Tag: catherine the great

Russian Plans for the Conquest of Constantinople
Ivan the Terrible (1547–1584)
Ivan the Terrible of Russia (“Ivan the Terrible”) demonstrates his treasures to the ambassador of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Source: Russian Museum
Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV Vasilyevich) did not even consider claiming the Byzantine Empire after accepting the tsarship as the true heir of the Roman-Byzantine rulers (most were of Greek descent). Of the rights of Constantinople’s rulers, he assimilated only one: the right to be regarded as the representative and protector of universal Orthodoxy. The tsars in Moscow did not see themselves as freeing Orthodox countries from Turkish rule.
“It is desirable that you also receive mercy from God, like a cup full of dissolution, and get rid of blasphemous languor in these days, and when we hear about this, we will rejoice and bring a song of victory to God to the glory and honor of His name,” Ivan the Terrible wrote to the patriarch of Constantinople after the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan.
It was the subjugated Orthodox peoples themselves who, beginning in the 16th century, started to pressure Russian rulers into playing the role of liberators from Turkish rule.
The Patriarch of Constantinople called Ivan the Terrible “the hope of all Christian families, whom he will deliver from barbaric hardship and bitter work” in his letter approving the royal wedding. He writes that he and the entire council pray to God to strengthen his kingdom and raise their hands: “May He deliver all Christian families everywhere from the foul barbarians, raw-eaters, and terrible pagan Hagarenes.“
Alexis of Russia (1645–1676)
Alexis of Russia.
The legend of Moscow’s tsar as the ultimate conqueror of the Turks gained steam throughout the course of the 17th century. In the overthrow of Polish rule by Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s uprising, the Byzantines or Eastern Romans were given optimism that Tsar Alexis of Russia would also attack the Turks after annexing Little Russia (or Ukraine).
Khmelnitsky and Moscow relied heavily on the help of Patriarch Paisius of Jerusalem as a mediator. The Patriarch of Constantinople and many other Byzantines, both religious and not, also pushed for Russia to take over Malorossiya (or Little Russia).
Peter the Great (1682–1725)
Portrait of Peter the Great by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1717.
Peter the Great had designs on the Balkans and the Middle East, despite his preoccupation with the conflict in the Great Northern War. For instance, the Russians lost access to the Sea of Azov after their 1711 Pruth River Campaign, but the victorious Russo-Persian War (1722–1723) brought the Russian forces to Dagestan and the Caspian Sea.
Conditions apparently prompted the first Russian monarch Peter the Great to attempt to conquer Constantinople. This idea served as inspiration for the German Field Marshal Münnich in Russia, and it was through Münnich that Catherine the Great (Catherine II) learned about Peter the Great’s military preparations.
Once, at the celebration of Pavel Petrovich’s (Paul I of Russia) birthday, Münnich told Catherine the Great:
“I desire that when the Grand Duke reaches seventeen years of age, I can congratulate him as Generalissimo of Russian forces and take him to Constantinople to listen to mass in the cathedral of St. Sophia. They may call it a chimera, much like they did when the Rogervik Baltic port was built. I can only attest to the fact that Peter the Great, from the time he laid siege to Azov in 1695 until his death, never wavered in the pursuit of his most cherished objective: the conquest of Constantinople, the expulsion of the Turks and Tatars from Europe, and the restoration of the Christian Roman Empire. I can, most gracious empress, propose a plan for this vast and important enterprise. Unfortunately, after spending several years developing this strategy in exile, it was—already written—destroyed when I switched to my new fortification scheme. It’ll require some time for reflection and redrawing.“
Anna of Russia (1730–1740)
Anna of Russia, the empress of Russia.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739, which most lauded Burkhard Christoph von Münnich, Anna of Russia also considered an attack on the Turkish capital. Alexey Veshnyakov, an assistant to the Russian resident in the Ottoman Empire, wrote to St. Petersburg a letter in which he imagined the Turks’ demise in Crimea. He said, “They cannot do otherwise so as not to risk everything, i.e., to initiate a formal war against the state, as everyone understands perfectly well that even Constantinople will be not far from ruin at that time.“
Münnich outlined a general strategy for the war in a letter to Ernst Johann von Biron in the spring of 1736. In 1736, the self-confident commander appointed the capture of Azov; in 1737, the Crimea; and in 1738, Moldavia and Wallachia. About the next year, he wrote:
“For 1739: the banners and standards of her army are being hoisted… where?—in Constantinople. In the first, oldest Roman-Christian church, the famous Hagia Sophia, she is crowned as a Roman empress and gives peace… to whom?—to a world without limits, no—to people without numbers. What glory! What an empress! Who will then ask, who deserves the imperial title? Is it the one who is crowned and anointed in Frankfurt, or the one who is in Istanbul?“
Catherine the Great (1762–1796)
Catherine the Great.
During the Russo-Turkish War that raged from 1768 to 1774, Catherine the Great focused only on securing Russia’s access to the Black Sea. However, the empress indicated through her military commanders that the war was being undertaken for the freedom of the Orthodox peoples of the Balkans from the oppression of the Ottomans.
Inspired, hordes of Byzantine nationalists flocked to the Russian flags, while the local intellectual elite was also buoyed. In July 1771, Catherine of Russia invited the scholar and clergyman Eugenios Voulgaris to visit her. While there, Voulgaris voiced his disappointment to the royal audience that Catherine was not a Byzantine empress, saying, “Byzantine, after God, looks up to you, prays to you, falls to you.“
Following that, the clergyman outlined his plan for resolving the “Eastern Question”. As Voulgaris put it:
“… The division of the Turkish provinces in Europe, together with the creation of a small independent Principality of the Byzantine Nation, could help to maintain a real European balance in the future.”
Bibliography
A .A. Kochubinskij. Count Andrey Osterman and the partition of Turkey. From the history of the Eastern question. Five Years War (1735-1739).
Nikolai Fedorovich Kapterev. The Nature of Russia’s Relations with the Orthodox East in the XVI and XVII Centuries, Sergiev’ Posad, M. S. Elova, 1914.
January 20, 2023
14 Popular Rumors and Myths About Catherine the Great
January 17, 2023
Did Catherine the Great Eat Dirt in Real Life When Pregnant?
Did Catherine the Great eat dirt in real life when pregnant? It is not true that Catherine the Great, Russia’s imperial ruler from 1762 to 1796, ate dirt when pregnant. This disorder is called pica and can be related to pregnancy, but there are no historical documents or evidence regarding Catherine the Great having pica disorder. Thus, it is safe to say that Catherine the Great never ate dirt in real life, whether pregnant or not. That is why many viewers considered it to be an amusing addition to the show, The Great.
Did Catherine the Great Eat Dirt?
Catherine the Great’s dirt-eating habit was first mentioned in the pilot episode of season 2 of The Great, titled “Heads It’s Me.” And in subsequent episodes, Catherine the Great is seen being served even more dirt. Actress Elle Fanning, who plays Catherine the Great, actually ate dirt and sucked on rusty nails (potentially to consume more iron) to get into her character.
But Catherine II never engaged in such unusual conduct, at least according to history. And even though Catherine the Great did not eat dirt in real life, eating dirt and other non-food stuff when pregnant is a known phenomenon among women in history.
The idea of Catherine the Great consuming dirt in the show is not only unproven, but it also poses a significant risk to her health. Battlefield areas are known to be contaminated with various harmful substances like blood, feces, urine, and more, which, if ingested, could lead to a plethora of illnesses.
Pica, Catherine the Great’s alleged disorder, has been around for a long time, and studies on it have revealed that there is no obvious explanation for it. Because when it comes to eating dirt, why pregnant women have such strange food cravings is still a mystery.
- Also Read: 14 Popular Rumors and Myths About Catherine the Great
The Reasons for Catherine’s Dirt Eating
VCG Wilson/ History.com
Since a baby’s development depends on iron, it’s possible that a pregnant woman’s body can tell her to eat dirt. This is similar to when you lack calcium and crave ice cream or protein and crave meat. Although it was never explained, this could be the reason behind Catherine’s dirt-eating habit in the series The Great.
However, knowing that dirt contains iron is necessary in the first place to start a craving for it; therefore, this explanation doesn’t hold much water. And it would have been required for us to eat dirt every day if our bodies possessed this information. That’s why it’s not clear whether anemia (iron deficiency) leads to pica or if pica leads to anemia. Just like Catherine the Great in the series, literally hundreds of thousands of pregnant women suffer from pica, and many are concerned and dismayed by their odd appetites. Now that we know if Catherine the Great ate dirt or not, what exactly is pica?
What is Pica?
A person with pica has an inordinate need for both food and non-food objects. One of the oldest reported examples of pica, in a pregnant woman in the 6th century AD, has been a part of the medical literature for decades. A large number of cases of pica have been reported since then, with patients reporting eating everything from ice cubes (pagophagia) to clay (geophagia) to chalk, cigarette butts, hair, lead, and laundry starch.
Pica is most prevalent among people with developmental impairments; however, it has been documented in people of different ages, genders, and races, with a greater prevalence among those with less affluent backgrounds. Pica affects young children at a rate of 25%–33% worldwide, pregnant women at a rate of 20%, and people with learning difficulties at a rate of 10%–15%. Only a small group of people with pica have a low iron count.
What Did Catherine the Great Eat?
Catherine the Great’s later years were marked by a palate simplification comparable to that of Peter the Great. Historians claim that her go-to meal was a bowl of venison tongue sauce over boiling meat and cucumbers. As the Russian queen of the 18th century, Catherine the Great of Russia was renowned for her opulent lifestyle, which was reflected in her dining habits.
One of her favorite dishes was the luxurious combination of sturgeon and champagne soup. She also had a penchant for pickled beef and minced game meat cutlets. Despite her reputation for promoting diverse culinary experiences, Catherine had a special appreciation for traditional Russian cuisine. She was particularly fond of simple, hearty meals such as cabbage soup (shchi) and porridge.
The Dirt Eating Around the World
If you find Catherine the Great’s dirt craving odd, this phenomenon is actually prevalent. The consumption of dirt, also known as “geophagia,” is a prevalent occurrence in areas that are plagued by poverty and starvation. People suffering from iron deficiency anemia may turn to eating dirt as a source of nutrition. In certain regions of Africa, pregnant women frequently partake in the practice of consuming dirt, often driven by a desire for the specific taste and texture of the dirt.
The dirt of choice for many is typically red dirt, and there are various cultural, religious, and even medicinal reasons for this behavior. Some people believe that dirt consumption can benefit the growing baby, however, it can be detrimental when the dirt is contaminated with pollutants or parasites.
Why Pregnant Women Eat Dirt
The doctor is testing the urine of a pregnant woman who is most likely experiencing food cravings. (Credit: Wellcome Collection)
Geophagia, or the habit of eating dirt, is a type of pica that is often attributed to a shortage of iron and other nutrients for pregnant women. A pregnant woman may feel compelled to eat dirt due to its high mineral content since elements like iron, calcium, and zinc are needed for the baby’s development.
They are more likely to suffer from pica since their bodies have higher dietary requirements, and this may indicate that their bodies are not getting the proper nutrients. However, only a small percentage of people with pica are iron deficient, and scientists have been unable to explain why pregnant women eat dirt for that reason.
Pregnant women from poor and malnourished societies where eating dirt is commonplace or sacred also exhibit geophagia. Eating dirt to get the nutrients one needs is not rare in areas like that. However, pregnant women shouldn’t consume dirt since it could contain hazardous pollutants or parasites.
Weird, Unusual Conducts of Catherine
Despite the fact that Catherine the Great is portrayed as eating dirt in The Great (which is not that unusual for pregnant women), in her life she was mostly far away from such “odd” or “weird” conduct. Catherine the Great, the Russian monarch who ruled the country the longest at the time, was born the oldest daughter of a poor Prussian nobleman. After her birth in 1729, Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst had her pick of eligible suitors thanks to her mother’s illustrious family tree.
Catherine’s run of scandalous relationships is perhaps what brought her the most fame. The empress was said to have had 12 lovers, but contrary to common belief, she was not a sexual pervert. Catherine the Great was portrayed negatively due to the fact that her son, Paul I of Russia, fostered a culture of palace intrigue that included rumors that she enjoyed collecting erotic furnishings and false accusations that she was a nymphomaniac or libertine.
Did Catherine the Great Have Illegitimate Children?
Catherine’s association with Orlov produced a boy named Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky and a daughter who perished in infancy. Vasily Shkurin’s family, a former valet for the Empress, fostered the boy. Later, Alexei studied abroad with Vasily’s sons and adopted the surname Bobryk, the name of the property that was given to him. Elizabeth Temkin, who was born in 1775, was yet another supposed Catherine descendant. But considering that Catherine was around 45 years old at the time, and that Temkin’s mother was probably one of Potemkin’s lovers.
Catherine the Great Was One of the Smartest People in Europe
Catherine the Great was undeniably a smart and perceptive person, but intelligence is notoriously hard to measure. She admitted that her mind was not creative in the usual sense, but that it was receptive to and made excellent use of the ideas of others. Her enthusiasm for building “Spanish castles,” as she called them, typified the rationality and idealism of the Enlightenment.
January 17, 2023
Catherine the Great: The Great Reformer Who Expanded Russia’s Territory
November 23, 2022