The love and hate of Catherine the Great. Love and hate of Catherine the Great Seat of Catherine 2 former throne of Polish kings

The last Polish king, Stanislaw Poniatowski, is a controversial personality. The highly educated and gallant Polish handsome man captivated the hearts of his contemporaries, and even Catherine II herself could not resist his charm. At the same time, most Poles hated their weak-willed king, who became a puppet in the hands of the Russian Empire. On the other hand, it was Stanislav II Augustus who signed the first constitution of Poland and strongly supported culture and the arts. Who really was Poniatowski: a traitor or a weak-willed victim of circumstances?

Stanislav Poniatowski

The future Polish king Stanislav Poniatowski was born on January 17, 1732 in the small Polish village of Volchin (now the town is part of Belarus). There was no question that the son of the Krakow castellan and Princess Czartoryska would ever ascend to the Polish throne, because Stanislav had no relation to the crowned persons. However, there was still something royally noble in young Poniatowski: Stanislav was a stately young man, with stately bearing and aristocratic features. His upbringing was impeccable, and his wit made him an excellent conversationalist. As for appearance, Poniatowski Jr. was not lacking in beauty - the Italian blood of his ancestors played a role.

As already mentioned, Stanislav Poniatowski received an excellent education and traveled almost all of Western Europe. In addition, the young man had excellent oratorical talent, which became a compelling argument for starting a political career. After a brief participation in the Diets of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1755, with the help of the powerful Czartoryskis, Stanisław managed to take the position of secretary English Ambassador in Russia Williams. It was after moving to St. Petersburg that a fateful meeting took place that changed Poniatowski’s whole life and made him a king.

Meeting Ekaterina

Stanislav, accompanying the ambassador, accidentally ended up at a ball in Oranienbaum on June 29, 1756. It was Peter's Day and all the diplomats and courtiers gathered to celebrate the name day of the heir to the Russian throne. Sir Hanbury Williams, acting in the interests of the British crown, tried in every possible way to establish friendly relations with royal family and generously distributed compliments to Princess Catherine. Trying to start a conversation, he introduced the princess to his secretary Stanislav Poniatovsky, and the future autocrat immediately liked the prominent young man, just as he liked her.

Contemporaries more than once described Catherine as a woman with rough features and not particularly beautiful. At the age of 16, young Sophia Augusta (this is the name the future Empress of All Rus' received at birth) was married to Peter III, but, as was customary in those days, without love or even mutual sympathy. The relationship between the spouses did not work out right away and Catherine, like Peter, found joy in connections on the side. Therefore, when the wife of the heir to the Russian throne saw the foreign-looking, handsome and witty Poniatowski, she immediately prepared a role for him in her life and even became inflamed with true feelings for the Pole.

Poniatowski was simply fascinated. In his memoirs, he will describe his meeting with Catherine with particular enthusiasm, emphasizing that the princess was beautiful and fresh, there was very lightness in her image, and her facial features were delightfully combined with the blackness of her hair. Although the meeting was fleeting, both at that moment realized that they would see each other again and become something more for each other than casual acquaintances.

Secret romance of future rulers

We didn't have to wait long for the outcome. The interesting and witty Stanislav Poniatowski quickly gained confidence among the nobility and made quite a few important acquaintances. So, one of the Pole’s comrades was Lev Naryshkin, a close friend of Catherine. It was with the help of Naryshkin that Stanislav found the way to Catherine’s palace, and then to her chambers.

One day Naryshkin fell ill and was unable to visit Catherine. He maintained communication with her through letters that Stanislav wrote instead of him. From the very first lines, Catherine realized that the letters belonged to the pen of some witty secretary, and later she found out who their author was. Thus, Ekaterina and Stanislav got to know each other better and could no longer refuse to communicate in person.

The lovers' passion flared up and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep it within the confines of the princess's bedroom. Problems were also added by the fact that Empress Elizaveta Petrovna began to suspect her daughter-in-law of some kind of conspiracies and assigned “guards” to her, the purpose of which was to spy on Peter’s wife. But even in such conditions, Stanislav managed to sneak into his beloved’s chambers unnoticed, although for this he had to stage an entire theatrical performance with wigs and makeup.

Exposure and shame of Poniatowski

Peter nevertheless became aware of the romance between Catherine and Poniatowski. On one of these evenings, when Stanislav was making his way on a date with his beloved, he was grabbed by guards and dragged to the heir to the throne. Peter, in anger, ordered the insolent man to be pushed out of the palace, so that he rolled down the stairs. After such a disgrace, the future king of Poland hastily returned to his homeland, without even receiving a letter of recall from the empress.

Catherine was inconsolable and kept writing letters to Poland. But time heals, and soon the storm in the soul of the future empress calmed down, and palace intrigues and the death of Elizabeth completely pushed feelings into the background. The vain and self-willed Catherine faced the prospect of seizing the reigns into her own hands; what kind of love could she think about and lament at that moment? In addition, there were many prominent men at court and Poniatowski’s beloved found solace in the arms of Count Orlov...

Catherine's ransom

Upon learning of the coup in Russian Empire and Catherine's ascension to the throne, Stanislav began preparing to move to St. Petersburg. Many prospects opened up before him: now no one would interfere with his love affair with Catherine, and he would be a close friend of the Empress herself, maybe even her husband! But the Empress, who “desperately loved” Stanislav, was in no hurry to see him and did her best to prevent the Pole from moving. In her letters, she essentially said goodbye to Stanislav, explaining that it was too dangerous at court and emphasized that she would never forget Poniatowski and would help him.

Of course, the empress’s crazy feelings had long cooled down by this point and, most likely, Catherine still had some feeling of guilt before her Polish lover. Stanislav believed that their reunion was being hampered by palace intrigues and other reasons beyond Catherine’s control. Poniatowski was very wrong about this, and his former lover prepared him a gift that would complicate his already difficult life.

In 1763, the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth died and a desperate struggle for the Polish throne began. In the group of magnates who laid claim to him, Stanisław Poniatowski was an upstart who had the protectorate of the powerful Czartoryskis. But this was negligible to become a king. Catherine cunningly took advantage of the situation and helped Stanislav sit on the throne. There was not a drop of nobility in this act - the empress killed three birds with one stone: she calmed down her feelings of guilt before Poniatowski, thanked her former lover and received a puppet that was easy to control, and therefore to rule Poland with the wrong hands.

Outwardly, Catherine’s act looked very noble: the courtiers considered her crazy, who remembered her old love. Poniatowski himself did not understand the empress’s true motives, but very soon he regretted that he had entered the fight for the crown.

The Empress knew that the courageous lover was by nature a weak person who was prone to vanity and narcissism. Poniatowski was easy to control, dictate his terms, and even with strong resistance, he would not have dared to break out of the golden cage or say a word against her will. In addition, Catherine thought that having the least rights to the throne and becoming king, Stanislav would be most grateful to the Russian Empire. The autocrat was right in this, but she underestimated Poniatowski, who would nevertheless make an attempt to go against the ruler.

Straw King

Having become the king of Poland, Stanislav Augustus had to protect the interests of Russia in everything - this was the decree of the great empress, who, with a sweeping gesture, bestowed the crown on her former lover. For Poland, a sad page of history began, when it still officially existed, in fact, it was crushed by the Russians long ago.

All state affairs were handled by Prince Repnin, who was officially the Russian ambassador, but in reality was a full-fledged ruler. The destiny that went to Stanislav August was to lead a court life, organize luxurious balls and increase the debts that the benefactor Catherine patiently paid.

When the uprising began, which overthrew the king, and then the bloody massacre of the patriotic Poles, Stanislav Augustus played the most pathetic role in everything. Thus, the king reigned, but did not rule until the period of the partitions of Poland began. At this moment, Poniatowski began to have compassion for his homeland and sometimes openly showed it. In letters from this time to Catherine, he more than once mentioned how painful the state of Poland, dismembered and deprived of rights, was for him. At the same time, compassion in no way interfered with leading a cheerful life and taking on new debts.

Stanislav's joys were graceful. Every Thursday he organized luxurious receptions that the whole of Europe was talking about. Once, the famous womanizer Giacomo Casanova attended such a “Thursday with the Polish king”. Later he would talk admiringly about the erudition of Stanislav August, his eloquence and knowledge of the classics, and be completely perplexed how such a comprehensive developed person could manage his state so ineptly.

Cold meeting

A quarter of a century after the last date between the ardent lovers, their next rendezvous took place. In 1787, Poniatowski learned that Catherine was going to Crimea and agreed to see her in Kanev. Many expected that the meeting would awaken old feelings and favor towards Stanislav Augustus would arise in the empress’s soul, but this did not happen.

The half-hour conversation led to nothing. It remains unknown what goal Poniatowski set for himself when he met with Catherine II: renewal of relations, expansion of his powers, or maybe he wanted to put in a good word for his homeland? In any case, the king’s attempts were in vain - the half-hour meeting did not change anything either in the heart of the Russian mistress or in the affairs of Stanislav August.

Awakening Patriotism

Poniatowski was simply hated by his fellow countrymen. Weak-willed, pampered - he did not even try to improve matters in the state. And so, quite unexpectedly, after meeting with Catherine, Stanislav gained determination and signed the Polish constitution, which gave a chance to revive the independence of the state. Unfortunately, very quickly the king backed down and again began to carry out the orders of the empress.

By order of Catherine II, Stanisław August was arrested and forced to sign the Second Partition of Poland. The uprising that followed was brutally suppressed, and the king abdicated the throne, after which Poland ceased to exist. As for Poniatowski, he was ordered to live in Grodno, the empress paid his huge debts, and the further maintenance of the ex-king was entrusted to three states, which divided his kingdom among themselves.

Captive King

Until the end of her days, Catherine did not want to see the former king and lover. When her son Paul I ascended the throne, he summoned Poniatowski to St. Petersburg. The vain ruler wanted to see in his retinue the king who had renounced the throne, and to show it off to everyone as some kind of exhibit or trophy. At the same time, Stanislav Augustus was not a prisoner who suffered humiliation and deprivation - he lived in the beautiful Marble Palace (which Catherine built during her lifetime for her other lover, Grigory Orlovsky), his pension was increased and even allowed personal guards. The only taboo for Poniatowski was leaving Russia.

The last Polish king spent his period of life on the territory of Russia as in previous years - in noisy balls, luxurious receptions and social events. At this time, Poniatowski began writing memoirs. In them, he completely justifies all his actions, explaining everything by the irresistible power of love for Catherine, which constrained his will throughout his life.

Death and burial of Stanislaus II Augustus

In February 1798, the last Polish king died. But the misadventures did not end there, and even after death Poniatowski was unable to find peace. Paul I organized a solemn funeral for the embalmed body of the king, accompanied by troops. A copy of the Polish crown was placed on the head of the deceased, and the body itself was lowered into the cellars of the Church of St. Catherine.

Church of the Holy Trinity, where Poniatowski was re-buried

In the 30s of the twentieth century, the Soviet authorities, led by Stalin, in the context of anti-church policies, decided to demolish the very cathedral in which the last Polish ruler was buried. When the question arose about what to do with the buried remains, Stalin invited Poland to take back its king. Of course, the Poles, who blamed Poniatowski for the dismemberment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, accepted such a proposal without much enthusiasm.

The Polish side nevertheless took the body of the king, but considered it inappropriate to place it in Wawel, where the bodies of Polish heroes and important figures rested. That is why the remains were transported to Poniatowski’s homeland in Volchin, where they were buried in the local Church of the Holy Trinity.

But his native land did not immediately allow Stanislav August to rest in peace. Since the reburial, speculation has arisen that it was not the king’s body that was brought from Leningrad, but an empty coffin. In order to establish the location of Poniatowski’s remains, an entire expedition of Belarusian specialists was organized, who, having examined the crypt, found that there were no remains of a body in it! Scientists were able to find only fragments of the king’s clothing and bones, which after examination turned out to be of animal origin.

From what the expedition was able to establish, it became clear that the king’s body was still in Volchin. In Soviet times, a fertilizer warehouse was organized in the temple, and local residents plundered the burial place of the last king of Poland as best they could. The local pious caretaker, who reburied them, could not tolerate the desecration of the remains. According to many scientists, Poniatowski’s remains are now in the local cemetery. Whether this is true or not may become known in the future; in any case, the ex-king is buried on native land, who accepted him after so many trials and alienation.

Stanisław August's father, Stanisław Poniatowski, was a Cracow castellan (this position was higher than all voivodes), and his mother came from a rich and noble family of the Czartoryski princes. Young Stanislav received a very good education, traveled a lot throughout Europe, lived for a long time in England, where he studied the parliamentary system. Upon returning to his homeland in 1754, Poniatowski received the position of steward in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His political career Stanisław was indebted to the Czartoryski family, or simply the Familia. It was the Czartoryskis who organized the inclusion of Poniatowski in the English embassy in Russia in 1755. In St. Petersburg, the young handsome Stanislav became the lover (of the future empress). Thanks to the efforts of the Empress and Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin, in January of the following year Poniatowski again came to St. Petersburg as the Saxon ambassador.

It all ended badly. One night in the palace, the guards captured the extraordinary and plenipotentiary envoy of the Polish king, Count Poniatowski, at the moment when he was sneaking into the chambers of the heir's wife. He was dragged to, who ordered him to be pushed out, so that he also rolled down the stairs... The story turned out to be shameful, ugly, and soon Poniatowski was forced to leave St. Petersburg, without even receiving a letter of revocation from the Empress. was in despair...

In 1758 Poniatowski returned to Poland. He participated in the Sejms of 1758, 1760 and 1762, during which he supported supporters of rapprochement with Russia. For some time, the Czartoryskis considered the possibility of a coup in Poland with the aim of overthrowing Poland, but recommended against it.

In October 1763, immediately after his death, negotiations began regarding the candidacy of a new monarch. came out in support of Poniatowski, and due to the absence of serious rivals at the Sejm on September 7, 1764, he was elected king. Poniatowski was crowned on November 25 of the same year, taking the double name Stanisław August in honor of his two predecessors.

Like his predecessors and, Stanislav August had a subtle artistic taste. Under him, rapid construction began in the capital. Stanislav August personally took part in the preparation of some architectural projects and interior planning. The style developed under him even began to be called “Stanislavov classicism.” Experienced artists were invited from Italy, France, and Germany to teach young Polish masters. The literary salon of Stanislav August became the largest center of cultural life in the 1760-1770s. The king provided financial assistance to many writers and contributed to the publication of their works. Thanks to the king, patronage of the arts in Poland became a state policy.

In the first years of his reign, Stanislav August tried to carry out government reforms. He founded Knight school(analogue Cadet Corps in Russia), began to form a diplomatic service to create representative offices at the courts of Europe and the Ottoman Empire. On May 7, 1765, the Order of St. Stanislaus was established - the second most important Polish order after the Order of the White Eagle. Together with Familia, Stanislav August tried to reform the ineffective government by transferring part of the powers of hetmans and treasurers to commissions created by the Sejm and responsible to the king. New types of weapons began to be introduced into the army; The role of the infantry began to increase. Later in his memoirs, Poniatowski called this time “years of hope.”

However, the reforms in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth did not suit Russia, Prussia and Austria. They needed a big but weak neighbor. At this time, the so-called “dissident issue” became especially acute. Dissidents - citizens of non-Catholic faiths (Orthodox and Protestants) - demanded equal rights with Catholics (the possibility of being elected to the Sejm, holding public office, building new churches). Neighbors of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth supported the dissidents. Stanislav August was ready to make concessions subject to cancellation "liberum veto"- the right of any participant in the Sejm to block the decision being made. But the Czartoryskis and other advocates of the “golden gentry’s liberty” opposed this. In 1767, Russia brought a 40,000-strong army into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and inspired the creation of two dissident confederations in Slutsk and Toruń. However, these confederations did not find support among the majority of the gentry. Then, on June 3, Russia created a general confederation in Vilna, which was joined by both dissidents and Catholic opponents of reforms. The goal of the new confederation was to overthrow Stanisław August and the Czartoryskis. Its delegates were sent to Radom, where a joint Lithuanian-Polish confederation was formed. It was headed by the Vilnius voivode Karol Stanislaw Radziwill, nicknamed "Pane Kokhanku". In October 1767, in Warsaw, surrounded by Russian troops, the Sejm began its work, organized by the Russian ambassador Nikolai Repnin (“Repninsky Sejm”). Stanislaus Augustus was forced to support the Confederates and Russia, maintaining the old order with the so-called "cardinal" rights of the nobility: the right to disobey the ruler, free elections and a slightly limited "liberum veto". On February 24, 1768, dissidents were given equal rights with Catholics, and was recognized as the guarantor of the preservation of the internal political order of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth found itself politically dependent on Russia.

The decision of the Repninsky Sejm led to the creation of a new confederation of opponents of Russia. Its members gathered on February 29, 1768 in the town of Bar in Podolia. The Bar Confederation united both conservatives and supporters of progressive ideas. The Confederates turned to Austria, France and Turkey for military assistance. At first, the Bar Confederation operated on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but by 1772 it became active throughout the entire territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and penetrated into all layers of society. However, despite financial assistance from the West, the confederation turned out to be weak militarily, and random attacks by confederate detachments on Russian garrisons were ineffective.

Poniatowski played the most pathetic role in everything that happened in his country. In November 1771, a most shameful incident happened to him. On one of the Warsaw streets, Confederates attacked his carriage and kidnapped the king. But then, one after another, they separated for some urgent matter of their own, and the last of them completely abandoned the king to his fate, like an unnecessary cane...

In 1769, Prussia and Austria recognized the entry of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth into the sphere of influence of the Russian Empire, but, fearing its complete annexation, they began to develop a plan for dividing its territory. She was also privy to these plans. Russia, Prussia and Austria entered into an alliance known as the "Union of the Three Black Eagles" (the coats of arms of the three countries featured black eagles, in contrast to the coat of arms of Poland, which had a white eagle). On September 22, 1772, the partition convention was ratified by three parties. On next year Troops from three countries invaded Poland and occupied the territories allotted to them. Confederate detachments tried to resist them, defending each fortress for as long as possible, but the forces turned out to be unequal. Attempts to call on the world community for help were also unsuccessful: England and France expressed their position after the division actually took place. All that remained was to force the king and the Diet to ratify the division. Having surrounded Warsaw, the troops of three countries forced the Senate to convene a Sejm by force of arms (the senators who opposed this were arrested). Local sejmiks refused to send their delegates, and the Sejm was assembled with great difficulty. Marshal of the Sejm Adam Poniatowski managed to transform the ordinary Sejm into a confederal Sejm, which was not subject to "liberum veto". The "divided Sejm" elected a "committee of thirty", which on September 18, 1773 officially signed an agreement on the transfer of lands, renouncing all claims of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the occupied territories.

The Sejm continued its work until 1775. He confirmed the previous state structure of Poland, which included the selectivity of the throne and "liberum veto". However, the act approving “cardinal rights” was valid only on paper. Along with this, a number of administrative and financial reforms were carried out: a “permanent council” of 36 people was created, headed by the king, which exercised executive power; the National Education Commission was created - the first ministry of secular education in Europe, which inherited the material and financial base of the dissolved Jesuit order; The army was reformed and reduced, indirect taxes and salaries were established for officials. Stanislav August, retaining the throne, spent foreign policy, trying to enlist the support of other states to avoid further division of the country. In particular, he tried to play on Russian-Turkish contradictions. Thanks to flexible domestic policy the king managed to enlist the support of the magnates and strengthen his influence on the Sejm. Stanislav Augustus gathered around him supporters of a strong central government, ideas about which had been nurtured since the times. However, he also had opponents in the person of the Czartoryskis and Potocki, who insisted on maintaining the former rights of the nobility.

Taking advantage of the beginning of a new Russian-Turkish war, the Poles tried to free themselves from Russian tutelage. In 1778, a new Sejm was convened and served for four years. The bloc of reformers, supported by Stanislaw August, advocated strengthening the state sovereignty of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was opposed by the conservative opposition, which advocated the preservation of the archaic state system and an alliance with Russia. The reformers managed to form a confederation (at the confederal diet "liberum veto" did not work) and thus create a working environment. The Sejm carried out a number of important reforms: it established a tax on landowners (including clergy), increased the size of the army, and gave the burghers rights and privileges that only nobles had previously enjoyed. However, among the reformers there were also groups whose views on the future of the country differed. Some (including Stanislav Augustus) considered it necessary to transform the federal Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth into a unitary state, but this was opposed by the Sejm deputies from Lithuania, who advocated maintaining the 1588 statute. The result of the work of the Sejm was the Constitution, adopted on May 3, 1791. She canceled "liberum veto", consolidated the rights given to the townspeople by the City Law, proclaimed the king and the council the highest executive power. The electivity of the monarch was retained, but the range of candidates was limited to the Wettin dynasty (descendants). Was saved serfdom. Catholicism was declared the state religion; Gentiles and foreigners had their rights severely infringed. The most important question was not resolved - government structure Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Of course, the reforms in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth did not suit Russia. Having ended the war with Turkey, in 1792 the Russian regiments moved to Poland. They had barely entered Polish territory when, on May 14, in the town of Targowitz, pro-Russian opponents of reforms announced the creation of a confederation. The Confederates announced the restoration of the previous government system and the abolition of all reforms of 1788-1791. Detachments of supporters of the Four Years' Diet offered only weak resistance to the advancing Russian army; As it occupied Polish lands, more and more supporters came over to the side of the Confederates, creating their own authorities. In June, the Russian army occupied Vilna, and in early August - Warsaw. The reformers who managed to avoid arrest fled Poland. Attempts to attract the attention of European powers to the fate of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were unsuccessful: everyone was much more interested in affairs in revolutionary France. In this situation, on January 23, 1793, Russia and Prussia signed an agreement on the Second Partition of Poland (Austria, busy in the war with France, did not participate in it). The Grodno Sejm, convened by the Targovichians, ratified the partition and adopted a new Constitution, which restored the previous order. Of the territory occupied by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1772, only one third remained.

Poniatowski, suffering from his powerlessness and humiliation, nevertheless lived in grand style, incurred millions of debts that had to be paid Russian Empress. Grieving over the fate of Poland, he did not deny himself either insane luxury, or exquisite pleasures, or mistresses and expensive entertainment. His famous “Thursdays” gathered all the outstanding intellectuals in the palace, and the king shone brightest at them.

However, supporters of the reforms did not lay down their arms and began to prepare an uprising. Rebel organizations operated both in exile and on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, especially in Lithuania. On April 16, 1794, soldiers and officers in Siauliai were the first to rebel. This was followed by riots in Krakow and Warsaw. The uprising was led by officer Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a participant in the War of American Independence. On May 7, the rebels published the “Universal”, which abolished serfdom in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

However, there were serious disagreements among the rebels regarding the future of the country's government. The Poles, led by Kosciuszko, advocated for a single unitary state, and the Lithuanians, led by Jakub Jasinski, advocated the independence of Lithuania. France, which was solving complex internal problems, could not provide the promised assistance. Taking advantage of the situation, Russia, Austria and Prussia began to suppress the uprising. By October 1794, Russia occupied the entire territory of Lithuania, and Prussia - Zanemanje. On November 5, Warsaw fell. The last attempt to save the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth failed. On October 24, 1795, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Prussia and Austria signed an agreement on the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and crossed it off the list European countries. Stanislaw August Poniatowski left Warsaw and, under the escort of 120 Russian dragoons, arrived in Grodno under the guardianship and supervision of the Russian governor, where he signed the act of abdication of the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on November 25, 1795, on the name day of the Russian Empress.

The former king spent the last years of his life in St. Petersburg. The Emperor provided him with the magnificent Marble Palace on the banks of the Neva. Here Poniatowski organized balls and dinners, attended by prominent dignitaries and scientists who appreciated the company of the witty, educated ex-king.

He died suddenly at his residence, the Marble Palace, on February 17, 1798 and was buried in the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria in St. Petersburg. On July 30, 1938, Stanislav’s ashes were transported to Poland and reburied in the Trinity Church in the village of Volchin, where the Poniatowski family estate was previously located. After World War II, Volchin was included in the Belarusian SSR. The church was closed and used as a warehouse. Poniatowski's burial place was looted. In December 1988, what remained of him - fragments of clothes, shoes and a coronation cloak - was transferred to the Polish side and reburied in the Church of St. John in Warsaw.

1841 Issue from the Chapter. Keibel-Kemmerer company. Stamps: under the enamel: " Double headed eagle", personalized "KK", on the ball of the lower ray: "1841 and the coat of arms of St. Petersburg". Gold, enamel. Size 76 x 46 mm. Weight 29.37 g. The fastening for the ribbon on the reverse side of the crown differs from the traditional ones made by the suppliers of the Chapter, Apparently, the mount was remade later in a private jewelry workshop in the second half of the 19th century. The image is taken from the online catalog of the 6th auction of the Znak company.

Official delivery to the Chapter of Orders. Workshop of E. Strand, St. Petersburg, 1855-1857. Gold 72 Ave., enamel. Weight 20.22 g. Size 50 x 45 mm (with eyelet). Hallmarks: hallmark "72", annual "18-" and the coat of arms of St. Petersburg on the lug and the master's signature "ES" on the lower ray under the enamel. State XF. Upon completion Crimean War 1853-1856 The Chapter of Orders experienced an acute shortage of order badges and, in connection with this, ordered orders from the “free masters” (Shtrand, Fulda, Andreev) to complement those in the Chapter’s stock. The image is taken from the Internet catalog 5 of the auction AD "Imperia".

Keibel company. Hallmarks: on the reverse side of the order’s badge, at the top of the bow of the imperial crown - the city hallmark (coat of arms) of St. Petersburg with the date “1865”, the metal standard “56” and the personal hallmark “IK”; on the ear there are the same brands; at the ends of the cross, at the top there is the State Emblem, at the bottom there is a personal stamp - “IK”; on the lug on the front side of the order badge there are two personalized stamps “IK”. Gold, enamel, 29.22 g; silk (moire). Dimensions 73.0 x 45.3 mm. The image is taken from the Internet catalog of the 69th auction of the Coins and Medals company.

Workshop of Julius Keibel. Image provided by - AGn.

Albert Keibel's workshop, reign of Nicholas II. Image provided by AGn.

firm "Eduard", IL. Image provided by Eugene.

firm "Eduard", VD, with swords. Image provided by Eugene.

The King's Love Story: Stanisław-August Poniatowski

In the middle of a noisy ball, by chance

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, the future Empress Catherine II, and Stanislav-August Poniatowski, the future Polish king, met by chance at a ball in Oranienbaum. However, not entirely by accident. Fate and political calculation led them to this meeting in the country palace of the heir to the throne, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich and his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna.

The Great Palace view from the Lower Pond. F. Barisien 1758

Here on Peter's Day, June 29, 1756, courtiers and diplomats gathered to celebrate the heir's name day. Among them, the new English envoy to the Russian court, Sir Henbury Williams, a faithful servant of his king, stood out.

Ambassador Charles Hanbury Williams

Of all those present, he was most interested in the hostess of the ball, Ekaterina Alekseevna, a bright personality, a very promising figure in politically. Williams made sure to be the Grand Duchess's neighbor at dinner and made several subtle compliments to her intelligence. This was the surest way to please Catherine - from a young age she was susceptible to non-trivial flattery, don’t feed her bread - just express admiration for her intelligence. And then the envoy introduced the Grand Duchess to the young man who had come with him in his retinue...

Groot Georg. Portrait of Tsarevich Peter Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna

Stanislav-August Poniatowski was unusually, foreign-like, handsome, dexterous, elegant, smart and ironic. He came from a not very noble Polish family. In his veins flowed not only the Polish, but also the Italian blood of his great-grandfather, the adventurer Giuseppe Torelli, who in 1650 married the daughter of a landowner from the Belarusian town of Poniatov. This is where the Poniatowski surname came from. Stanislav-August received an excellent education. He lived in Paris for a long time, visited the famous salon of Madame Geoffren there, knew kings and ministers, was a true Anglomaniac, in general, a metropolitan creature, a conqueror of women's hearts.

Stanislaw August Poniatowski, artist Franz Ignaz Molitor

Poniatowski's parents are Stanisław Poniatowski (1676-1762) and Constance Poniatowska (1696-1759), née Princess Czartoryska.

Father, Stanisław Poniatowski, portrait by Marcello Bacciarelli 1758

Mother, Constance Poniatowska, née Czartoryska, painting by Marcello Bacciarelli c. 1775-1777

Hermann Karl von Keyserling mentored the young Poniatowski

On the day she met Poniatowski, Ekaterina was also beautiful and fresh. Poniatowski later wrote: “She was twenty-five years old. Recovering from her first birth, she blossomed as a woman endowed with natural beauty could only dream of. Black hair, amazing white skin, big blue eyes bulging, talking a lot, very long black eyelashes, a sharp nose, a mouth inviting a kiss, perfectly shaped arms and shoulders, average height - rather tall than short, an extremely light gait...”

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. Unknown artist

“I forgot that Siberia exists”

Needless to say, it was no coincidence that he ended up in Williams’s retinue at the ball in Oranienbaum. Williams immediately identified him as Catherine's friend. These were, so to speak, the machinations of British intelligence. Even before meeting the Grand Duchess, Poniatowski quickly entered the St. Petersburg society, became close to the courtiers, “ rubbed in" to the Naryshkin house, became friends with Catherine’s friend, Lev Naryshkin.

Lev Aleksandrovich Naryshkin (February 26 (March 9), 1733, St. Petersburg, - November 9 (20), 1799, St. Petersburg) - chief horseman from the Naryshkin family, the famous court joker and rake of the times of Peter III and Catherine II.

Through him, Poniatowski entered Catherine’s palace, or rather, into her bedroom. It was done with wit and grace. One day Lev Naryshkin fell ill and, unable to visit his mistress, sent her letters. Catherine quickly realized that these letters were not written by the sick Naryshkin himself, but by some of his secretary. " I answered, - recalled Ekaterina. “In these letters he asked me for jam or other similar trifles, and then funny thanked me for them. These letters were well written and very witty... And soon I learned that Poniatowski played the role of secretary. “So through letters they got to know each other better. The rest was a matter of dexterity between a man and a woman who passionately wanted to meet without witnesses, in a word, as Poniatowski wrote in his memoirs, “ I forgot that Siberia exists”...

Stanislav August Poniatowski

« Under the pretext that I had a headache, I went to bed early... - Catherine recalled about the intoxicating nights. - At the appointed hour, Lev Naryshkin came through the chambers... and began to meow at my door, which I opened for him, we went out through the small hallway and got into his carriage without anyone noticing, laughing like crazy at our trick. We arrived at [Naryshkin’s] house and found Poniatowski there...”

Georg Christoph Grooth. Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna

It was a bright, ardent love, they were so suitable for each other. But outwardly, from the outside, everything looked very decent and ceremonious. It was impossible to do otherwise, because Empress Elizabeth Petrovna sat on the throne - a strict guardian of the morality of her subjects. However, there were also punctures. Once during a reception, Catherine showed her chambers in the palace to the Swedish envoy Count Horn, who was accompanied by Poniatowski. " When we came to my office, writes Ekaterina, “my little lapdog ran towards us and began to bark loudly at Count Gorn, but when she saw Count Poniatowski, I thought that she would go crazy with joy... Then Gorn pulled Count Poniatowski by the sleeve and said: “My friend, there is nothing more treacherous than a little lap dog. The first thing I gave to my mistress was a dog, and through it I always found out whether someone was in her favor more than me.”

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Flight of the "impatient man" from the stairs

At the very height of the love affair, Poniatowski went to Poland on business. Catherine suffered without " impatient man“- this is how she encrypted her lover in her letters. But he soon returned to Russia "on horseback"- as an envoy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the Russian court. Success in Russia and with Catherine turned his head and his Polish relatives. It seemed to Warsaw that they could use this proximity and get something tangible for Poland. And who the hell isn’t joking - after all, in early XVII century, the Polish prince Vladislav almost became the Russian Tsar!

Young Vladislav

The romance developed, but due to the high diplomatic status of the lover, it became risky, and therefore even sweeter. Poniatowski wrote: “She could not understand how I quite realistically ended up in her room, and I subsequently repeatedly asked myself how I managed, passing by so many sentries and various kinds of stewards, to freely enter the places where I, Being in the crowd, I didn’t really dare to look. It was as if a veil was enveloping me." Catherine confirms: “Count Poniatowski usually took with him a blond wig and a cloak to leave me, and when the guards asked him who was coming, he called himself: the Grand Duke’s musician! »

Stanislav August Poniatowski

But this music was dangerous, especially considering that soon Empress Elizaveta Petrovna suspected Catherine and Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin of a conspiracy and court spies began to spy on the Grand Duchess. But "an impatient person“I didn’t let up... It all ended badly. One night in the palace, the guards captured the extraordinary and plenipotentiary envoy of the Polish king, Count Poniatowski, at the moment when he was sneaking into the chambers of the heir's wife. He was dragged to Pyotr Fedorovich, who ordered to push him out, so that he would also roll down the stairs... The story turned out to be shameful, ugly, and soon Poniatovsky was forced to leave St. Petersburg, without even receiving a letter of revocation from Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Catherine was in despair...

E. Lanceray. “Elizaveta Petrovna in Tsarskoe Selo” (1905).

“Don't rush to come here”

But the mental wound gradually stopped aching, life won. The important ones came in a thick line historical events: the death of Elizabeth Petrovna on Christmas Day 1761, the beginning of the reign of Peter III, the conspiracy, and then the overthrow of the emperor. Catherine became autocrat. Having learned in Warsaw about her accession to the throne, Stanislav-August began to pack his suitcases. It seemed to him that unprecedented prospects were now opening up before him. He will be a friend, maybe even the husband of the Russian Empress, because how she loved him, how she loved him!

June 28, 1762. Oath of the Izmailovsky regiment to Catherine II. Engraving. Unknown artist. The end of the 18th - first third of the 19th century.

But for some reason Catherine was not eager to see Poniatovsky. Five days after the coup, the empress wrote to him: “I urge you not to rush to come here because your stay under the present circumstances would be dangerous for you and very harmful for me. The revolution that has just taken place in my favor is like a miracle... All my life I will strive to be useful to you and respect both you and your family, but at the moment everything here is full of danger and fraught with consequences... Farewell, be healthy.”

Argunov I. Portrait of Catherine II. 1762

Later, on August 2, 1762, her new letter: “Correct correspondence would be subject to thousands of inconveniences, and I must take twenty thousand precautions, and I have no time to write dangerous love notes ... I am very constrained ... I cannot tell you everything, but This is true. I must observe a thousand decencies and a thousand precautions, and at the same time I feel the whole burden of government... Know that everything stemmed from hatred of foreigners, that I myself Peter III reputed to be such."

Portrait of Count Grigory Grigorievich Orlov, artist Cherny, Andrey Ivanovich

The hint is more than clear: I’m on the throne, in full view of everyone, I’m surrounded by enemies, on top of all the other problems I still lack a foreign lover... And the last thing: “I will do everything for you and your family, be firmly convinced of this... Write to me write as little or better as possible unless absolutely necessary.” In essence, it was the end, the break. He is in despair, he wants to come at any cost, he longs to fall at the feet of his beloved. The narcissistic Poniatowski was sure that only external circumstances were preventing their reunion, that she still loved him. But he was wrong. Catherine was already far from him, she began a new delightful romance, another unsurpassed man appeared - Grigory Orlov, and most importantly, a grandiose field opened up before her - it was so sweet and scary to be the empress of Russia.

"Coronation of Catherine II on September 22, 1762." Artist: Torelli Stefano 1763. Russian historical painting.

State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Dear compensation gift

But still she felt some guilt towards Poniatowski for the involuntary betrayal of their love. Catherine was waiting for the moment to thank Poniatovsky, to atone for her guilt. And this gift of compensation, which she gave to Poniatowski, turned out to be dazzlingly magnificent, but also extremely dangerous for both: the Polish throne became a compensation. This happened after the death of King Augustus III in October 1763. A year later, Russian diplomats and generals, using threats, violence and bloodshed, placed Stanislaus Augustus on the throne of Poland.

Election of Stanisław August Poniatowski (Stanisław II August) in 1764.

All of Catherine's dignitaries were against this step. Everyone believed that the empress had gone crazy, indulging in the memories of her old love. But no one knew the true, very far from sentimentality, political goals of the game that had begun. But Poniatowski immediately understood this. Having learned about his lot as a prisoner on the throne, he fell into despair: “ Don't make me a king, call me to you" In vain. Catherine had already decided everything - Poniatowski was supposed to help her tame Poland...

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Catherine knew her lover and deliberately made him a puppet. A handsome, courageous lover, Poniatowski by nature was a weak, weak-willed, easily controlled person. On November 2, 1763, he wrote to Catherine: “You often told me that a person without ambition could not please you. You nurtured it in me... My aspirations, however, have always been limited to the duties of a subject... I don’t know exactly what you want to make of me under the present circumstances, but you know me enough to understand - such a throne with the limits of power that you want limiting it, with my mediocrity (to say the least) is not a position in which I would gain fame.”

Stanislav August Poniatowski

The Empress knew that he was, in essence, a rag and would not dare to take a decisive action. And she also knew that, as an ambitious and vain man, Poniatowski would never give up the throne or escape from his golden trap. The Empress thought and wrote about him cynically and prudently: “Of all the seekers for the throne, he had the least rights and, therefore, more than others should have felt gratitude to Russia.”

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Straw King with Polish ambition

So Stanislav-August became "ours" king for Russia. From now on, protecting the king from his internal and external enemies was declared the duty of Russia. All this opened a sad page in the history of Poland. No wonder Stanislav-August was called “ straw king».

Stanislav August Poniatowski

The Russian Ambassador Repnin was in charge of all affairs in the state. Then an uprising began in Poland, the gentry united into the Bar Confederation, which overthrew the king. Next comes a plot familiar to Russian-Polish relations of the 18th century: the St. Petersburg ultimatum, bribery of members of the Sejm, the Russian punitive corps, blood, death or Siberia for the Confederate Poles. Poniatowski played the most pathetic role in everything that happened in his country.

Prince Nikolai Vasilyevich Repnin (March 11, 1734 - May 12, 1801) - a major diplomat of the Catherine era, Field Marshal General (1796). As ambassador to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1764-68), he made a significant contribution to the decomposition of the Polish-Lithuanian statehood

In November 1771, a most shameful incident happened to him. On one of the Warsaw streets, Confederates attacked his carriage and kidnapped the king. But then, one after another, they separated for some urgent matter of their own, and the last of them completely abandoned the king to his fate, like an unnecessary cane...

Be able to survive your own homeland

Years have passed. The king reigned, but did not rule; the era of the partitions of Poland began. They passed before the eyes of the king, and he could do nothing to help either his homeland or himself - in a word, he was a weak, weak-willed person. " Empress, my sister!- he wrote to Catherine. “Despite the fact that I am saddened by the silence that Your Imperial Majesty is pleased to maintain regarding my last letters, despite also how amazed I was when your ambassador, during our last conversation with him, told me in harsh terms that fate four of my ministers, two of whom are my close relatives, may become the fate of criminals... But it wasn’t just to be hated that you wanted to make me king? It wasn’t so that Poland would be dismembered under my rule that you wanted me to wear the crown?” Just so that he would not interfere with the division of Poland, Poniatowski was made king, but his hot words no longer meant anything to Catherine...

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Stanislav August Poniatowski

In addition, she knew that Poniatowski, suffering from his powerlessness and humiliation, nevertheless lived in grand style, incurred millions of debts that she, the Russian Empress, had to pay. Grieving over the fate of Poland, he did not deny himself either insane luxury, or exquisite pleasures, or mistresses and expensive entertainment. His famous "Thursdays" All the outstanding intellectuals were gathered in the palace, and the king shone brightest among them.

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Stanislav August Poniatowski

The famous womanizer Casanova, who visited the court of Stanislav Augustus, wrote: “The king, who, as always in the presence of guests, was in a great mood and knew the Italian classics better than any other king, started talking about Roman poets and prose writers. I widened my eyes with admiration when I heard His Majesty quote them... We chatted about anything with him, and every time I truly remember worthy of respect qualities that this magnificent sovereign possessed, I cannot understand how he could commit such grandiose blunders - being able to survive his homeland was not the only one of them.”

Giacomo Casanova

Non-romantic date

In 1787, taking advantage of Catherine’s travel to the South, to the Crimea, Poniatowski tried to improve his hopeless affairs. The meeting was scheduled on the Dnieper, in Kanev. A quarter of a century has passed since the hot lovers parted. All the courtiers and diplomats were waiting impatiently: how will they see each other and what will happen from all this? But nothing happened. The last embers of the fire of ardent love had long ago died out, and only ashes remained.

Catherine II (travel to Russia in 1787).Meys Ferdinand de

"We“, writes the French diplomat Segur, who was at the meeting, “we were deceived in our expectations, because after a mutual bow, important, proud and cold, Catherine shook hands with the king, and they entered the office, where they stayed for half an hour. They left, the empress’s features expressed some kind of anxiety and constraint that was unusual for her, and in the king’s eyes there was a trace of sadness that his forced smile could not hide. “Then there was dinner, illumination, the king gave a ball, but the empress did not go to it...

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Empress Catherine II

State Secretary Khrapovitsky kept a diary where he recorded all the empress’s statements. Here is the entry from that day: “I was glad that we got rid of yesterday’s anxiety. Prince Potemkin didn’t say a word, she was forced to talk incessantly, her tongue was dry... The king bargained for three, two days, or at least until lunch the next day.” But Catherine hurried on - state affairs were more important than the memories of forgotten love... Segur wrote: “So this meeting passed, which, with all its magnificent theatricality, will take its place more in a novel than in history”...

Departure of Catherine II from Kanev in 1787

After all, he is sometimes Pole!

This meeting did not bring relief to either Stanislav or Poland. And then the weak, pampered king, who was hated by many in his homeland, nevertheless showed that he, too, was a Pole. In 1791, he signed a constitution that radically changed the fate of Poland. The country became a constitutional monarchy, it had a regular army for the first time, and a new military order was established. In a word, Poland as a state received a chance to be revived. But, alas, the king’s courage did not last long. "Sister"from St. Petersburg shouted at him, ordered him to cancel the constitution, destroy the established order and appear in Grodno. And he did everything obediently and habitually.

Kazimierz Wojniakowski

He was arrested in Grodno, and he approved the Second Partition of Poland with his signature. The uprising that began soon, led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko, drowned Suvorov in blood, and Poland ceased to exist. On November 15, 1795, the last Polish king abdicated the throne. He was ordered to live in Grodno, the Russian government paid all his debts, three million gold, he was officially taken into custody by Russia, Prussia and Austria, who divided the Polish lands.

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Stanislav August Poniatowski

Love vs love

Until her death, Catherine did not want to see her former lover and king. Paul I, having ascended the throne in 1796, summoned Poniatowski to St. Petersburg. This was required by the vanity of the Russian Tsar, surrounded by a brilliant retinue, in which the imposing Polish king also looked good. So once, during the Time of Troubles, the Polish king Sigismund II took the deposed Russian Tsar Vasily Shuisky to Warsaw and showed him to foreign envoys and courtiers as an exotic trophy.

Stanisław Zolkiewski shows the captive Tsar and his brothers at the Diet in Warsaw on October 29, 1611. Painting by Jan Matejko.

No, the Polish king was not, like Shuisky, a prisoner in chains. The Emperor provided him with the magnificent Marble Palace. Here Poniatowski organized balls and dinners, attended by prominent dignitaries and scientists who appreciated the company of the witty, educated ex-king. He began to write memoirs. His relative Adam Czartoryski one early morning in 1797 visited Poniatowski in the Marble Palace and found the couch potato at his desk. Stanislav-August looked up from his papers - there were tears in his eyes. Pale, disheveled, it was as if he had returned from the past, in which, as in the catacombs, he could not find a way out, returning again and again to the same place - to the first date in Oranienbaum on Peter's Day 1756.

Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria St. Petersburg

Then it was decided to bury Poniatowski’s ashes with a small coffin containing the remains of another Polish exiled king, Stanislaw Leszczynski. His fate is as tragic as that of Poniatowski. Twice elected king (in 1704 and 1733), he was twice dethroned by Russian troops - first by Peter I, then by Anna Ioannovna. Taking refuge in France, he became the father-in-law of Louis XV, marrying his daughter Maria to him. Stanislav died in 1766 from burns - he dozed off in a chair by a burning fireplace, and the fire engulfed his clothes. He was buried in Nancy. In 1793, French revolutionaries plundered the grave and scattered the bones of the ex-king. Some of them were collected into a small coffin and taken to Poland. But in 1830, this coffin became a trophy of the Russian troops who suppressed the Polish uprising, and it was brought to St. Petersburg. And only in 1858 it was decided in the presence of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich (brother of Alexander II) to bury the remains of Stanislav Leshchinsky in the Stanislav-August crypt.

Stanislav Leshchinsky

When the crypt was opened, “ to satisfy the curiosity of those present“They lifted Poniatowski’s coffin and opened it. At that moment, as the witness describes, the head of the king in a gilded crown fell out of the decayed coffin " and in silence rolled across the stone floor with a crash. Impressed by this terrible incident, everyone was speechless. Then Prince Konstantin fell to his knees and began to read " De profundis", and everyone followed his example. The lid was put back in place, and both coffins were lowered down."

Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich

Shortly before World War II, the Bolsheviks closed the Church of St. Catherine, and the ashes of the Polish kings were transferred to the Poles in 1938. But Poland, having buried the patriot Leszczynski in Krakow, did not want to know the traitor king Stanislav Augustus. His ashes were buried in a modest church in the town of Volchiy, where a beautiful boy was once born, in whom the hot Italian blood of the first lover of the most beautiful women in Europe foamed.

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Series of messages " ":
Part 1 - The King's Love Story: Stanisław-August Poniatowski