In June 1789, the imperial cortege was decorously moving from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo. Next to the carriage, decorated with the royal monogram, a twenty-year-old handsome man pranced on a horse, striking the eye with his stature and grace. From the window twilight, the eyes of a woman who had already lost her youth, but retained the features of grandeur and former beauty, continuously followed him. On that day, the star of the new Catherine's favorite rose in the capital's sky, whose name - Platon Zubov - will become a symbol of the end of the reign of the greatest Russian empress.
Military career that began at the student's desk
The last favorite of Catherine II, His Serene Highness Prince Zubov Platon Alexandrovich, born on November 26, 1767, was the third son of the provincial vice-governor and manager of the estates of Count S altykov - Alexander Nikolaevich Zubov, whom his contemporaries called "the most dishonorable nobleman in the whole state." Apparently, there were reasons for that.
Having barely reached the age of eight, the future Most Serene Prince, and at that time simply Platosha, was enrolled as a sergeant in the Life Guards Semyonovsky Regiment. While the boy was growing up and getting homeeducation, his military career went uphill, and after the allotted time he received the next rank. As soon as the boy was twelve, he was transferred as a sergeant major to the horse guards, and five years later he was promoted to cornet.
For the first time in the army, which was then in Finland, Plato was in 1788, where he soon received another promotion, becoming a second-captain. Such a rapid promotion up the ranks of a young man is explained by the patronage of Count S altykov, for whom his father served as a manager, and who was very distinguished by Plato for his “modesty and respectfulness.”
The beginning of a fairy tale
But the true rise of his dizzying career began on that summer day, from which we began the story. Thanks to the patronage of the same Count S altykov, Platon Zubov was appointed commander of the horse guards who went to Tsarskoye Selo - the residence of the Empress - to carry out guard duty there. This move coincided with the "retirement" of another favorite of Catherine's, Count A. M. Dmitriev-Mamonov, and the heart of the aging, but still loving Empress was free.
As you know, emptiness is generally contrary to nature, and to a woman's heart in particular, and Anna Nikitichna Naryshkina, a state lady devoted to the Empress, hurried to fill it. It was with her mediation that the rapprochement of the Russian autocrat with the young horse guard she liked so much took place.
First, he received an invitation to dinner and was honored with a pleasant conversation, and then wasadopted in Catherine's private quarters. Obviously, Plato turned out to be worthy of her attention, since literally three days later he was granted a ring with diamonds and 10 thousand rubles in cash, and two weeks later he was promoted to colonel and adjutant wing.
It is very possible that, given their age difference (Ekaterina was already over sixty at that time), she experienced very mixed feelings for her twenty-two-year-old favorite, in which the passion of a woman in love coexisted with maternal tenderness. But, one way or another, Platon Zubov and Catherine became inseparable. Soon he settled in the palace, where he was assigned the very chambers that had previously been occupied by his predecessor, Count Dmitriev-Mamonov. In the autumn of the same year, Zubov was appointed cornet of the Cavalier Guard Corps and promoted to major general.
An old favorite and his young successor
It should be noted, however, that evil tongues claimed that this connection was nothing more than the result of a political intrigue started by the enemies of His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin, who was removed from Catherine's alcove, but remained, nevertheless, her closest friend and the most influential dignitary. All the former young favorites were his henchmen and therefore did not pose a danger to the all-powerful prince. The courtiers, dissatisfied with his influence on the empress and wishing for a speedy overthrow, needed a different candidate.
Potyomkin, who was at that time in the Principality of Moldavia, the Empress wrote about her new favorite as a "student" and "newcomer" who had recently appeared with her. Most Serene Prince, very strictlycontrolling her heartfelt attachments, at first did not attach serious importance to the next novel. According to the information he had, the young man was a very superficial and narrow-minded prankster who did not pose a threat to him.
The "tooth" that interfered with Potemkin
By the way, Zubov himself tried to please Potemkin. Plato, in the presence of Catherine, personally wrote a letter to the prince, in which he expressed his respect and devotion. At first, this had an effect, but soon the experienced nobleman, sensing danger, began to set the empress against her new "student", convincing her in letters that he was a "cheesy" and "insignificant" person. But the unexpected happened - Ekaterina, who always strictly followed his advice, this time became stubborn and flatly refused to part with the "newcomer" dear to her heart.
There is a funny legend: in a letter to the Empress, answering a question about his he alth, Potemkin wrote that he was he althy in everything, but his tooth was preventing him, which he would certainly pull out upon arrival in St. Petersburg. Needless to say, this pun was directed against the young Zubov, with whom Potemkin intended to separate Catherine. Looking ahead, it should be said that his plans were thwarted by death, which caught the omnipotent nobleman on the road from Moldova to St. Petersburg.
New Teeth at the Court of the Empress
Already in the autumn of the same 1789, another representative of the Zubov family appeared at the court - Valerian, who was the brother of the new favorite. This eighteen-year-old fellow, beingpresented to the empress, immediately wins her warm sympathy and becomes another "student". She writes about him to Potemkin as about a child, unusually beautiful and devoted to her in everything. For him, Catherine asks His Serene Highness for a worthy place in the army, which he leads, and on her own behalf favors the youth with the rank of colonel. Apparently, the "student" showed considerable ability.
Curious documents have been preserved, testifying to the bounties that the empress showered at the expense of the treasury on one of her former favorites - Alexander Lansky. It follows from them that during the three years of his favor, he received 100 thousand rubles for wardrobe and outfits, and the daily table, at which at least twenty people gathered, cost the treasury 300 thousand rubles.
The Empress personally handed him 7 million rubles, not counting numerous gifts, such as diamond buttons on a camisole, two houses in St. Petersburg and an innumerable number of serfs. It is safe to say that Zubov cost the treasury no less. Plato was her last passion, and, presumably, Catherine was especially generous towards him.
He sent his excessively nimble brother out of sight, convincing the Empress to send him to Potemkin in Moldova, where a warm place was ready for him. So it was calmer - who could know how long there would be enough space for both of them in the heart of a woman who was jaded with life? Apparently, it was not in vain that Plato Zubov reasoned so. A photo from the portrait of his brother, where he is depicted in a hat with a luxurious plume, is presented in our article.
Startgovernment activities
In October 1791, the faithful assistant to the Empress in all state affairs, His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin, suddenly died. For Catherine, this was a terrible blow, because now she alone was responsible for making important decisions. We needed a reliable and intelligent person, always nearby. Such an attorney, in her opinion, could be Platon Zubov. Favorite as no one else was suitable for this role.
She began to involve her Platosha (as the empress affectionately called him) in state affairs during Potemkin's lifetime, but it cannot be said that he managed to succeed in this. According to contemporaries, Platon Zubov, the favorite of Catherine II, for all his physical virtues, did not have a sharp mind or a tenacious memory. Science was clearly not given to him, but at the same time he knew how to impress others as an intelligent and educated person. This was helped by an excellent knowledge of French, which he spoke easily and naturally.
After the death of Potemkin, Platon Zubov, whose biography became the full embodiment of court favoritism, rose in his career to a completely new height. Now, from a modest and respectful "student", he turned into an omnipotent courtier, who did not consider it shameful to shout at those nobles, before whom he had cringed just yesterday. From his pen in those years came the most unthinkable and absurd state projects, such as the capture of Istanbul by the Russian fleet, the conquest of Vienna and Berlin, and the creation of a new state of Austrasia.
Whateverstrange, but hitherto wise and prudent in business, the ruler fell under the influence of the Zubov brothers - empty and unprincipled careerists. She signed decrees on the execution of their crazy projects and generously financed them. For example, she sent Valerian with an army on a campaign whose goal was to conquer Persia and then India. It is believed that it was the brothers who persuaded the empress to brutally suppress the Polish rebellion, liquidate Poland as an independent state, persecute Radishchev, Novikov and persecute the Masons.
At the pinnacle of power
As Plato Zubov came into power, Catherine II showered more and more bounties on his numerous relatives, who came to St. Petersburg for ranks and we alth. The father of the favorite, Alexander Nikolayevich, having become a senator, took bribes and traded in the patronage of his son. Other Zubovs did not lag behind him.
By this time, Platon Zubov had already completely entered the taste of power, especially since everyone around him contributed to this. The great commander A. V. Suvorov himself happily married his beloved daughter to him. Our other military genius, M. I. Kutuzov, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, considered it an honor to personally brew coffee for Zubov, and the poet Derzhavin dedicated laudatory odes to him. In general, everyone, as best they could, tried to please the minion of fate. The famous portrait of Platon Zubov by Ivan Eggink, kept in the Hermitage and presented at the beginning of our article, depicts him at that happy time.
The end of the tale
The end of such a brilliant career came on November 171796, when his patroness, Empress Catherine II, suddenly died in the Winter Palace. Among those who mourned this death with genuine sincerity was, first of all, Platon Zubov, the favorite of Catherine 2, whose biography from that day began to develop in a completely different direction.
Despite all the fears, Emperor Paul I, who ascended the throne, did not oppress the favorite of his mother, but simply sent him abroad under a plausible pretext. However, news soon reached him that he had begun secretly sending his multi-million dollar fortune abroad, which caused tangible damage to the Russian financial system. In those days, such cases did not go away, and the angry emperor ordered that all his property be seized.
Accomplice in murder
Left abroad without funds sufficient to cover his exorbitant expenses, Zubov was forced to return to his homeland, where he immediately became one of the conspirators who were preparing the overthrow of Paul I. On the fateful night for the emperor on March 11, 1801, among those who entered the Mikhailovsky Palace was Zubov. Plato, according to the memoirs of a participant in the events of Count Benigsen, was the first to burst into the emperor’s bedroom, and his brothers, Valerian and Nikolai, rushed after him. Perhaps it was not his hand that de alt the mortal blow to the crowned bearer, but the blood of the anointed of God lies on him.
Zubov had high hopes for the reign of Alexander I, as he personally took part in the elimination of his predecessor. He showedgreat zeal in business, drawing up projects for the state reorganization (senseless, as in previous years), and even became one of the authors of the remaining unaccepted law on the abolition of serfdom. By nature, he was a typical opportunist, branding the revolution in the time of Catherine, and in the reign of her grandson Alexander, he stood up for the constitution.
But all his attempts were fruitless. As you know, under Alexander I, none of the former conspirators were marked by high government posts. Moreover, internally suffering from remorse, the emperor tried to get rid of those who reminded him of the tragic death of his father. Among them was Zubov. Platon Aleksandrovich, obeying the circumstances, left the capital and settled in Lithuania, where, at the time of his brilliant career, he received a luxurious estate as a gift from Catherine II.
The prototype of the "stingy knight"
In the last period of his life, Platon Zubov - the favorite of Catherine II and the owner of untold we alth - became famous as an incredible miser, whose equal was hard to find. Keeping chests filled with gold in the cellars of his castle (according to the most conservative estimates, his fortune was equal to twenty million rubles), he shamelessly robbed his own peasants, which made them the poorest in the district. Painfully enduring even the most insignificant expenses, he did not hesitate to walk around in old and torn clothes, sparing the money to buy a new one.
His only joy was to go down to the basement and contemplate the riches stored in dusty chests. It is known that the prototype for writing A. S. Pushkin of his famous "The Miserly Knight" was precisely Zubov. Plato, who over the years increasingly lost his human appearance, only once, as if waking up from a dream, showed his former interest in life.
The last years of the life of the former favorite
Legend tells that shortly before his death, he accidentally saw a young girl of incredible beauty at the fair - the daughter of a local landowner. By that time, he was already a widow and wanted to marry a young beauty. Having received a categorical refusal from her, the old madman took a chest out of his basement, which contained a million rubles in gold, and simply bought the intractable girl from her father.
Platon Zubov ended his life in 1822 in Courland. After his death, the beautiful widow transported the remains to St. Petersburg, where they rested in a family tomb, located in one of the churches of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage in Strelna. He found his last refuge next to the very road along which thirty-three years ago a brilliant cortege was moving, and he, a twenty-year-old handsome man, prancing on a horse in front of the eyes of an aging empress…
