real one tho I hope she got him a new house 😅

Catherine and Potemkin were good for each other. And good friends. They always had each other's back, though they did their own thing, too.

can you make a vid about stanislaw august poniatowski? he was one of the wors kings of poland and one of her lovers!

Can you please do a video on The Duchess of Devonshire Georgiana Spencer or Cavendish? Her life fascinates me because she was stuck in such a horrible situation.

i wish more people watched this show, its sooo good!!

Loved this video!

That show is one of the cutest shows ever!!!

It's Catherine.

Died from a bout of hemorrhoids. 😂

Though it is thought that Paul was indeed the son of Peter 3rd. He was militaristic and had the same attitude as Peter.

Please also do a video on Empress Elizabeth Petrovna!!

Amazing episode Lindsay. I'd love to see a video on Catherine Cornaro, the last monarch of Cyprus since I noticed you have an image of her on your History Tea Time logo but I don't think you've done a video on her yet. I'm sure your aware of just how interesting a life she had from her time as Queen Consort, Regent and eventual troublesome reign of Cyprus as Monarch.

He was a sadist!

The Great is a fun show but it is pretty fun how opposite the characters were from the real people. Catherine is a great bit less competent in the show but also a lot more sympathetic (they show her as pro-freedom of religion when actually Peter was nicer to the religious minorities and she was quite antisemitic)

A 27 old trying to keep up with a much older woman sounds really odd and confusing

Hi Lindsay! What do you to for an upcoming video topic on history of royals balcony appearances? 🙂 I appreciate you!

I only watched the first episode. Peter was abusive by the end of that episode.

Love from england

Let the thunder of victory rumble! Russian pride is running high! Russia’s glory sparkles brighter, We have humbled Muslim might! Chorus: Glory be to thee for this, O Catherine! Glory be to thee for this, O Catherine! Gentle mother of us all! Gentle mother of us all! Glory be to thee for this, O Catherine! Gentle mother of us all! The flowing waters of the Danube, Are grasped within our firm hands Caucasus respects our power, Russia rules Crimean lands. Turkish-Tatar hordes no longer Shall disturb our calm domain, Proud Selim shall not be stronger, Evermore as the crescent wanes. (Chorus) Groans of Sinai are repeated, Around the world are heard perforce, Envy and enmity are defeated, Turn to poison at the source. Make the most of every triumph, And soon our foes shall see; That Russia reaches ever higher, Over the highest mountains and deepest seas. (Chorus) Brilliant Empress, gaze at visions, And behold a woman great, In thy thoughts and thy decisions, As one heart we all partake! See the grand cathedrals’ splendor, Contemplate our strength and grace! See thy subjects’ hearts surrender, As they look upon thy face! Glory be to thee for this, O Catherine! Glory be to thee for this, O Catherine! Gentle mother of us all! Gentle mother of us all! Glory be to thee for this, O Catherine, Gentle mother of us all!

If she had been a man it wouldn’t have been scandalous. It would have been business as usual.

What a fantastic woman! 💪🏻

The great is great shame Peter died

Cat was a badA 😎 Annnnd I prefer the Russian (or however you'd refer to it) pronunciation of names and words etc. Vs the anglicanized version. Thats just me though. (The way the cryllic alphabet and english alph translate is cool to me. i like etymology quirks and trivia too)

I would love if you did a video on Princess Diana

Could you make a video on Isabel the second of Spain would love to learn more about her!!

I could not stop laughing 😂Peter was just horrible!!!

I also loved The Great. Courts and palace s 100% not like the Russian life.

I lost it when you called him an Imbecil 😂😂😂😂

That voice - I just can’t.

This woman is way to opposite than the mighty Elizabeth I of England romantically.