The new tsarina was determined to encourage that metamorpho-
sis. But her next ambition was to make everyone forget her Ger-
manic origins, her German accent, her former name of Sophia of
Anhalt-Zerbst, and to have all the Russians accept her as the most
Russian of sovereigns, the Empress Catherine II of Russia. She
was 33 years old, and had her whole life before her to prove her
merit. And that is more than one needs when one has, as she had,
faith in one’s own star and in one’s country. What difference did
it make that this wasn’t her country by birth — it was her coun-
try by choice. What could be more noble, she thought, than to
build a future independent of the concepts of nationality and ge-
nealogy? And isn’t that why she would one day be known as
Catherine the Great?
< 239 >
Footnotes
1. The details of this meeting and the remarks that were exchanged were
recorded by Catherine II in her
2.
3. Cf. K. Waliszewski,
4. Cf. Daria Olivier,
5. Anna died at the age of three months, on March 19, 1759.
6. For a detailed account of these and other critical moments, see, among
others, Henri Troyat,
< 240 >
INDEX
Adadurov (Vasily) — 165
168-70, 178-79, 181-83, 195-96, 202-
Aksakov — 151
04, 207-12, 216-19
Alexis Petrovich (Tsarevich) — 5, 7, 40 Bestuzhev (Mikhail Petrovich) — 131,
Allion — 149
157-59, 206
Ambroise — 139, 170
Bestuzhev (Mme Mikhail, née
Amelot de Chailloux — 128, 137, 141
Golovkin) — 157, 158, 159
Anhalt-Zerbst (Christian August) —
Bestuzhev (Peter) — 75, 93
161
Betsky (Count Ivan) — 177
Anhalt-Zerbst (Johanna) — 168, 169
Biron (see Bühren, Johann Ernst)
Anhalt-Zerbst (Sophia) — 161, 162-65,
Bismarck (Chancellor Otto von) — 98
166, 167, 169
Bismarck (General Rudolph von) — 78,
Anna Petrovna (Grand Duchess, daugh-
80
ter of Peter I and Catherine I) — 6,
Boerhaave (doctor) — 195
16, 18, 26-29, 34-37, 39, 40, 50-51, 53
Boris Godunov — 10
Anna Petrovna (Grand Duchess, daugh- Botta D’Adorno (Marquis de) — 100,
ter of Peter II and Catherine II) —
156, 167-59, 167
210
Bourbon (Duke of, and regent) — 21, 22
Apraxin (Alexis Petrovich) — 81
Buturlin (General Alexander) — 46, 47,
Apraxin (Field Marsal Stefan) — 182,
50, 140, 228
204, 206, 208-10, 216-19, 222
Buturlin (Lieutenant-colonel Ivan) — 5,
Apraxin (Grand Admiral Fydor)
8, 9, 29
— 5, 9, 12, 17
Brantôme (Pierre de Bourdeilles) — 194
Augustus III (King of Poland) — 86
Breteuil (Baron of) — 224, 225-27, 236
Balakirev — 81, 82
Brevern (Baron von) — 78, 133
Baryatinsky (Prince Ivan) — 78
Brummer — 164, 166
Behring (Vitus) — 18
Brunswick (family) — 131, 156, 157
Beketov (Nikita) — 183-84
Brunswick-Bevern (Prince Anthony
Bestuzhev (Alexis Petrovich) — 131,
Ulrich of) — 88-92, 95, 99, 100, 102,
134-35, 141-45, 156-59, 162-63, 166,
106, 108, 115
< 241 >
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Charlotte
Dolgoruky (Prince Vasily Lukich) — 56,
of) — 33
59, 67, 72, 80, 130
Bühren (Ernest Johann) — 65, 68-69, 73, Dolgoruky (Prince Vasily Vladimi-
75-80, 84-87, 89, 91-98, 102, 142
rovich) — 59, 63
Bühren (Peter) — 92
Dolgoruky (Princess Catherine, called
Katya) — 54, 55, 56, 60, 63-64, 80,
Campredon (Jacques de) — 16, 20, 21-23
171
Caravaque — 20, 184
Dubiansky (Father) — 155, 213
Catherine Alexeyevna (Grand Duchess, Douglas (Mackenzie) — 203, 205
future Catherine II), see Anhalt-
Dubois (Cardinal Guillaume) — 20
Zerbst (Sophia)
Catherine Ivanovna (Grand Duchess) — Éon (Charles de Beaumont, chevalier
35, 65, 88
d’) — 185, 205
Chailloux (Amelot de) see Amelot de
Esterhazy (count) — 211, 219, 224
Chailloux
Eudoxia (Tsarina) — 40, 41, 47, 48, 55
Chapuzot — 181
Charles VI (Emperor of Germany) — 80 Fyodor II — 10
Charles VII (Emperor of Germany) —
Fermor (Count and General) — 219,
155
222, 227
Charles XI (King of Sweden) — 18
Finch (Edward) — 89, 95, 105, 106, 133
Charles XII (King of Sweden) — 31
Flück — 133
Charles of Prussia (Margrave) — 88, 89 Fornay — 153
Charolais (Duke of) — 23
Franklin (Benjamin) — 190
Cherkassky (Prince Alexis) — 70
Frederick II (King of Prussia) — 95, 132-
Chernyshev (family) — 179
33, 142, 149, 157, 161-62, 167, 180, 188,
Chernyshev (Zahar) — 179
202, 204, 206, 208, 221-28, 232, 235
Choglokov
Frederick IV (King of Denmark) — 24
Choglokov (Maria)
Füchs — 153
Choiseul (Duke Etienne Francois of) —
185, 219, 224, 227
Golitsyn (family) — 46, 48, 50, 63, 66,
Chulkov (Vasily)
72
Clermont (Count of) — 219
Golitsyn (Admiral Alexis
Conti (Prince of) — 205
Dmitrievich) — 204
Courland (Duke Ferdinand of) — 80, 84 Golitsyn (Prince Dmitri) — 5, 7, 46, 48,
Courland (Duke Frederick William
65, 67, 72, 73
of) — 65
Golitsyn (Mikhail Alexeyevich) — 81-
Courland (Duke Jacques of) — 75
85
Courland (Duchesse of) — 35
Geoffrin (Mme) — 202
George II (King of England) — 204
Glück (pastor) — 9
D’Acosta — 81
Golovin (Count Nikolai) — 45
Descartes (René) — 187
Golovkin (Count Gabriel) — 5, 12, 17,
Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin (Jean) — 194
35, 63, 69, 78
Devier — 16, 29, 133
Golovkin (Count Mikhail) — 102, 110,
Dmitri (the false princes) — 10, 87
129, 131
