100 



CATHARINE. 



hetman count Raeumowski, count Pnnin, the enter- 

 prising princess Daschkoff, and a young officer of 

 the guards, Gregory Orloff, who, since Poniatowski's 

 departure, had taken his place in Catharine's affec- 

 tions. All those who were dissatisfied, or who ex- 

 pected to gain by a cliange, joined this conspiracy. 

 I'ui i in and the greater part of the conspirators were 

 actuated only by the desire to place the minor prince, 

 Paul, on the throne, under the guardianship of the 

 empress, and a council of the empire. But this plan 

 vas changed through the influence of the Orloffs. 

 The guards were the first to swear allegiance to the 

 empress, on her presenting herself to them at Peter- 

 hoti', on the morning of July 9, 1762 ; and Alexei 

 Orloff prevailed on 'leplow, who was afterwards ap- 

 pointed senator, to read, at the Kazan church, in- 

 stead of the proclamation of the conspirators in fa- 

 vour of the young prince, one announcing the eleva- 

 tion of Catliarine to t lie throne. Peter died, a few 

 days after, in prison. The accusation against Catha- 

 rine, of having contributed to hasten this event, is 

 without foundation. The young, ambitious princess, 

 neglected by her husband, whom she did not respect, 

 remained passive on the occasion, yielded to circum- 

 stances, which were, it is true, propitious to her, and 

 consoled herself for an event which she could not re- 

 medy. She knew how to gain the affections of the 

 people by flattering then* vanity ; showed great re- 

 spect for their religion ; caused herself to be crown- 

 ed at Moscow with great pomp ; devoted herself to 

 the promotion of agriculture and commerce, and the 

 creation of a naval force ; improved the laws, and 

 showed the greatest activity in the administration of 

 the internal as well as the external affairs of Russia. 

 A year after her ascension to the throne, she forced 

 the Courlanders to displace their new duke, Charles 

 of Saxony, and to recall Biren, who was extremely 

 odious to the nobles. After the death of Augustus 

 III., king of Poland, she was the means of Stanislaus 

 Poniatowski's being crowned at Warsaw. But, whilst 

 she was forcing this king on the Poles, the number of 

 the malcontents in her own empire increased, and se- 

 veral attempts against her life were made at St 

 Petersburg and Moscow. The young Ivan (q. v.) 

 was the person to whom the hopes of the conspira- 

 tors were directed ; but his sudden death, at the for- 

 tress of Schlusselburg, overthrew the plans of the 

 disaffected. After this, the court of the empress was 

 only disturbed, from time to tune, by intrigues, in 

 which gallantry and politics went hand hi hand, and 

 which had no other object than to replace one fa- 

 vourite by another. In the midst of pleasure and dis- 

 sipation, Catharine did not neglect the improvement 

 of the laws. Deputies from all the provinces met at 

 Moscow. The empress had herself prepared 'instruc- 

 tions for their conduct, which were read at the first 

 session ; but it was impossible for so many different 

 nations to understand each other, or to be subject to 

 the same laws. In the first sessions, the emancipa- 

 tion of the peasants was proposed. This alone would 

 have been sufficient to cause a bloody revolution. 

 Catharine, who presided at the debates, and received 

 from the assembly the title of mother of the country, 

 soon dismissed the discordant legislators. About 

 this time, France formed a party hi Poland against 

 Russia ; but these attempts only served to accelerate 

 Catharine's plans. The war to which the Porte was 

 instigated had the same result. The Turks were 

 beaten. The Russian flag was victorious on the 

 Greek seas ; and on the banks of the Neva, the plan 

 was formed of re-establishing the republics of Sparta 

 and Athens, as a check to the Ottoman power. The 

 advancement of Austrian troops into Poland inspired 

 Catharine with the desire to aggrandize herself in 

 this quarter. She therefore entered into an agree- 



ment for the dirision of the country with the courts 

 of Berlin and Vienna in 1772, by which the govern- 

 ments of Polotzk and Mohilow tell to her share, and 

 she ensured to herself exclusive influence in Poland, 

 by undertaking to guarantee the Polish constitution. 

 At the same tune, she abandoned all her conque-ts, 

 with the exception of Azoph, Taganrog, and Uinburii, 

 in the peace with the Porte, concluded at Kainiml- 

 schi in 1774, but secured to herself the five n 

 tion of the Black sea, and stipulated for tlit- imlejien- 

 dence of the Crimea. By this apparent independence, 

 the Crimea became, in fact, dependent on Catharine. 

 This peace was as opportune as it was advantageous 

 to Russia ; for, in the third year of the war, Moscow 

 and several other cities were desolated by the plague ; 

 and, about the same time, an adventurer, named 

 Pugatschejf, assuming the name of Peter HI., liad 

 excited a revolt hi several provinces of Eastern Rus- 

 sia. At this time, Poteinkin exercised an unlimited 

 influence on the empress. In 1784, he succeeded hi 

 conquering the Crimea, to which he gave its ancient 

 name of Tauris, and extended the confines of Russia 

 to the Caucasus. Catliarine, upon this, traversed the 

 provinces which had revolted under Pugatscheff, and 

 navigated the Wolga and Borysthenes, taking greater 

 interest hi the expedition, as it was connected with 

 some danger. She was desirous, likewise, of seeing 

 Tauris. Potemkin turned this journey, which took 

 place in 1787, into a triumphal march. Throughout 

 a distance of nearly 1000 leagues, nothing but feasts 

 and spectacles of various kinds were to be seen. Pa- 

 laces were raised on barren heaths, to be inhabited 

 for a day. Villages and towns were built in the wil- 

 dernesses, where, a short tune before, the Tartars had 

 fed then- herds. An immense population appeared 

 at every step the picture of affluence and prosperi- 

 ty. A hundred different nations paid homage to their 

 sovereign. Catharine saw, at a distance, towns and 

 villages, of which only the outward walls existed. 

 She was surrounded by a multitude of people, who 

 were conveyed on during the night, to afford her the 

 same spectacle the following day. Two sovereigns 

 visited her on her journey the king of Poland, Sta- 

 nislaus Augustus, and the emperor Joseph II. The 

 latter renewed his promise, given at St Petersburg, 

 to assist her hi her projects against the Turks. 

 About this tune, Prussia and England combined to 

 instigate the Porte and Sweden to take up arms 

 against Russia. The Turks were no more fortunate 

 this time than before ; and perhaps they would have 

 been driven entirely out of Europe, had not Catha- 

 rine been restrained by the interference of other 

 states. (See Reichenbach Congress, 1790.) Peace 

 was concluded at Jassy in 1792. Catharine kept 

 Oczakow, and all the country between the Bug and 

 the Dniester. Whilst Russia was occupied with the 

 Turks, Gustavus III. had commenced hostilities, and, 

 at one time, threatened St Petersburg. After a war 

 of two years, peace was concluded at Werela, io 

 1790, leaving the possessions of both countries as 

 they were before the commencement of hostilities. 

 Thus all the wars undertaken against Russia had 

 only tended to augment her political preponderance. 

 Catharine's influence on Poland was equal to absolute 

 dominion. When the republic, in 1791, wished to 

 change its constitution, she took part with the oppo- 

 nents of the plan, gained the concurrence of Prussia, 

 garrisoned Poland with her troops, and concluded a 

 new treaty of partition with the cabinet of Berlin in 

 1792. (See Poland.) The insurrection, which broke 

 out in Poland in 1794, could not save this unhappy 

 country, which, after the storming of Praga, and the 

 devastation of several of its provinces, was, at last, 

 in 1795, entirely divided. Courland, too, was united 

 with the Russian empire. A pension was given to 



