Platon Zubov is the last favorite of Catherine II. Life story Rivalry with Potemkin

A native of a small landowner family, Platon Zubov, made an unprecedented career, although many considered him a short-sighted and untalented person. Contrary to these opinions, for about 10 years he was one of the most influential people in the country.

From the third son of a small landowner to future favorites.

Platon was born in the family of Alexander Nikolaevich and Elizaveta Vasilievna Zubov on November 15, 1767. The boy was already the third son of a petty nobleman who managed the estates of Count N.I. Saltykov himself.

An inquisitive young man from the age of eight was assigned to the Semenovsky regiment as a sergeant, there were not enough stars from the sky, but he was diligent and sympathetic to his father's powerful patron. With his patronage, he was transferred to the cornets, and at the age of twenty he became a lieutenant. From January 1, 1789, for some time he was a second - captain in the army operating in Finland. He did not stand out in size among everyone, but he was well built and physically strong enough, good-looking and distinguished by his upbringing and courtesy.

Rapid rise and rivalry with Potemkin.

The greedy Zubov, again with the help of Saltykov, was appointed to the detachment accompanying the empress to Tsarskoye Selo to perform guards. At that time, the former favorite of Tsarina Dmitriev, Mamonov, was dismissed. And the appearance of a young, handsome and courteous captain turned out to be a timely outlet for Catherine II, and for Saltykov and other opponents of Potemkin - an occasion to reduce his influence.

Although Plato was not taken seriously by many, at first he fawned over everyone, but he portrayed his love for the mistress very well, which was believed by both all the ladies of the court and the empress herself. Since that time, titles, orders, gifts, positions and fame have been showered on the young man as if from the notorious cornucopia and “Blacky”, “darling” and “naughty” pretty soon tried on the general's epaulettes.

Potemkin even liked this youth at first, at least he did not bother him. However, the Most Serene Prince himself at the same time gave enough reason to doubt his personal loyalty to the first lady of the state, he liked to arrange many receptions, as a rule, in his honor and retired to his chambers, surrounded by several young beauties. With the filing of Saltykov and with the help of secret speakers from the location of the prince, such information increasingly began to reach Zubov, and from him, with the right sauce, they were served to the Empress.

Although the prince still had strength and tried to put pressure on Plato remotely, his "bed" exploits gradually exceeded Potemkin's military merits in their significance and the prince in 1791 was politely sent to the Moldavian lands, where he accepted his death, not particularly resisting.

Years of excess power.

After the death of the last standing rival, the recent Platosha becomes the governor-general of Novorossiysk, in addition, a prince, a count, and in 1794 he even had a chance to give orders. Courtiers and backyards feared him more than their predecessor. Potemkin may not have been great in many ways, but he certainly wasn't an inexperienced youth. Zubov was still extolled in the palace, and he himself continued to enjoy the benefits, giving him a noble position. He entrusted the affairs to the secretaries, most of the decisions were executed as before. But many could not get through to the favorite, standing in line for several years, but some received favor because the count's monkey liked it. Often fulfilling the orders of the Empress, Plato did not even notice that he was completing Potemkin's undertakings. And in principle, this did not prevent him from living, many contemporaries noted that the ranks were simply beyond his mind and abilities, but such things were not pronounced aloud.

After the death of the patroness

Having come to power after the death of Catherine, he had a wonderful dinner with Plato, causing the latter to delight and hope for a continuation of the sweet life. However, very soon he was deprived of all estates, privileges and titles, and he himself went on a trip to Europe. There he tried to marry a rich bride, and was even going to kidnap her, but was called back to his homeland. Soon everything that had been taken away was returned to Zubov.

He became one of the participants in the conspiracy against the lover of everything Prussian Paul. A lover of adventure took part in the overthrow of the emperor. And let the next ruler treat him differently than the previous one upon coming, but the former favorite was forced to leave for Germany again.

In the following decades, the prince traveled around Europe, and spent his last years in Lithuania, where he married nineteen-year-old Tekla Valentinovich. The legitimate daughter Alexandra Platonovna never saw her father, who died on April 7, 1822, a couple of months before her birth at the age of 54. The daughter survived her father by 2 years and was buried near him. The widow inherited a considerable fortune from the deceased and later remarried. Her husband was Count Shuvalov.

Plato, even as an adult, loved games and fun, climbed the towers to fly kites, and once on the road from St. Petersburg, a whole procession of carriages and carriages was stopped for several hours, while the admirer of the queen hunted and waited for a hare.

And yet, already under the empress, he managed to look after other ladies, believing that he had the right to use his position to the fullest. So, in his best times, he managed to take care of Elizabeth - the wife of the future emperor, the grandson of his patroness.

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Zubov Platon Alexandrovich - the last favorite of Empress Catherine II, prince, adjutant general and feldzeugmeister general, one of the founders of Odessa.

He was born on November 26, 1767 in the Smolensk province, on the estate of a small estate nobleman. P. Zubov's father, Alexander Nikolaevich, served in the Horse Guards, was dismissed with the rank of lieutenant colonel due to illness, after which he transferred to the civil service, becoming a provincial vice-governor. The son of Plato, an 8-year-old child, as was customary, was enlisted as a sergeant in the prestigious Semenovsky regiment.

Platon Zubov attracted the attention of Catherine II, being a 22-year-old lieutenant, smart and good-looking. He very skillfully played the role of a hopelessly in love, in which he was instantly supported by the empress's female entourage, thirsting for intrigues. Platon Alexandrovich makes a rapid career, receives the title of count, and with it - huge estates with tens of thousands of serfs. After the death of Prince G.A. Potemkina Ekaterina promotes him to Feldzeugmeister General, appoints him Governor-General of Novorossiysk and head of the Black Sea Fleet. Moreover, A.V. himself is subordinate to him. Suvorov! In 1794 he received the title of Most Serene Prince of the Roman Empire.

Our city had ill-wishers at all times: A.V. Suvorov was only interested in building a fortress, nothing more; the commander of the Black Sea Fleet N.S. categorically insisted on the construction of the main port in Ochakovo (and not in Khadzhibey). Mordvinov; the once almighty G.A. stood up for Kinburn (again - to the detriment of the future Odessa). Potemkin. And only Zubov, who replaced Potemkin, was the only one of the nobles who supported (and not just supported - defended!) Before the Empress the opinion, supported by the wise justifications of de Ribas and de Volan, in favor of Odessa as the main port of Russia on the Black Sea. That is why Platon Alexandrovich Zubov is one of the main founders of Odessa, in honor of which the grateful inhabitants of Odessa named one of the harbor piers Platonovsky!

Paul I, who entered the reign after his mother, at first left some powers to Zubov and even gave him a magnificent mansion, but soon (just as unexpectedly) dismissed him, confiscated numerous estates and ordered him to go abroad. However, in 1800, Platon Alexandrovich received permission to return to Russia, where for several months he was under the supervision of the governor in one of his estates received back, after which, at the request of the St. Petersburg Governor-General P.A. Palena moved to the capital and was even appointed director of the Cadet Corps. However, already in the next year, 1801, Zubov was again dismissed.

Together with one of his three brothers, Platon Alexandrovich takes part in the palace conspiracy and the murder of Emperor Paul. Alexander I, who ascended the throne, although he appoints him a member of the State Council, treated him, to the disappointment of Zubov, very reservedly.

After the end of the Patriotic War (1812-1814), Platon Alexandrovich Zubov left for his estate Janishki (Vilna province), where he spent the remaining years without a break.

The last favorite of the Empress died on April 19, 1822, leaving no offspring. He was buried not far from St. Petersburg, in a crypt under the Church of the Invalid House in the Sergius Hermitage.

His figure is an element of the sculptural composition "Founders of Odessa", installed on Ekaterininskaya Square in 1900 (architect Yu.M. Dmitrenko, sculptor B.V. Eduards), which was destroyed with the advent of Soviet power. In autumn 2007, the monument was revived.

Anatoly Gorbatyuk, journalist

Zubov, Platon Alexandrovich

- His Serene Highness Prince, Feldzeugmeister General, General Director over Fortifications, Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet, Voznesensk Light Cavalry and the Black Sea Cossack Army, Infantry General, Adjutant General, Chief of the Cavalier Guard Corps, Ekaterinoslav, Voznesensky and Tauride Governor-General, member of the State Military Collegium, honorary benefactor of the Imperial Orphanage and honorary lover of the Academy of Arts, born November 15, 1767, mind. April 7, 1822 Already an eight-year-old child, Z. was listed as a sergeant in the lists of the Semenovsky regiment, from where in 1779 he was transferred to the Horse Guards as a sergeant-major. January 1, 1784 he was promoted to cornet, January 1. 1785 - to second lieutenants, and on January 1, 1786 - to lieutenants. Z. spent 1788 in the active army in Finland and on January 1, 1789 was promoted to second-captain. Soon after, he becomes the favorite of Empress Catherine, and from that moment on, Z.'s elevation in the service proceeds with extraordinary speed. Having not received any upbringing in the family, he was also a poorly educated person, however, he was fluent in French, studied music, showed some interest in literature, spoke lively, was not without some wit, with an admixture of irony, and what most contributed to his "case", had a beautiful appearance: he was of medium height, "flexible, muscular and slender; he had a high forehead and beautiful eyes."

Z. advanced at court, thanks to the patronage of c. N. I. Saltykova; The rapprochement with the Empress was also helped by the assistance of persons close to the Empress: the ladies of state Anna Nikolaevna Naryshkina, the chamber maid of honor A. S. Protasova and the chamber jungfer M. S. Perekusikhina. Saltykov and other enemies of the book. Potemkin saw in Z. a convenient means to shake the value of the book. Potemkin at court, as they were afraid to enter into an open fight with him. In the spring of 1789, Z. begged c. Saltykov to entrust him with command over the Horse Guards detachment, intended to accompany the Empress to Tsarskoe Selo. Z. was invited by Catherine II to dinner and, with his appearance and manner of keeping himself in society, managed to attract the attention of the empress. As soon as the court arrived, on June 18 a break with gr. Dmitriev-Mamonov. Information brought to Catherine II about the love of gr. Dmitriev-Mamonov to Princess D. F. Shcherbatova and about secret meetings between them, hastened his fall. Already on June 19, A.V. Khrapovitsky enters in his diary: "Zakhar (the empress's valet) suspects guard second-captain P.A. Zubov ...". Soon after, Z. "began to walk upstairs in the evenings." Garnovsky, in his Notes, says: “Zubov, a horse guard officer who is on guard duty here, was treated very kindly. conjecture, but no one knows anything directly whether there will be anything from Mr. Zubov. On July 4, Z. was granted the rank of colonel and adjutant wing and settled in the palace in the adjutant wing, which had previously been occupied by c. Dmitriev-Mamonov. Catherine did not immediately decide to notify Prince. Potemkin that his protege c. Dmitriev-Mamonov is eliminated and his role is assigned to another. Reporting this in a letter dated July 6, Catherine II, among other things, wrote: “At the same time, I am enclosing a letter of recommendation to you from the most innocent soul, which is in the best possible disposition with a kind heart and a pleasant mentality. I know that you love me and nothing don't offend." These lines concerned Z. Judging by the calm response, Potemkin did not attach any importance to the change that had taken place at court. Confident in his influence, he was completely absorbed in the Turkish war, preparing for decisive action. He did not foresee that the rise of Z. threatens to fall his personal influence. Despite the fact that the letters of Catherine II to Potemkin were devoted to the most important state issues, they constantly mention "dear children" - the Zubovs, their straightforwardness, honesty, nobility. These "dear children" rose on the ranks with extraordinary speed, and above all - Plato, about whom the empress wrote: "But, for me, the pearl of the family is Plato, who truly has a wonderful character and does not change himself in any case. ".

At first, Z.'s position, however, seemed precarious to his patrons; feared for him. Led by experienced in palace intrigues gr. Saltykov, Z. tried to secure both the location of the book. Potemkin, and his relatives: M. S. Potemkin and especially Garnovsky, who closely followed the successes of Z. at court. The advice of A. N. Naryshkina and Saltykov: to flatter, not to argue with the empress, to humble yourself before Potemkin for the time being - they were learned by him. He constantly praised Potemkin in front of the Empress, admired him. Catherine did not doubt the sincerity of these praises and in her letters assured Potemkin of Zubov's devotion to him. In a letter dated July 14, 1789, we read about Plato Z.: “We have a kind heart and a very pleasant disposition, without malice and deceit ... we have four rules that will keep the effort, namely: to be faithful, modest, attached and grateful to the extreme." - In a letter dated August 12 of the same year: “I immediately handed your enclosed letter of reply to whom it was due, and it was received with fiery and joy-filled eyes, and as the heart and mind are all made up of feelings, then gratitude and sincerity for duty are honored; he won't leave him to explain." And further (in French): “I am very pleased, my friend, that you are satisfied with me and the little newcomer; this is a very sweet child, not stupid, has a good heart and, I hope, will not be spoiled. a letter in which he outlined how nature created him." - In a letter dated September 6, 1789, we find the following lines: "Platon Alexandrovich is very modest, which quality, however, I find worthy of reward, as you yourself say: you are the chief of the Cavalry Guard Corps, do you need a cornet? I remember you with a note about this "before that, won't you send something like that? Shouldn't we give our child a hussar escort? Write what you think ... Our child is 19 years old, and let it be known to you. But I love this child very much; it I am tied and crying like a child ... "On October 3, 1789, Z. was appointed cornet of the Cavalier Guard Corps with promotion to major general. To please the Empress, Potemkin made the Zubov brothers, Nikolai and Valerian, involved in his military successes. In general, at the end of 1789 and the beginning of 1790, he was on the best terms with the Zubovs. Meanwhile, Z., acting according to the plan outlined by Saltykov, gradually undermined the foundations of Potemkin's power at court. Already from the first days of the rise of Z. Catherine begins to acquaint him with state affairs. But Z. did not show any abilities for this activity. The strongest foundation of his happiness was the unrestricted disposition towards him of the old empress, who was deeply touched by the most tender attentiveness and the quick obsequiousness and solicitude of the young man, who warned her the slightest desire. However, Z. understood that by becoming involved in state activities, he could only strengthen his position. Hence his zeal and zeal for state affairs, which he was powerless to understand and assimilate. At the head of the diplomatic part then stood A. A. Bezborodko, gr. A. R. Vorontsov and gr. P. V. Zavadovsky. None of them was inclined to introduce the youth Zubov into the circle of their activities, into the complex network of international relations. Yes, he was not suitable for this. Zavadovsky wrote about him: “he torments himself with all his might over papers, having neither a fluent mind, nor extensive abilities, with which one could move a wide burden ... Diligent enough and understandable, but without experience, mediocre talents are less successful than slowness in reasoning of cases brings, which, however, does not heed in any way. Very diligent in business and, besides these, alien to any amusements, but still new, and therefore the burden is higher than his real strength.

However, as his influence grows, Z. decides to come up with his own projects, revealing the mental limitations of their creator. Z.'s approach to the court coincided with the beginning of the great French revolution. There were hunters to fight the manifestations of the French seditious spirit, allegedly existing in Russia. Zubov was well aware of the measures intended to persecute the "Martinists" and other imaginary intruders on the peace of Russia. Thus, the following suffered from Catherine's suspiciousness: in 1790 A. N. Radishchev, in 1793 - N. I. Novikov and Ya. B. Knyaznin. Z. not only did not deviate the empress from measures of inappropriate severity, but even approved of them, recommended new ones, wanting to show by this his zeal and devotion; in particular, he stood for strict censorship.

Meanwhile, rumors about Zubov began to disturb Potemkin, who was forced to devote his entire attention to Turkish affairs. Assuring the empress of his sympathy for him, Potemkin, however, took his measures. At that time, Valerian Zubov was near him, removed from St. Petersburg at the request of his brother Plato, who did not want to share Catherine's attention and favors with him. Well-wishers informed the brightest and about the excessive power of influence of the new favorite, and about his interference in the most important matters, and about his "stupid" projects relating to events of national importance.

When, at the beginning of 1790, Potemkin, having abandoned his affairs, indulged in pleasures, surrounded himself with a harem of beauties, Z., through his brother, had the most reliable information about the lifestyle of the brightest and, using them, did not miss the opportunity to drop Potemkin in the opinion of the empress or cause him displeasure . Both sides thus prepared for the fight. December 11, 1790 Ishmael fell. V. Zubov, sent with the news of this event, Potemkin said: "Report to the Empress that I am healthy in everything, only one tooth prevents me from eating; I will come to St. Petersburg, I will pull it out." Potemkin, apparently, realized how strong the empress's attachment to the new favorite was, and became worried. At the beginning of 1791, Prince. Potemkin arrived in St. Petersburg. The favorable reception given to him by the empress at first dispelled his anxious fears about the significance of Z., but Potemkin's delusion did not last long. Clearly assessing all the spiritual insignificance of Zubov, he tried to influence Catherine, to convince her to move away from him, but these explanations usually ended in tears of the empress, who did not want to lose her favorite. However, Potemkin's influence was still very great, the reason for which Z. could not understand. “Although I defeated him by half,” he said many years later, I couldn’t completely eliminate him from my path; but it was necessary to eliminate him, because the empress herself always went towards his desires and was simply afraid of him, like a demanding spouse. She only loved me and often pointed to Potemkin so that I could take an example from him.

Loyalty to the empress forced both enemies to restrain their true feelings and treat each other kindly and considerately. Potemkin talked with Z. without the usual arrogance, while Z., in turn, admired the recent exploits of his Serene Highness. Chance, it seemed, was ready to help Potemkin undermine the importance of the Zubovs at court. Zubov, the father, hoping for the intercession of his son, appropriated Bekhteev's estate of 600 souls. Offended, he turned to Potemkin, seeking the restoration of his legal rights, and asked Derzhavin to be an intermediary in the Constituent Court, where a petition was filed against old Zubov. This affair cast, to Potemkin's pleasure, an unseemly shadow over the entire Zubov family. At the court and in the city, there was talk about the lawless actions of A.N. Zubov. Platon Z. at first took the side of his father, but when Bekhteev threatened to submit a letter to the empress herself, Derzhavin convinced Z. to end the matter amicably and return the Bekhteev village. The outcome of this case, which became known at court, did not weaken the goodwill towards Zubov, but noticeably increased the coldness towards Potemkin. Zubov once summoned Derzhavin and declared on behalf of the empress that he write for Potemkin that he would order, “but he would by no means accept anything from him and did not ask; that he would have everything without him, adding that the empress appointed him to be with himself as secretary of state for military affairs. Potemkin's star faded as the importance of the new favorite increased. The tension in Z.'s relationship with Potemkin was perfectly clear to the empress. Over time, the enmity between them intensified. In Passion Week, both enemies fasted together, but even before Communion they did not reconcile. The following incident aroused Z.'s particular indignation against Potemkin. Catherine II promised Zubov to present a large estate in the Mogilev province. in 12,000 souls, but then I remembered that this estate had already been donated to Potemkin. Then, wanting to keep her promise, the Empress wanted to buy the estate from Potemkin. He, thanks to his resourcefulness, managed to prevent this intention, not wanting to enrich Z., which the latter could never forgive Potemkin. Soon there was an open rupture. On July 24, 1791, Potemkin was to leave St. Petersburg for Moldavia, according to the Imperial order. Z., thus, remained the winner in this court struggle. The news of Potemkin's death that arrived on October 12 of the same year shocked Catherine, who, in essence, deeply respected and appreciated Potemkin. Great was the jubilation of the Zubovs, although they were forced to hide it so as not to offend the grief of the empress. But Z. retained hatred for the memory of Potemkin until the end of his days. With the death of Potemkin, Z.'s lust for power had no boundaries. The Empress considered him the only person capable of replacing the Most Serene Prince. Tauride, and this replacement had a disastrous effect on public affairs.

Everyone secretly hated Zubov at court. But Catherine's goodwill towards her favorite only intensified over the years, and she did not stop showering her favorite with honors. February 3, 1790 he was granted the Order of St.. Anna, September 8 of the same year - St. Alexander Nevsky, in July 1790 he received the Prussian orders of the Black and Red Eagles, and the Polish White Eagle and Stanislav. Further, less than three weeks had passed since the death of Potemkin, as Z. was appointed chief of the Cavalier Guard Corps (October 21, 1791) and after that on March 12, 1792 he was promoted to lieutenant general and granted adjutant general.

With all his conceit, Z., during the life of Potemkin, did not risk contradicting his opinions, knowing that the empress usually agreed with them. But after the death of Potemkin, he felt a surge of extraordinary confidence in his abilities, especially since Catherine herself believed in his abilities, and tried to convince others of the same. Z.'s voice in Catherine's advice acquired decisive importance. Possessing neither state experience nor intelligence, he, nevertheless, and perhaps for this very reason, boldly outlined a plan for both foreign and domestic policy of Russia. A close friendly alliance with Sweden and Prussia, the patronage of the French royal family and emigrants, a threatening position towards England - these are the essential features of the political wisdom of Zubov's system. Inside the state - the pursuit of the slightest hint of free-thinking, perusal, espionage, denunciations - the most reliable means, in his opinion, to protect the internal peace and prosperity of Russia. Frivolity with which Z. treated the most difficult political issues, and his ridiculous fantastic projects caused only ridicule in gifted diplomats of that time, which we had c. A. A. Bezborodko, gr. S. R. Vorontsov and N. P. Rumyantsev. At this time, Z. "is reputed to be the main figure in all matters and makes you feel his omnipotence in the most outrageous way." Z.'s value is increasing. Going to Iasi to conclude peace, c. Bezborodko offered Troshchinsky to take his place during his absence. However, when Bezborodko later returned to St. Petersburg, although he was awarded great favors, nevertheless, at the request of the empress, he had to give up his presidential chair in the collegium of foreign affairs to Zubov. All leadership of Russia's foreign policy and relations with foreign courts passed into the hands of Z. Thus, the highest direction of the entire policy of the state was made dependent on a young man of 24 years old with great pretensions and an insignificant mind. Bezborodko wrote: "I am a goldsmith; I clean what is dirtying the Teeth."

In September 1792, the position of the favorite was greatly shaken, again due to the extortion of his father. Someone Yaroslavov, who was put on trial for bribery, bought the patronage of Zubov the father and was acquitted. But the case was opened. The Empress became very angry. After this incident, many cases passed back into the hands of Mr. Bezborodko, by the way, and a briefcase with Polish affairs. But the anxieties of foreign policy caused by the French Revolution diverted the empress's attention from court turmoil, and Zubov managed to regain Catherine's favor. He was soon again showered with honors and awards: on January 27, 1793, thanks to efforts in Vienna, Z. with his father and three brothers was elevated to the Counts of the Holy Roman Empire, on July 23 he was awarded the portrait of the Empress and the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, a day later, on July 25, he was made Governor-General of Yekaterinoslav and Taurida, and on October 19 he was promoted to Feldzeugmeister General.

Zubov fully shared Catherine's indignation at the September murders in France and sympathized with the emigrants. He gave them his patronage at court, for which Prince de Ligne pathetically praised Z., as well as his brother, in his letters to the Empress: "The name of Plato, I think, brings happiness, and the divine Plato, perhaps, the godfather the one with whom I would like to have the good fortune to meet, since my most kind, most beautiful envoy from my Russian fatherland to my Austrian fatherland told me so much about him; although the envoy is a very prudent and moderate person, he nevertheless said that he vouches me for my affection for him if I see him." The immoderate zeal of Z. in an effort to provide support everywhere to French emigrants, especially members of the royal family, revealed his complete ignorance in understanding the elementary requirements of diplomatic relations. Such, for example, was the case with the trip of Count. d "Artois to England. This trip was organized under the close supervision of Z., meanwhile, when Count d" Artois arrived in England, it turned out that he could not go there because of his debts, for which he would have been sent to prison for, under the laws of England, every debtor, except the King and Members of Parliament, may be imprisoned if a debt of not less than 10 pounds sterling has not been paid on time. The same threatened and gr. d "Artois, whose debt amount fluctuated between 10-20 million livres. S. R. Vorontsov, our ambassador to England, together with the French ambassador went to Hull to meet with gr. d" Artois, who was on a Russian frigate that was on the roadstead, and explained to him the impossibility of his landing. Then it turned out that Z., with complete arrogance, assured the prince that “all objections of Your Highness will be removed; England will be honored to receive you, she will do whatever the Empress wishes, and we have an envoy who will be able to induce the ministry to do everything to you pleasing". Submitting to circumstances, the French prince was forced to sail from the coast of England to Germany. Annoyed at the extreme tactlessness of Z., Vorontsov wrote: "this is how this young favorite, before whom everything obeyed in Russia, imagined to rule all of Europe." Z. became extremely angry with Vorontsov, attributing the unsuccessful outcome of this trip not to his own fault, but to Vorontsov's inaction. Z. made diplomatic mistakes more than once. It happened that Z. sent important secret papers by mail, then wondering why they become known to everyone. A certain Inglis, an excellent caster of guns, who was taken into the service of Zubov, offered to secretly lure several experienced craftsmen from England and take out the necessary tools - both of which were prohibited by an act of parliament. Z. quite openly wrote to Vorontsov about everything by mail, ordering on behalf of the empress to invite craftsmen and assist Inglis, who himself would come to purchase tools. Vorontsov, in a ciphered answer, made it clear to Zubov that with his proposal, he was compromising not only his Russian ambassador, but the entire "court" (i.e., the empress) and that by perusal of letters the British government had undoubtedly already learned first about the entrusted to him, Vorontsov , instructions and, of course, will take action. Extremely stung by the lesson taught to him, Z. began to tell everywhere that Vorontsov was neglecting the interests of Russia in order to please the interests of England, and did not miss the opportunity to repay Vorontsov with insults.

However, the attitude of Z. to other prominent figures of that era was hardly better than to Vorontsov. Yes, gr. Bezborodko was forced to retire because of Z. This gave the empress a reason to complain that they were being removed from her, "they did not want to help her." In his arrogance, Z. even tried to treat Suvorov himself with condescension. When Suvorov was in the Novorossiysk Territory, appointed head of the troops stationed there, Z., as governor-general of the Novorossiysk Territory (1793), considered himself the head of Suvorov; he began to write to Suvorov as to his subordinate, and, according to the latter, only made him laugh with his orders. When Z. made an attempt to take on a too bossy tone, the old man Suvorov answered the arrogant favorite: "To me - your rescriptive calm, indicative, imperative, used in assessments? .. not good, sir!" In one of his letters, Suvorov wrote about Zubov that he was a "kind person", "as if from non-commissioned officers of the guard; he knows hints and riddles and adorns himself as he pleases, which is called crafty by the general people, although he does not have a king in his head." When the favorite as head of the Black Sea Fleet (July 19, 1796) was placed in a position independent of the Admiralty College, Suvorov wrote that Zubov was granted "a sword and will soon receive the key flag of the Black Sea Fleets during his presidency, which he banished in his reign and killed people." When Suvorov's daughter, c. Natalya Alexandrovna ("Suvorochka") in the autumn of 1794 married c. Nikolai Zubov, Suvorov ended up in a property with the Zubov family. Platon Z., relying on this relationship, once (December 15, 1795) allowed himself to receive Suvorov in the Winter Palace at home, in a frock coat. Then Suvorov received the favorite in his underwear when he came on a return visit. The significance of the Zubovs, thanks to their relationship with Suvorov, increased significantly, but they, for their part, turned out to be a reliable support for Suvorov at court. The following case, referring to the first half of 1795, confirms this. On the way from Belarus to St. Petersburg, Suvorov heard one extremely unpleasant news for him. Visibly upset, he immediately wrote two letters, one to Prince Zubov, the other to his son-in-law, Count. N. A. Zubov, and instructed to deliver it to the address as soon as possible, and asked him to verbally convey to Zubov that "if the rumors are true, then for him his own bullet is no worse than the enemy's." Sudden dispatches alarmed the Zubovs, but Suvorov's alarm turned out to be in vain, which he was informed about. Nevertheless, despite family relations, Suvorov considered Plato Z. a "scoundrel" and a "dumbass", which he was not afraid to declare openly, but he was almost the only person who dared to disrespect the favorite. The rest cringed and groveled.

According to contemporaries, Z., having a great memory, often passed off thoughts read from books as his own, which sometimes gave the impression of being smart, even to non-naive people. Rostopchin considered him mediocrity and pointed out that only "memory" replaces Zubov's "sanity"; "His chatter is now clever, now mysterious, and technical words give it weight and meaning. He is modest, or rather secretive, afraid of connections and surrounded by riff-raff." Khrapovitsky endows him with the epithet "stupid Zubov". Suvorov considered him a "dumbass". Z. willingly amused himself with a child's game - he launched kites from the Tsarskoye Selo towers, spent whole hours playing with a monkey, etc. Once, having fun hunting, Z. with his retinue settled down on the road leading from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo. The nobles who were traveling to the court, couriers, mail, all carriages and peasant carts were stopped; for an hour no one dared to pass, until the young man decided to leave the road: he was waiting for a hare on it. Mentally limited, Z. had a rather unattractive moral character. He fawned over everyone, even before the valet Zakhar, until he strengthened himself as a favorite. Then he threw off his mask and became "arrogant to the point of insolence, arrogant to the point of swagger", a power-hungry and arrogant person. With his insulting manner of address, Z. sometimes crossed all the boundaries of what was permitted. Once at a dinner in the Winter Palace, Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich and his family were present. Wanting to involve him in a general conversation, Catherine asked whose opinion the Grand Duke agreed with on the issue in question. "With the opinion of Count Platon Alexandrovich," the crown prince answered kindly. "Did I say something stupid?" - brazenly responded favorite. Indebted to Saltykov for everything, he repaid him with black ingratitude, forcing his benefactor to leave the post of president of the military collegium, which he wanted to take himself.

Lieutenant General Golenishchev-Kutuzov, the future hero of the Patriotic War, came to Zubov an hour before he woke up to brew coffee for him in a special way, which he then took to his favorite, in full view of many visitors. General P. I. Melissino, having received the Vladimir ribbon from Z., kissed his hand. Tsarevich Pavel was forced to reckon with the former insignificant officer of the Guards, who had once begged forgiveness from him for having offended one of the Tsarevich's dogs. Among others, Grand Duke Konstantin zealously catered to Zubov and even turned to him for patronage. Alexander Pavlovich, calling Z. "a lackey" behind his back, nevertheless outwardly maintained the most cordial relations with him. Joining the general chorus of flatterers, Derzhavin sang of Zubov in the poem "To the Lyre". Zubov, however, did not appreciate Derzhavin's attitude; together with his brother, he made fun of him, more than once put the poet in a humiliating position, not respecting and not understanding his talent. The lofty virtues of Zubov were sung by some unknown author even earlier - either a French teacher in the Society of Noble Maidens (Smolny Monastery), or a French emigrant. These laudatory verses were composed for the new year 1790; pupils of the Smolny Monastery embroidered them on an atlas and brought them to Zubov.

All this incense of flattery made Zubov imagine himself a great man. The honors and awards that Catherine never ceased to bestow on him only supported this thought in him. January 1, 1795 Z. received the Order of St.. Vladimir 1st degree; On August 18, he was granted the Shavelsky economy in the newly annexed Polish regions with 13669 souls of peasants and with an income of 100 thousand rubles; for the annexation of Courland, he received the Courland castle Ruenthal. By the end of the same year, he was appointed chief of the cadet corps and was awarded a portrait of the Empress, decorated with a large tapeworm. Zubov's arrogance knew no bounds at that time. No wonder Rostopchin likens him to "a boy who dares to pretend to be Nero, to whom the trembling Senate burns incense." In the palace, in Z.'s chambers, three rooms were "noticeable": the first was accessible to everyone; the second could only include noble persons and important officials who were with him; the third room was his study and bedroom, where no one but those closest to him had access. From it, along a small staircase, there was a passage to the inner chambers of the palace. “Everything crawled at the feet of Z., he alone stood and therefore considered himself great,” Masson notes. He had neither the genius nor the ambition of Orlov and Potemkin, although he finally combined in his person more power and significance than these two famous favorites." Z. owed all his greatness to favor with Catherine. “As the empress lost her strength, activity, genius, he gained power, wealth. Every morning, numerous crowds of flatterers besieged his doors, filled the hallways and reception rooms. Old generals, nobles were not ashamed to caress his most insignificant lackeys. pushing away the generals and officers, whom the crowd, crowding at the doors, prevented them from locking.Lounging in armchairs, in the most obscene negligee, with his little finger in his nose, with his eyes aimlessly fixed on the ceiling, this young man, with a face cold and puffed up, barely He deigned to pay attention to those around him. great and cowardly, they expected him to lower his gaze in order to again cling to his feet.The name of Catherine sounded in his speeches, like the words "throne", "altar" in royal manifestos ... Of all the minions of happiness of the reign of Catherine II, not one , except for Zubov, was not so frail both externally and internally. Maybe there were some unknown virtues in him, but he never showed any genius, virtues, or passions - except perhaps for vanity and stinginess, which were his hallmarks. "Z. uncontrollably disposed of state money as his own Confident in the disposition of the decrepit empress, Z. was not afraid to give rise to jealousy, either by his nightly walks (1793), or by his obvious courtship (1794-1796) for the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alekseevna, ignoring the displeasure of the empress who favored him; Rostopchin therefore On occasion, he entered the following lines in his Notes: “The court is very busy cooling the Empress to Zubov. One of the courtiers whispered something to her about the insane passion of the favorite ... She noticed some glances, and a scene occurred. For several days they were at odds; then reconciled; but she broke her heart at gr. Stakelberg-father, suspecting that he was an attorney in this story, washed his head so that the old courtier was forced to leave the palace and go to his estates on the advice of the same Zubov.

Catherine's unlimited trust made Z. the main arbiter of all affairs. Without him, absolutely nothing was done. He alone meant everything. He was in charge of Polish and Persian affairs, the organization of the province in Poland, the duchy of Courland, the organization of the Voznesenskaya province. and the port of Odessa, managing all diplomatic correspondence, drafting a new charter for the Senate, managing the settlement of the provinces of Taurida and Voznesenskaya with peasant families from internal land-poor provinces, stationing the Black Sea army on Taman Island, etc. However, proximity to state affairs did not enrich Z. mentally, he did not become in them either more judicious or far-sighted. He had a passion to seem like a business man, but when he was asked for guidance or instructions, he answered: "Do as before ..." Troshchinsky, an honest and direct person, considered Zubov a "thorn" instead of the sovereign's eye. Zubov himself did almost nothing. In the events of the annexation of Kurland, Polish affairs, the personality of Z. is in the background. Failures were reproached by his employees, successes were attributed to him. Others, like Morkov, served Zubov "to cover up his ignorance." He was credited with the device in the Bakhmut district of the Lugansk foundry, meanwhile, for the device of this plant, he never left St. Petersburg, the foundation of the plant was the work of Gaiskon, and the project was translated from French by A. M. Gribovsky. In addition to the old statesmen, Z. attracted new elected representatives to the circle of his employees, in the choice of which the insignificant personality of Zubov was very eloquently reflected. They were: an impudent rogue from Ragusa Altesti, a libelist and a thief, "a riffraff in the full sense of the word," although a smart man and possessing the gift of words; Z. himself was wary of him; then the author of Notes on Catherine the Great, A. M. Gribovsky, a reveler and a spendthrift, who tempted the whole city with his revels, but possessed a brisk pen, and, finally, the son of a Spanish blacksmith, I. M. Ribas, who deceived Princess Tarakanova, plundering from the Russian treasury more than half a million annually during the construction of the Odessa port, an insidious liar, whom Suvorov branded with the famous saying: "even Ribas will not deceive him."

In 1795, at the initiative of Z., new staffs were drawn up and printed for one reserve battalion of grenadiers, musketeers, chasseurs and one squadron of carabinieri and light-horse hussars "with an addition of ammunition items and at these prices." During the time Zubov was in charge of various military-administrative positions, discipline in the troops fell noticeably. Officers and even the lower ranks engaged in panache at the expense of official duties. Outside of service, guards officers wore velvet caftans, satin camisoles, lace frills and cuffs. It was not for nothing that Emperor Pavel in his strict orders to the guards corps mentioned the name of Zubov as a synonym for ignorance of the rules of service and negligence.

Z. also took part in the negotiations on the final division of Poland. When on this occasion a conference opened in St. Petersburg, Z. was a member along with Osterman, Bezborodko, gr. Louis Cobentzel and the Prussian envoy gr. von Tauenzin. The latter, seeing that Austria, under the agreement between the two imperial courts, had received a clear advantage over Prussia, wanted to win Zubov, who was all-powerful at that time, to his side, and on behalf of King Friedrich Wilhelm offered the young favorite an independent possession from some Polish regions, which was supposed to be between Russia and Prussia. Z. rejected this tempting offer and at the meetings of the conference insisted on the need to reward Austria, in view of its victims in the fight against the French Republic - Krakow or Sandomierz. On the question of Krakow, Tauenzin, however, stubbornly refused to make any concessions. Cobenzel shied away from compromise, citing a lack of authority on the matter. Zubov also took the side of Austria regarding the Krakow and Sandomierz provinces, although in other matters he was ready to make concessions to Prussia. The case almost ended in a break, and only a handwritten letter from Catherine II to the Prussian king eliminated the misunderstandings that arose.

Wanting to be known as a great politician, Z. presented a fantastic and impracticable project against Turkey. According to his plan, one Russian army was to occupy the most important trading points between Persia and Tibet, to establish relations with India, then, turning in the other direction, cut off all roads to Constantinople; another army, under the command of Suvorov, was to approach the Turkish capital through the Balkans and Adrianople, which at that time the Russian fleet, under the personal leadership of Catherine, would besiege from the sea. Preparations were made for the trip. But Suvorov refused to take part in it; then Valerian Zubov was appointed commander-in-chief instead of him.

From the very beginning, the movement of troops ran into extreme difficulties, which showed all the frivolity and danger of this enterprise. The state of our finances also did not encourage the implementation of grandiose conquest plans. Concerned about finding the necessary funds, Z. presented a detailed, but stupid note outlining his financial project, full of contradictions and inapplicable in practice. He proposed doubling the value of a current copper coin by re-minting it, which, in his opinion, should have enriched the treasury without any burden on the people. The copper money needed for this had to be delivered to the mints by the private owners of the coin. At the same time, Z. inspired Catherine with the idea to enter into a marriage alliance for the sake of the success of the planned campaign. Princess Alexandra Pavlovna with King Gustav IV Adolf.

The further things went on in the theater of operations, the clearer the impracticability of Z.'s project became: millions of expenditures and hundreds of thousands of troops were needed. The courtship of Gustav IV Adolf also ended unsuccessfully, which was largely due to Zubov's tactless actions. In 1796, Gustav Adolf was given an extremely honorable and gracious reception at the Russian court as a groom. The drafting of the marriage contract was entrusted by the Empress to Zubov and Morkov. Contrary to the bride's usual change of religion in such cases, it was decided to obtain for the princess the right not to formally renounce Orthodoxy, and even to have her own chapel and clergy in the royal palace. But since there was no certainty that the king would agree to these conditions, Z. decided to resort to tricks. The engagement was appointed by Zubov on September 11th. An hour before the start of the ceremony, the marriage contract was brought to the king for his signature, and he first got acquainted with the articles on the religion of the bride. He refused to sign them, despite all the persuasion of both Zubov and Morkov and members of his retinue. Meanwhile, the court and the empress, in full dress, were waiting for the groom. Lack of it, frequent entries and exits of the book. Zubov, the impatience of the empress aroused curiosity. Finally, Zubov was forced to report that everything was upset. He went up to Catherine, who was waiting in the presence of the whole court, and whispered a few words into her ear. The Empress became ill, and she felt a slight blow - the first herald of her imminent death. When the reason for the failure became known, everyone was indignant at Zubov and Morkov, who wanted to influence the Swedes with cunning. But Zubov himself was upset, especially since the next day after the betrothal he was supposed to be promoted to the rank of field marshal. In essence, the unsuccessful outcome of this matchmaking was due to the policy of Platon Zubov's friend and friend, Lord Whitward, who, in the interests of England, needed to upset the union of Russia and Sweden. Zubov at that time was at the zenith of his power and was aware of it. When at the dinner of the empress, when the Swedish king was the king, the conversation turned to the news received from Persia, Zubov said to one Swede: “This is nothing: my brother writes us that won the battle and conquered the region; there is nothing new."

May 22, 1796 Zubov was elevated to the princely dignity of the Roman Empire. A. K. Razumovsky, who worked hard on this case in Vienna, chose the motto for the Zubovs: "meritis crescunt honores."

On November 5, 1796, Catherine suffered a sudden blow. An hour before, Zubov sent to inquire about her health, as he did every morning, and the Empress ordered her to answer, "that she had never felt so good." Weak signs of life made us expect her death every minute. The news of this struck Zubov. He tossed about in tears and was confused to such an extent that he did not take care of providing the necessary assistance and opposed the general advice of the courtiers to bleed sick blood. On the advice of Mr. Orlov-Chesmensky, he sent his brother Nikolai to Gatchina to Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich with news of the stroke that had befallen the Empress. The greatness of Zubov faded along with the life of Catherine. Yesterday's favorite passed through the rooms of his lady and tried in vain to be given only a glass of water! Her death instantly destroyed the value of Zubov, returning him to his former insignificance. Masson aptly said that "there was no noticeable emptiness when Zubov disappeared from his place."

According to contemporaries, Catherine had a serious idea - to deprive Paul of the throne. Zubov, among other important figures, voted for this project. Pavel, of course, knew about this project and lived in constant anxiety. According to some reports, Bezborodko, convinced by Rastopchin, handed over to Pavel the secret papers of the Empress; according to other reports, this service was rendered to him by Zubov. Prince Platon Alexandrovich himself allegedly said that under him Paul broke the seals on two envelopes, of which one contained a draft decree announcing his removal from the throne, and the other contained an order to place him in Lode Castle. He put the third paper in his pocket without reading it - it allegedly contained a will.

Paul I instructed the revision of the papers of Zubov's office to the heir led. book. Alexander Pavlovich. Nothing compromising Zubov was found in Paul's opinion. The emperor, more than once insulted by the favorite, and the heir, who did not tolerate Zubov, both reacted, however, to his grief with participation. But the courtiers did not hide their joy at his fall and with rude frankness let him feel it. At the bed of the dying Catherine, at the entrance of the heir, Zubov fell at his feet in tears. Paul kindly reassured him with the words: "My mother's friend will always be my friend."

According to Masson, Pavel, touched by Zubov's despair and grateful for his affection for the deceased empress, left Zubov in all his previous positions and returned his cane - the hallmark of the adjutant general on duty with the words: "Continue to perform your official duties with the body of my mother; I hope that you will serve me just as faithfully as you served her." A.S. Shishkov says that Paul even awarded Zubov with the Order of St. Anna is a very honorable award in this reign. But Zubov's closest associates paid the price: Altesti was sent to Kyiv and imprisoned in a fortress, and Gribovsky was imprisoned in the ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Zubov cowardly left him to his own fate, caring only about his own fate. He moved from the palace to live with his sister, O. A. Zherebtsova, but stayed there for only a week. Pavel I bought for 100,000 rubles. Myatlev's house, on Morskaya, ordered to decorate it like a palace, to supply it with silverware and gold utensils, carriages and horses, and presented all this to Zubov on the eve of his birthday. On the very same birthday, November 15, 1796, Emperor Paul, together with Empress Maria Feodorovna, visited Zubov and ate evening tea with him. When Zubov, having met the guests, fell at their feet, Pavel lifted him up and said: "Whoever remembers the old, get out of his sight." The congratulations were casual. Raising a glass of champagne, Pavel said to Zubov: "How many drops are here, so much I wish you all the best." Then he turned to the Empress: "Drink every drop." Emptying his glass, he broke it. Zubov threw himself at his feet, but Pavel, lifting him up, repeated the old proverb. Over tea, he said to Maria Feodorovna: "Pour it out! He doesn't have a mistress." However, Paul's favor was short-lived. On November 26, Zubov was appointed artillery inspector, but already in early December he asked for dismissal from his posts and received it on December 6. On December 29 of the same year, the following Supreme Decree followed: "For bringing the Sestroretsk arms factories into disrepair, which turned out to be such on the occasion of the failure of the Life Guards to the Preobrazhensky Regiment of Rifles, and then the Horse Guards of various things, to recover from the Feldzeugmeister General Prince Zubov such an amount, which artillery office is numbered and will be presented to the Senate. Nachet reached the amount of 50 thousand rubles. But on July 31, 1797, Zubov was "forgiven" by a new Highest Decree of all this money, and the penalties were added up. Upon the removal of Zubov from the affairs, many abuses and disorders were discovered. Having started a war with Persia for his own benefit, Z. did not find it necessary to report ordinary reports to the military board; the same was done with regard to the troops sent to Galicia; therefore, when they began to redistribute the troops, it was not only unknown the condition of a large part of the regiments, but even where they were stationed. The assigned officers did not know where to go to join their units and besieged the departments, making inquiries. On February 3, 1797, Zubov was fired on vacation abroad for two years to restore his health, with permission to call on his Lithuanian estates along the way. In this case, the Governor of Vilna was ordered to keep Zubov under surveillance, although he was already followed by a special police agent. An accidental circumstance aroused Paul's strong anger at the former favorite. Zubov's path lay through Riga. There at that time, by order of the emperor, a solemn meeting was prepared for the former Polish king Stanislav-August Poniatowski, who was on his way to St. Petersburg. On the appointed day, guards of honor were placed on the streets, and a ceremonial dinner was prepared. But the king did not come. Zubov, by coincidence of circumstances, arrived in Riga on that very day. As a Russian general, the guards saluted him, and the royal dinner served for Zubov. Emperor Paul was terribly angry when he received a denunciation of this. Military Governor, c. Palen, who considered it his duty to escort Zubov to Mitava, as his patron and benefactor, Pavel wrote in a formidable decree: “Mr. Lieutenant General Palen. I make a similar conclusion about your property, according to which My behavior against you will be proportionate "... Palen was fired" for the honors and meetings made to particular people, somehow when Prince Zubov traveled, and for absenteeism to Mitava to see him off same". Commandant Benckendorff was reprimanded. An inquiry was made to the civil governor, Baron Campenhausen, why he allowed Zubov's solemn reception. Even from Zubov himself, by a nominal order of February 28, an explanation was demanded, "with what intention and for what reason did he dare to accept the honors shown to him in Riga?"

After visiting Lithuanian estates, Zubov went to Germany. Here he lived, surprising all foreigners with luxury and extravagance. According to some reports, even there he was arrogant, like an Indian cock, and rich, like Croesus; according to others, abroad, Zubov seemed to change his character, replacing the arrogance, learned in Russia, for courtesy and courtesy. He devoted himself to the pleasures of life with passion. At one time he took everywhere with him a girl disguised as a valet; then in Teplice he became interested in the beautiful emigrant la Roche Aimon; when he saw the graceful and rich Courland princesses, he began to court the old duke-father, whom he had previously deprived of his possessions and arrogantly treated, being a favorite in St. Petersburg. The duke responded to Zubov with contempt, and he, according to Masson, decided to forcibly kidnap the duke's eldest daughter. It is not known whether the duke complained to the emperor, but Z. in the autumn of 1798 received the highest order to return to Russia. Abroad, Z. managed to get close to gr. N.P. Panin, then our diplomat. Later, the royal disgrace against Panin further contributed to the rapprochement of the Zubovs with him. Arriving in Vilna, he asked for further orders. In response, a letter was received from Mr. Lopukhin with advice to settle in his estate in the Vladimir province. There, together with his brother Valerian, he was under the supervision of the Vladimir governor Runich, who on June 7, 1799 received an order to deal with the Zubovs "according to the laws issued on foreigners, only so that they would not go anywhere without your will, but if they want to leave altogether , then notify."

When rumors reached Paul that Z. was transferring money abroad, the emperor (October 14, 1799) ordered Runich to inform him whenever something came to his attention "regarding these transfers; evenly about receiving money from - abroad". When Runich had to leave Vladimir on business, the supervision of the Zubovs, by the Highest command, was entrusted to the Vladimir provincial leader Kuzmin-Karavaev (May 11, 1800). The emperor now recalled the former guilt of the Zubovs. In May 1800, the estate of Platon Zubov was sequestered "together with all the amounts, even those that were first added up" (decree to the Senate of May 25). The sequestration on the estate of Valerian Zubov was imposed even earlier. According to the decree of the Senate of November 2, 1800 on a general amnesty, all those expelled from the service were allowed to "re-enter it so that they would appear in St. Petersburg for personal presentation" to the emperor. The Zubovs received an amnesty by decree. But at this time a conspiracy against Paul was already in the making. Its initiators, who wanted to win over the Zubovs, took care to give them the opportunity not only to take advantage of the decree, but also to get prominent posts in St. Petersburg. For this purpose, they persuaded Kutaisov to their side with the promise that Z. would marry his daughter. Z. actually wrote a letter to him with a similar request. Flattered, Kutaisov provided the necessary assistance, although it was not easy to break Pavel's prejudice against the Zubovs. Pavel affectionately and with an open soul met the Zubovs in his palace and said: "Platon Alexandrovich, let's forget everything that has happened!" November 23, 1800 Z. was appointed director of the first cadet corps, with the renaming of generals from infantry, and February 25, 1801 - chief of the same corps. The estates were returned to him by a decree of December 4, 1800. Pavel really wanted to "forget the past", although he could not completely abandon his suspicion of the Zubovs. In 1801, on the eve of Epiphany, Derzhavin dined with Prince. Zubov in the building and stayed with him until the evening. Then both went together to the palace, as usual, to congratulate the emperor on the upcoming holiday. Derzhavin's stay with Z. seemed very suspicious to Pavel, he called on the poet and treated him very harshly, although he did not directly state the reasons for such treatment. It is also curious that the name of Prince. Zubov, while his brother, c. Nikolai Alexandrovich, repeatedly invited. There is a lot of evidence that although Paul did not trust the Zubovs, he wanted to bind them to himself with graces. Despite this, Z. did not hesitate to join the conspiracy, in which he was destined to play an important role. The assumption that Pavel again intended to expel the Zubovs does not find confirmation and was probably invented in order to justify their ingratitude. Parties began to be held at the Zubovs, at which the composition of future conspirators was gradually determined. At these evenings, everyone who was dissatisfied with the then order of things gathered - guards officers, prominent representatives of high society. These meetings resembled real political clubs, where the discussion of the then situation in Russia was a constant subject of conversation. Everyone wanted to put an end to Paul's "mad autocracy" by forcing him to abdicate in favor of his eldest son Alexander. All these meetings took place clearly "under the auspices" of the St. Petersburg military governor Palen. "Little by little, Platon Zubov and his brothers summoned all their adherents to St. Petersburg; they could have numbered more than a thousand. Conspirators were secretly recruited, some of whom were even in Moscow among the most distinguished persons." All three Zubov brothers at that time received subsidies, which, through their sister O. A. Zherebtsova, who was close to the conspiracy, were given to them by a French banker in Berlin Levo. At last the conspiracy has matured. On March 11, in the evening, Z. received two notes from Paul, in the first the emperor demanded several pupils of the cadet corps to be his pages, in the second he asked what Dibich was doing. Z. at that time was spending the evening with the director of the corps, General Klinger. He fulfilled Paul's demand regarding pages, and wrote about Dibich: "Nothing good, and nothing bad; for good, he lacks knowledge of the Russian language, and for bad - power." At Klinger's, Z. kept calm and at ease, chatting about all sorts of trifles and showing nothing of his anxiety about participating in the impending drama. At 12 o'clock he left. Adam Czartoryski tells that Z. said a long speech at dinner among the conspirators, in which, describing the deplorable state of Russia, due to the madness of the reigning sovereign, he pointed out the recklessness of the break with England, violating the vital interests of the country and its economic well-being; then he began to talk about the wonderful spiritual qualities of the veli. book. Alexander, about the brilliant future of Russia under the scepter of the young sovereign, and ended with a categorical statement that the conspiracy was approved by Alexander. But Czartoryski arrived in St. Petersburg after March 11 and reports the case from the words of others. Information about this speech is not confirmed by other sources. A different version is much more likely, that at a meeting of the conspirators with General Talyzin, during the discussion of the issue of Paul's abdication, Z. began to hesitate greatly. Palen, who appeared, interrupted the disputes and divided the conspirators into two groups, one of them was supposed to lead to Z.'s palace with his brother Nicholas (and Benigsen). At the gates of the Mikhailovsky Castle, the Zubovs did not meet Palen, who, according to the condition, was to wait for them in this place. This circumstance gave rise to distrust of Palen, but it was too late to retreat. The conspirators climbed the small staircase at the Nativity Gate, which has survived to this day. Book. Zubov suddenly lost heart and offered to go back, but Benigsen stopped him, grabbing his hand: “How! You brought us here, and now you want to leave? We have gone too far to follow your advice, which would destroy us all. Le vin est tire, il faut le boire". Platon Z. was one of the first to burst into the bedroom. Pavel, awakened by the noise, managed to hide behind a screen by the bed. "We are dead!" cried Zubov, seeing the empty bed. But Benigsen found Pavel and told him: "Sir, you are under arrest." Pavel did not answer him, but turning to Zubov, he said: "What are you doing, Platon Alexandrovich?" Then, says Kotzebue, Prince. Z. stepped forward and, maintaining a respectful air, said: “We have come on behalf of the motherland to ask Your Majesty to renounce the throne, because moments of insanity are sometimes found on you. The inviolability of your person and decent maintenance are guaranteed by your son and the state.” With these words, he took out an act of renunciation from his pocket, offering to sign it, but Paul began to resist. Z. did not take part in the fierce struggle that followed. They say that Platon Z., turning his back and drumming on the window pane, remarked only impatiently: "My God, how this man screams! This is unbearable!" When it was all over, and many still continued to insult the corpse, Z. stopped them indignantly: "Gentlemen, we have come here to save the fatherland, and not in order to unleash such a low revenge." According to other testimonies, namely Benigsen, a participant in the conspiracy, Prince. Z. did not have any explanation with Pavel and did not witness the violence, very soon called from the room by the officer to the lower premises, where the conspirators were saved by the guards. But Bennigsen's evidence is unreliable: he repeatedly changed his testimony. The story that Paul on his knees begged for his life, but received from Prince. Z. rude answer: "For four years you have not shown mercy to anyone, now you do not expect mercy for yourself either." Platon Z. went to notify the leader about what had happened. book. Konstantin Pavlovich. At one o'clock in the morning, Z., drunk, entered his room and, rudely pulling off the blanket, said: "Well, get up, go to Emperor Alexander; he is waiting for you." Since the Grand Duke did not immediately understand what was the matter, Z. dragged him by the hand and lifted him out of bed, forcing him to dress and follow him. Z., among others, accompanied Emperor Alexander I when he left the palace to appear to the troops. When it dawned, book. Zubov turned to the Empress with a proposal that she also move to the Winter Palace. The empress attacked him in sorrow: "Monster! Barbarian! Tiger! This thirst for power has driven you to the murder of your rightful sovereign. You ruled under Catherine II; you want to rule under my son." The new reign was greeted with jubilation by the population. Many houses were illuminated, including, of course, the houses of the Zubovs. Derzhavin welcomed the accession of Alexander with a couplet addressed to the portrait of the young emperor:

This is the kind of greatness and angelic soul:

Oh, if all around Him were good!

Platon Zubov responded to this impromptu:

Of course, we don't need Derzhavin:

The black sheep ruins the flock.

At the first moment of the new reign, it seemed to many that the Zubovs, especially Plato, would retain a certain influence at court. On March 13, the emperor took the book at the parade. Zubov arm in arm and friendly walked with him back and forth. Perhaps this circumstance, in connection with the appointments received soon by Zubov, gave rise to such an opinion. But this opinion, shared by many, was erroneous. Kotzebue reports that when someone congratulated Zubov on the fact that the coup was limited to only one victim, he replied: "This is not enough; it is also necessary that none of the participants be punished." When fears were expressed to him about Obolyaninov and Arakcheev (who later actually arrived), he only said: "C" est de la capaille ". And Prince Z. himself remarked to Kotzebue: "Cicero is right when he says in one of his letters: if if he had one more vice, he would be better. Paul's father was a drunkard; if Paul had the same vice, we would have had to suffer less from it."

The Zubovs, apparently, hoped not only for impunity, but even for rewards. In reality, their position was precarious, although this was not immediately apparent. Involvement in the event of March 11 armed prominent figures not involved in this conspiracy against Z.. On this basis, Platon Z. even had a small clash with Metropolitan Platon, who, with the intention of pricking the prince, said: "God grant that Alexander reigns for a long time, so as not to bother our old age so often in this way." Z. answered this venomously: "Be calm, Vladyka, you will no longer have the need to raise such work: Alexander is not your student."

On March 30, 1801, Z. was appointed a member of the newly established Permanent (State) Council, and on November 27, a member of the commission for the organization of the Novorossiysk Territory.

Under Catherine Z. was a supporter, partly even the inspirer of reactionary measures. The new influences of Alexander's reign turned him into a zealous liberal. Not without causticity, one contemporary wrote: “Three then went around with constitutions in their pockets: the spoken Derzhavin, Prince Platon Zubov with his invention, and Count Nikita Petrovich Panin with the English constitution, converted to Russian customs and customs. so as not to sign any of the projects; which of the projects was more stupid, it was difficult to describe: all three were equally stupid. Indeed, Zubov presented a project to transform the Senate into a legislative assembly. Alexander I reacted sympathetically to the project, the members of the Intimate Committee - disapprovingly. To please the sovereign, they decided to praise this project and even "take something from it to satisfy the sovereign," but at the same time, showing their readiness to accept Zubov's project, "leave only that which could not be harmful." In Z. Alexander's project, Alexander especially liked the proposal to establish a corps of sworn advocates who would make an "extract" from cases by which senators would judge. The emperor found this part of the project quite feasible. Z. also made a project on the peasant question. In it, he proposes to ban the sale of peasants without land. Yards are redeemed by the treasury, and they are recorded in workshops and guilds. Z. also appointed the price at which the ransom should be made. However, he did not indicate satisfactory methods for this operation: they all required too large expenses, which the treasury could not decide without extreme embarrassment for itself. According to the opinion of the Intimate Committee, the very method of enrolling in craft workshops was not successful either: "it did not correspond to the spirit of the people", the serfs would conclude from it that they did not owe anything to their masters, which could lead to unrest on their part - and dissatisfaction on the part of the owners, "which in particular had to be avoided at the very beginning of the reform." Zubov's project was not accepted, but his proposal to ban the retail sale of peasant families was approved. Despite the active participation of Zubov in the development of government measures, his position at court, like other conspirators, was precarious: Alexander could not surround himself with figures involved in the death of his father without compromising his person, and he could not completely rely on them . They say that when Platon Zubov began to notice that his position was shaken, he got the idea to go to the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich to justify himself in the fact that he dared to raise his hand against the emperor. The Grand Duke answered him: "Well, prince, qui s" excuse - s "accuse" and turned his back on him. Zubov, together with his brother Valerian, was subjected to surveillance by the secret police. This supervision was carried out extremely unceremoniously. People of the book Zubova, who stood at the back of their master's carriage, mocked the surveillance agents who openly followed them in a sleigh. This tactlessness of the police forced Valerian Zubov to complain to Alexander I in a personal audience about the distrust shown to them. The behavior of the police was discussed even in the Intimate Committee, causing indignation among its members.

The instability of Z.'s position, the suspicious attitude towards him in connection with the establishment of secret supervision prompted him to ask for a vacation abroad, which he received on December 24, 1801. On December 26, he participated in the meeting of the Permanent Council for the last time. Z. chose Vienna as the place of his stay abroad, where he arrived in the summer of 1802. Here he found a warm welcome in the house of c. A. K. Razumovsky, with whom at the time of his influence he was closely connected with a number of mutual services. When, in connection with Polish affairs in 1793, the empress was "in terrible anger" in gr. A. K. Razumovsky and it was already about his recall, Z. (together with Morkov) managed to alleviate Catherine's anger, thanks to which later the successful outcome of Polish affairs finally made up for the ambassador's mistake. Another time, Razumovsky incurred the displeasure of the empress and even received a reprimand about the prolonged occupation of Volhynia by Austrian troops. Razumovsky turned to Zubov for support, and he reassured the alarmed ambassador with a handwritten letter. For his part, Razumovsky vigorously lobbied in Vienna to raise Z., first to the count, and later to the princely dignity of the Roman Empire. In letters to Zubov, Razumovsky repeatedly expressed his deep affection. His arrival in Vienna aroused everyone's attention: the recent greatness of the favorite was not yet forgotten. He constantly appeared at receptions at Razumovsky's, visited the secretaries of the embassy.

In Vienna, Z. had two unpleasant encounters, one of which ended in a duel. The reason was the following circumstances. At the time of Z.'s influence, Chevalier de Saxe, the natural son of Duke Maximilian of Saxony, who had come from abroad, was especially graciously received at the Russian court as a favorite. Even the Empress assigned him an annual pension of 2,000 rubles, and he was admitted to the number of close associates. Zubov also, apparently, treated him sympathetically, although they said that the favorite was jealous of the foreigner distinguished by Catherine. Once, at the Ekateringof festivities, the young prince. N. G. Shcherbatov, who was a non-commissioned officer and hardly knew de Sachs, rather familiarly addressed him with a greeting: "Comment vous portez vous?" Chevalier, riding on horseback and irritated by the cheeky tone of Prince. Shcherbatov, who ignored the difference in rank (de Sachs was a colonel), replied: "Sur mon cheval." Shcherbatov, on the advice of his comrades, challenged de Sachs to a duel, but was rebuffed. Since de Sachs had many ill-wishers, among whom Zubov was also called, his act was condemned. Shcherbatov, on leaving the French theater, stopped Chevalier with a demand for satisfaction. The persistence of the young man angered the quick-tempered de Sachs, and he, "an adult tall man", allowed himself to slap Shcherbatov, for which he, in turn, hit the enemy with a cane with all his might on the head. An altercation in a public place prompted police intervention and Chevalier was arrested. As soon as he was released, as enraged by the whole story, he demanded an investigation in a daring letter to Zubov. Instead of answering, he was expelled from Russia. Considering Z. the culprit of his expulsion and the inspirer of Shcherbatov, de Sachs sent a challenge to Zubov (and Shcherbatov) from abroad. The almighty favorite did not deign to answer. This gave de Sachs a pretext to publish in the newspapers an insulting challenge to Z.. But Z. did not pay attention to this either, perhaps because Catherine strictly forbade duels and did not like them. Upon accession to the throne of Alexander I, Z. remembered this challenge and decided to accept it. In the summer of 1802 he went to Vienna. On the way to Warsaw, he was insulted by the Poles, who saw in him one of the main culprits for the division of Poland. Despite being guarded by a detachment of soldiers, stones were thrown at his carriage. Pole Gelgud, expressing to Zubov the hostile feeling of all Poles, sent him a written challenge to a duel. Z. justified himself from accusations of involvement in the fall of Poland, but for the time being refused the call, citing illness and the need to first complete another matter of honor in Vienna, after which he expressed his readiness to satisfy Gelgud's demand. Meanwhile, Prince Shcherbatov also hurried to Vienna to interfere with Zubov's duel, but he was late: Z. arrived earlier.

On the second day of his arrival, de Sachs demanded a meeting with him. It happened in the house of the prince. de Lin, who, in gratitude for the former goodwill of Catherine and Z. himself, rendered the latter several friendly services and volunteered to be his second. There were explanations between the opponents. De Sachs attributed to Zubov the reason for Shcherbatov's defiant behavior and his expulsion from Russia. Z. explained that he was not involved in the Shcherbatov case, and the Empress ordered the expulsion of de Sachs without his knowledge. However, despite these explanations, de Sachs insisted on a duel. During these negotiations, Z. "quietly and humbly" visited Ribopierre, who tells, "how little firmness was in this favorite of happiness." True, he went to a duel, but he could not do otherwise after the public insults he received from Chevalier, and he went to this duel "like a weak woman sentenced to a painful operation ...". The meeting point of the duelists was appointed near Teplice, on the border of Saxony.

Through the efforts of Prince de Lin, the aggravation of relations between opponents was somewhat softened. Meanwhile, he managed to get into Vienna without a passport from Warsaw and Gelgud. He, in turn, began to besiege Z., so Razumovsky considered it necessary to seek assistance from the police, who, by the measures taken, prevented the possibility of a public scene, but could not prevent the wide publicity of this fact.

For his part, Shcherbatov, having found out that Z. had gone to Vienna for an explanation with de Sachs, undertook a long journey from his father's estate in order to summon Chevalier himself. Razumovsky began to convince de Sachs to abandon the duel with Zubov, in view of the inevitable duel with Shcherbatov, but was not successful. The duel between Zubov and de Sachs took place in the vicinity of Teplitz. Z. fought funny, before taking up his sword, he fell to his knees and prayed for a long time. Stepping on the enemy, after the first scratch in his hand, he refused to continue the fight. Chevalier, striking Zubov, exclaimed: "I'm tired of you!" Prince de Lin, on the contrary, testifies that Z. went to the duel cheerfully and retained his cheerfulness and cheerfulness, despite the severe pain from a deep, although not dangerous, wound. Shortly thereafter, Shcherbatov in a duel killed de Sachs with one shot. Determined to avoid a duel with Gelgud, Z. asked the emperor for permission to return to Russia, but was refused (July 1, 1802). Alexander I wrote: “Your return to Russia will inevitably give reason to think that you are evading the final decision of the case with Gelgud, especially since your word was given explicitly in your letter to him, and which became known to everyone. I am sure that you yourself feel it to the fullest." Then Z. fled from Bohemia under the protection of an Austrian police officer, changing the direction of his path several times and changing carriages in order to better hide his tracks. In October 1802 Z. returned to Russia. Since January 1803, he settled in Moscow, and at the beginning of the same year he wrote a letter to the sovereign, where he expressed a desire to free his peasants, about 30,000 souls. In the end, however, he did not fulfill his promise. In February 1804, Mr.. Z. arrived in St. Petersburg. Here he submitted a new project on the organization of military corps in the provinces for the education of noble children in them. The project was approved, and a commission was set up to draw up regulations "on the higher and provincial corps."

On September 11, 1805, Z. received Emperor Alexander in his Vitebsk estate Usvyat in the house where in 1780 and 1787. Ekaterina also stopped. In memory of this event, he erected an obelisk. In 1809 Z. lived for some time in Moscow. In 1812 he was called to work, although he was officially on leave. In the secret military council, which decided on the surrender of Moscow, he joined the members who took the side of Kutuzov against Bennigsen.

Together with Arakcheev, Balashov and Shishkov, he spoke in favor of persuading Alexander I to refuse personal participation in the hostilities of 1812. Z. spent 1813 abroad. In the next 1814, he finally settled in the town of Yanishki, Vilna province, Shavelsky district, the center of many villages that belonged to him, and devoted himself entirely to household chores. With his inhuman treatment of the serfs of the Polish villages granted to him (1795) and his greed, he left a hateful memory behind him. He turned the small and landless gentry into serfs. Thanks to the stinginess of Z., the peasants never saw help from him and became impoverished. The poverty of their situation was so obvious that it attracted the attention of Emperor Alexander I. In the Highest Command dated July 2, 1807, addressed to the Vilna governor, it was said that the emperor, passing through the Shavelsky district, was "an obvious witness to the plight of the peasants belonging to the infantry general, Prince Zubov, of whom most, leaving their fields uncultivated, earn themselves subsistence by worldly alms, while some, according to the testimony of the inhabitants, die from diseases that occur solely from bad and insufficient food. “If honor and the very duty imposed by laws requires that even the poorest of the landowners feed and look after their peasants in difficult and fruitless years, then it is all the more reprehensible for one of the richest to bring them to such an extreme.” The emperor ordered Zubov to be inspired to provide the peasants with bread both for feeding them and for sowing the fields. Otherwise, the sovereign "in defense of suffering humanity will not fail to turn on Prince Zubov the entire severity of the law."

In 1810, Z. acquired the historical castle Raudan, or Red, 60 miles from Tilsit. He had up to 30,000 souls of peasants who inhabited his numerous villages with arable land, forests and other lands. The field economy was properly organized, horse factories were equipped, which brought out the Prussian breed of horses. Trusting no one, Z. entered into every household trifle. He lived almost without a break on the estate, occasionally visiting Moscow, Mitava, Riga and other shopping centers. When buyers and horse traders came to him in the fall, he instructed his chief manager M. Bratkovsky to treat them all, and he himself deftly "processed" those who were treated, selling with hand goods at the best prices. Z. began to engage in contracts, in the interests of the greatest profit, "entered into partnership with the Jews," with whom he did not refuse to trade and smuggling at the border, "idle" with food commissioners. Z.'s wealth was colossal, especially for that time. One silver coin after his death left for 20 million rubles, although he confessed that "he himself does not know why he is saving and saving money." The accumulated treasures in heaps of gold and silver Z. kept in the cellars of his castle near Janishek. Sometimes, like Pushkin's "mean knight", he went down to his cellars with Bratkovsky and admired the treasures, putting in order the mountains of hard currency that had fallen by chance. Here Z. was transformed, became lively, sociable, willingly talked about himself, recalling court life under Catherine. Usually, in his old age, his mood was gloomy and thoughtful. His arrogance reached its extreme limits. He lived economically, dressed badly. In a conversation, he often used the proverb to no avail, "that's how he should be!". In recent years, he was haunted by the fear of death. At the word "death" he changed his face, went into the rooms and locked himself in his bedroom, not showing up for two or three days; the ringing of the funeral bell was unbearable for him. Visitors to Z. in conversation avoided touching on topics that were painful for him - about death and the dead. Gray-haired, hunched, at the age of 50, Z. seemed like a decrepit old man. Despite this, he married a young beautiful Polish woman. He met her with her mother in Vilna at a horse fair in the autumn of 1821. It was Fekla Ignatievna Valentinovich, the 19-year-old daughter of a poor Lithuanian landowner who owned an estate of 30 peasant souls. Through the manager, Z. offered "a noble sum of money" for his daughter's love, but the offer was indignantly rejected. Angry, Z. left for his estate. After some time, Pani Valentinovich, together with her daughter, herself came to Janishki, allegedly to the church on a pilgrimage. Z. met the beauty again and this time made a more formal proposal. At the request of his mother-in-law, he wrote off a million rubles to the bride according to the marriage record. Z. lived poorly with his wife. The marriage did not last long. April 7, 1822 Z. died in his castle Ruental in Courland. His body was buried in the Sergius Desert, near St. Petersburg, in a crypt under the church of the invalid house, erected in memory of his brother Valerian. Three weeks after his death, Princess Zubova gave birth to a daughter, the Most Serene Princess Alexandra Platonovna († February 24, 1824). Zubov's widow on November 12, 1824 married c. Andrei Petrovich Shuvalov. She died on October 25, 1875. The vast Lithuanian estates were inherited by the offspring of c. D. A. Zubov, except for the castle of Ruental, given by Zubov as a dowry for his illegitimate daughter Sofya Platonovna, who was in her first marriage to Baron Pirkh, and in the second to Senator P. Z. Kaisarov. The womanly Z. had several more by-products from other connections. As a father, he took care of everyone and put a million rubles in the bank for everyone. ass. His bastard son, Alexander Platonovich Platonov, was accepted into the service of the guard and began service in the Cavalier Guard Regiment.

Bantysh-Kamensky, "Dictionary of memorable people of the Russian land", Moscow, 1847, part II. - Gelbig, "Russian chosen ones and random people in the 18th century", och. CVI ("Rus. St." 1887, book XI. - his own, "Kn. P. A. Zubov" ("Rus. St." 1876, vols. XVI and XVII). - Chulkov, "P. A. Zubov" ("Collection of biographies of cavalry guards for 1762-1801, St. Petersburg, 1904). - "Histor. cavalry guards". - P. S. Z., No. 17706, 17724, 17832, 17854, 17967, 17972, 18309, 18595, 18877, 19682. - Archive of the State Sov., I, part 2, 154, 211, III - "Letters and Papers of Catherine" ("Sat. Historical General", vols. XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXVI, XXVIII, XXXIII, XLII, LIV, LX, LXII, LXX. - "Decrees of Paul I" ("Ist. Vest." 1881, VI, 203). - "The eighteenth century", III, IV, ed. Bartenev, Moscow, 1869-1888. - "Letters of Paul I" ("Rus.St." 1882, XXXIII ).- Bychkov, "Letters and papers of Catherine II", St. Petersburg, 1873, as well as in "Rus. Arch." 1864, 568 and 1865, 767 and "Rus. St." 1876, XVII. - "Letters of Zubov and information about his activities" ("Archive of Prince Vorontsov", Moscow, 1870 and following years, vols. V, VIII-X, XII-XIV, XVIII, XX, XXI, XXIV). - Garnovsky, Notes ("Rus. St.", vol. XVI). - Castera, II. - L. N. Engelhardt, Notes, Moscow, 1868. - Masson, "Mémoires secrets sur la Russie", Paris, 1804, edit. 2, avec corrections et additions" (Russian translation of "Voice of the Past" 1916, 4th book and more). - Derzhavin, Works, ed. Grota, St. Petersburg, 1864-1883, vols. I, V, VI, VIII and IX. - Vigee-Lebrun, "Souvenirs", Paris, 1885-1837. - Khrapovitsky, Diary, 1874, St. Petersburg. - Gr. Komarovsky, Notes ("Eighteenth century", I, 342). - segur, "Mémoires", Paris, 1827, II. - Stories Lubyansky("Rus. Arch." 1871, 148). - Stories Karabanova, V.- Stories Lvova("Russian St." 1880, XXVIII). - M. A. Dmitriev, "Little things from the reserve of my memory", Moscow, 1869 - Sternberg, "Bemerkungen über Russland auf einer Reise gemacht in 1792", 1794. - Reviewed by c. Zavadovsky ("Rus. Arch." 1883, II). - Weidemeyer, "Yard", II. - Dolgorukov, II, 317 and III, 134. - Karabanov, "Dolgorukov". - Karnovich, "Wealth of private people". - Pushkin's prose ("Bibliography. Zap.", II). - An ode to P. Zubov was published in "Russian Art." 1871, IV. - Herrman, "Statistische Schilderung von Russland", Leipzig, 1790. - "Rus. Arch." 1868, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1876, I; 1877, I, II; 1879, II; 1883; 1887, I, III, VI; 1898, I, II; 1899, I. - "Russian St." 1870, IX; 1873, VII, VIII; 1874, IV; 1880, 1882, II; 1885, 1889, IV; 1895, II; 1896, XII; 1897, I, II, VIII, XLII, LII, LVI, LXX, LXXI, LXXXII, LXXXIII, LXXXVI, LXXXVIII, XCL. - Lef. arch. - Form. cn. - Description. arch. Sea. min., IV. - Sen. Arch., I. - Annenkov, "History of the Horse Regiment", IV. - Vigel, Notes, Moscow, 1891-1893. - Vasilchikov, "The Razumovsky Family", French. ed. Galle, 1893, III, V, etc. - deadvago, Notes. - A. C. Shishkov, Notes, Berlin, 1870, I. - A. Brikner, Materials for the biography of gr. N. P. Panina", St. Petersburg, 1890, II, V, VII. - Zhikharev, Notes. - "Father. Notes", XIV. - "East. West." 1899, II . -P. S. Lebedev, "Counts N. and P. Panin", St. Petersburg, 1863. - Petrushevsky, "Generalissimo Prince Suvorov", vol. II, - "Niva" 1882, p. 1143. - About the penalties from Zubov under Paul I, etc., see Inventory Sen. arch., dep. III, vol. I, St. Petersburg, 1910, and II, St. Petersburg, 1911. - Separate references to Zubov can also be found in the next. writings: Bilbasov, "History of Catherine the Second", vol. II, in German. lang.), Berlin, 1893. - Schilder, "Emperor Alexander I", vols. І and II . -Valishevsky, "Paul I", ed. Suvorin. - Shumigorsky, "Emperor Paul I, life and reign", St. Petersburg, 1907. - Vel. book. Nikolai Mikhailovich, "Gr. Stroganov", vol. II. - his own, "Emperor Alexander I", St. Petersburg, 1914. - The "Regicide on March 11, 1801", St. Petersburg, 1907 gives extensive material on Zubov's participation in the conspiracy. "Old years", 1915 (art. Weiner"About the Gatchina Palace"). - The best portrait of the book. Zubova written Lumpy in "Russian St." 1876, vol. XVI; there is also a note about the inscriptions on the original; for correspondence about this portrait, commissioned by the Livonian nobility, see "Inventory of Documents and Files Stored in the Senate Archive", sep. III, vol. II., St. Petersburg, 1911 - Images of Zubov are also available in the next. books: "Russian portraits of the XVIII and XIX centuries", the edition is great. book. Nikolai Mikhailovich, St. Petersburg, 1909 - Waliszewski Biographical Dictionary

Russian statesman, the last of the favorites of Catherine II. An intriguer, a mediocre administrator, he nevertheless enjoyed enormous power. He was the Governor General of New Russia and for some time ... ...

Wikipedia has articles about other people with this surname, see Zubov. Platon Alexandrovich Zubov ... Wikipedia

- (1767 1822), Russian statesman, His Serene Highness Prince (1796), adjutant general (1792), infantry general (1800). From 1789 he was a favorite of Empress Catherine II, from 1792 he was a Taurida governor-general and general feldzeugmeister. Participant… … encyclopedic Dictionary

Platon Alexandrovich Zubov (prince, November 15 (26), 1767 April 7 (19), 1822) son of A. N. Zubov. Promoted thanks to N. I. Saltykov, whom he subsequently sought to oust from service in order to get a place as Field Marshal General. From 1789 Teeth ... ... Wikipedia

- (prince, 1767 1822), son of A. N. Zubov (see). He moved forward, thanks to N.I. Saltykov, whom he subsequently sought to oust from the service in order to get the position of the gene. field marshal. Since 1789, Z. has become a person close to the imp. Catherine II; from… … Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Zubov Platon Alexandrovich- (1767 1892) favorite of Catherine II. In 1879 he was granted the title of count. After the death of Potemkin, he became general feldzeugmeister, general governor of Novorossiysk and head of the Black Sea Fleet ... Dictionary of literary types

Russian Soviet actor, director and teacher, People's Artist of the USSR (1949). Member of the CPSU since 1942. Studied at St. Petersburg University, at the same time in ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Nikolai Aleksandrovich Zubov ... Wikipedia

Wikipedia has articles about other people with this surname, see Zubov. Konstantin Zubov Birth name: Konstantin Aleksandrovich Zubov ... Wikipedia

November 26 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Platon Zubov- a person whose name would hardly go down in history if it were not for his patroness herself Catherine II. When writing about her favorites, the main attention is usually paid to Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin - and it is not surprising, because they played a significant role not only in the personal life of the empress, but also in the socio-political life of the country. What cannot be said about Platon Zubov - he was called a pale shadow of his predecessors. But the empress herself, whose last favorite was 38 years younger than her, did not think so ...

The unexpected death of Grigory Potemkin in the autumn of 1791 was an important milestone in the history of the reign of Catherine II. It turned out that the whole burden of government now rests on her alone and the death of the brightest is irreparable. Potemkin's departure from life coincided with a process that is inevitable for every politician, even the most intelligent and experienced. Having passed the period of rise and prosperity, his talent fades, and he enters a period of decay, decay and death. No matter how smart, powerful, far-sighted the empress was, in her old age they also began to change her mind, will and sense of proportion. The symbol of the last period of the reign of Catherine was the shameful dominance at the court of the brothers Plato and Valerian Zubov.

Platon Zubov is a twenty-one-year-old varmint, horse guard, young, ignorant, but handsome, muscular, with a high forehead, beautiful eyes. He was nominated by Potemkin's enemies to spite him. After all, before that, almost all the young favorites of the Empress were the creatures of her Serene Highness and did not pose a danger to him.

In the summer of 1789, Zubov asked the authorities to allow him to command the convoy that accompanied Catherine II during her trip from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo. He was so flaunted near the empress's carriage that he was noticed by her, came to her for dinner, and was honored with a benevolent conversation. A few days later, one of the courtiers entered in his diary: “Zakhar (Catherine’s valet) suspects the guard second-captain Platon Alexandrovich Zubov ... He began to walk through the top,” that is, through the empress’s private quarters. Two weeks later, Zubov was granted a colonel and an adjutant wing and occupied the chambers of the previous favorite, Dmitriev-Mamonov. The young man quickly fell into favor with the aging empress, and she began to write about him to Potemkin as a "newcomer" - a "student" who appeared with her.

Potemkin was not particularly alarmed at first. He believed that although the new favorite did not receive, like all the previous ones, his approval, he did not pose any particular danger. Moreover, Zubov sought to flatter Potemkin. Catherine wrote to her brightest: “I am very pleased, my friend, that you are pleased with me and the little newcomer, this is a very sweet child, not stupid, has a good heart and, I hope, will not be spoiled. Today, with one stroke of the pen, he wrote you a sweet letter in which he outlined how nature created him. Plato became a cornet of the cavalry guards and a general. Potemkin didn't mind, but he was still wary. He began to convince Catherine that her favorite was a crappy person, not worth it. Usually she listened to the opinion of Potemkin. As Zubov later wrote, “the empress always went to meet his desires and was simply afraid of him as if he were a demanding spouse. She only loved me and often pointed to Potemkin so that I could take an example from him. But then she rested and refused to give up the "little newcomer".

In August 1789, Catherine tells her Serene Highness something interesting: Plato “has a younger brother (Valerian, eighteen years old. - E.A.), who is here on guard now, in his place; a mere child, a boy of writing, he is a lieutenant in the Horse Guards, help us eventually bring him to the people ... I am healthy and cheerful, and like a fly came to life ... ”It must be understood that the“ younger ”also became the Empress“ student. A week later, Catherine sends a courier to Potemkin with a story about the Zubov brothers: “I tell them (obviously, Plato. - E.A.) and his brother are very pleased with his behavior: these most innocent souls are sincerely attached to me: the big one is very intelligent, the other is an interesting child. From Catherine's letter dated September 6, Potemkin learned that the "child" was amazingly quickly spoiled: "Can't our child be given a hussar escort? Write what you think ... To our nineteen-year-old child, and let it be known to you. But I love this child very much, it is attached to me and cries like a child if they don’t let it in to me. Before Potemkin had time to decide the fate of the hussar convoy, as already on September 17 he was informed: “Our child, Valerian Alexandrovich, I released into the army as a lieutenant colonel and he eagerly wants to go to your army, where he will soon go.”

Time after time it doesn't get any easier! The reason for the urgent business trip of the "child" is prosaic: the eldest was jealous of the smaller one, and not without reason. Since then, "black" and "frisky" Plato was left alone in the palace ... Potemkin did not keep Valerian with him for a long time - the spy was not needed for the brightest. He sent him to St. Petersburg with the news of the capture of Ishmael by Suvorov, while, according to legend, he asked the empress to convey the following: “I am healthy in everything, only one tooth prevents me from eating, I will come to St. Petersburg and tear it out.” The hint was more than transparent. But the brightest did not have time to pull out the “tooth” that was interfering with him, death was ahead of him, to the considerable joy of the Zubov brothers.

What happened to Catherine? After all, we know that she was not Messalina or Cleopatra. Yes, of course, under the influence of age in the psychology of the empress, apparently, there have been some changes. But this is not the main thing. Her eternally young, thirsty for love and warmth soul played a bad joke on her.

A curious story happened in the Hermitage Theater on October 12, 1779. In the spring of this year, Catherine "celebrated" her painful fiftieth birthday at her desk. And on that day, October 12, she watched Molière's play with the whole court. The heroine of the play uttered the phrase: “That a woman at thirty can be in love, let her! But at sixty?! This is intolerable!” The reaction of the empress, who was sitting in the box, was instantaneous and absurd. She jumped up with the words: "This thing is stupid, boring!" and hastily left the room. The performance was interrupted. This story was reported, without any comments, by Corberon, Chargé d'Affaires de France. We will try to comment on it.

The remark from the stage unexpectedly hit the mark, painfully pricked the fifty-year-old Empress, who in no way, under any circumstances, did not want to come to terms with impending old age and heartfelt emptiness. She didn't need the boys on their own. From the correspondence of Catherine, which dealt with her various young favorites, it is clear that in the mind of the empress they merge into a single image, endowed with non-existent virtues - those that she herself wants to see, educate in them, those that the empress needs for artificial maintaining a feeling of youth and unfading love.

Catherine once said: “I do a lot of good for the state by educating young people.” Meanwhile, everything was just the opposite: each new favorite caused enormous damage to the state, because the empress did not skimp on gifts and awards for her “disciples” and did not have the habit of taking them away after the resignation of another favorite. All the relatives of the new favorite immediately fell into a state of incessant euphoria - a bottomless state pocket was opened before them, from which one could draw gold without measure. Here is an approximate cost estimate for Alexander Lansky, who never received it due to his death: 100 thousand rubles for a wardrobe, a collection of medals and books, a room in the palace, a state table for twenty people worth 300 thousand rubles. All his relatives received promotions and awards. If it were not for the early death, the rank of General-in-Chief, or even Field Marshal General with the appropriate content, was, read, in "Sasha" in his pocket. For three years of his favor, he received from the Empress 7 million rubles, not counting other gifts, diamond buttons for a dress caftan (worth 80 thousand rubles), two houses in St. Petersburg. All these figures must be added up and multiplied by at least seven - according to the approximate number of Catherine's "disciples". Platon Zubov also received everything of his own, and even more than his predecessors.

Even during the life of Potemkin, Catherine began to accustom Platosha to business. This didn't work out very well for him. Pyotr Zavadovsky wrote venomously about him: "He tortures himself with all his might over papers, having neither a fluent mind nor extensive abilities, the burden is higher than his real strength." Zubov was not a complete fool, moreover, he knew how to create the appearance of a clever man, deftly and speaking a lot in French. After the death of Potemkin, his voice grew stronger, he even began to shout at the nobles. His title was so pompous that it seemed as if he had stolen it from Potemkin: “His Serene Highness Prince of the Roman Empire, Feldzeuchmester General, Director General over the fortifications, Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea and Azov fleets, and Voskresensky light cavalry, and the Black Sea Cossack army, general from infantry, adjutant general, chief of the Cavalier Guard Corps, Governor General of Yekaterinoslav, Voznesensk and Tauride provinces, member of the State Military Collegium, honorary philanthropist of the Imperial Orphanage, lover of the Academy of Arts.

He composed projects that were rather wild and unrealistic: about the capture of Istanbul by the Russian fleet, about the conquest of Berlin and Vienna, about the formation of new states, like some kind of Austrasia. By his nature, Zubov was a typical opportunist: under Catherine he was indignant at the horrors of the revolution, under Alexander I he went around with a constitution in his pocket. He decided state affairs in this way: "Do as it was before."

Under the Zubovs, the hitherto wise empress seemed to have become stupid. She agreed to send the "dear boy" Valerian Zubov on a campaign to the East, to Persia and further to India. In 1796, he followed the path of Peter the Great and took Derbent, and then Baku. Catherine wrote that Valerian did in two months what Peter the Great did in two years, meeting more resistance than his great emperor met. In a word, one shame and disgrace!

The brutal suppression of the Polish uprising, the Third Partition of Poland and the final destruction of the Polish state, the fight against Masons, the persecution of Novikov and Radishchev are associated with the influence of the Zubovs on the Empress. Of course, the essence of the matter was not so much in the Zubovs, but in the empress herself, who used to say: “Let one be limited, the other limited, but the sovereign will not be dumber for this.” Alas, towards the end of her life, she began to lose her genius, that self-irony that always saved her, allowed her to look at herself from the outside and correct the mistake she had made. After all, earlier, when she was approached with a project to conquer India, she answered with humor: “Russia has enough land so as not to have to go to India to conquer.” When she was offered to make “increments” to the state in North America, she replied that Russia had a lot of its own worries and it would be better to leave the Indians of America to their own fate. And now she sent Valerian Zubov to this adventure. Only the decree of Paul I, who ascended the throne, stopped the chimerical campaign. Another month - and Zubov's corps undoubtedly perished from hunger and the difficulties of the journey.

With the favor of "frisky" the entire Zubov clan climbed to power. Zubov-father took bribes, the official successes of the Plato brothers amazed observers, everyone kowtowed before them. The famous Suvorov gladly gave his beloved Suvorochka for the elder brother of the favorite, Nikolai. Only Tsarevich Pavel tried to snap. Once at dinner, Catherine said to her son: "I see that you agree with the opinion of Prince Zubov." To which Paul replied: “Your Majesty, did I say something stupid?” Everyone wanted to please the favorite. Derzhavin dedicated poems to him, General Kutuzov brewed some special oriental coffee for him in the morning. One of the diplomats said well: "Everyone crawled at his feet, so he considered himself great."

And here is the most vivid description of Platon Zubov: “As the empress loses her strength, activity, genius, he acquires power, wealth. Every morning, numerous crowds of flatterers besiege its doors, fill the hallway and reception. Old generals, grandees were not ashamed to caress his insignificant lackeys. We often saw how these lackeys in pushes dispersed the generals and officers, who for a long time crowded at the door and prevented them from being locked. Lounging in armchairs, in the most obscene negligee, with his little finger in his nose, with his eyes aimlessly fixed on the ceiling, this young man, with a cold and pouted face, hardly deigned to pay attention to those around him. He amused himself with the foolishness of his monkey, who jumped over the heads of vile flatterers, or talked with his jester. Meanwhile, the elders, under whose command he began to serve as a sergeant - Dolgoruky, Golitsyn, Saltykov and all the others - were waiting for him to lower their gaze in order to humbly bow down at his feet. Of all the minions of happiness, not one, except Zubov, was so frail both externally and internally.

On the day of Catherine's death on November 6, 1796, Plato showed unusual cowardice and confusion. The death of the Empress seemed to have let all the air out of him. As a contemporary wrote, "there was no noticeable emptiness when Zubov disappeared from his place." Having ascended the throne, Paul did not touch the favorite of his mother, but sent him abroad. However, the sovereign soon learned that Zubov had begun to transfer money from Russia abroad, and ordered that his estates be arrested. Plato returned and immediately joined the ranks of the conspirators who planned to get rid of Paul. He, along with his brother Nikolai, was among the assassins of the emperor on March 11, 1801. When the conspirators broke into the bedroom of Paul I in the Mikhailovsky Castle that night, Platon Zubov ran ahead of everyone. According to one version, Pavel jumped out of bed and hid behind the fireplace screen. “We enter,” wrote a participant in the assassination, “Platon Zubov runs to the bed, does not find anyone and exclaims in French:“ He ran away! I followed Zubov and saw where the emperor was hiding. Then suddenly Plato suddenly left the bedroom, and then returned with the brothers Valerian and Nikolai. One of the participants in the murder, Benigsen, recalled: “Pavel looked at me without uttering a word, then turned to Prince Zubov and said to him: “Ke fet wu, Platon Alexandrovich? - What are you doing, Platon Alexandrovich?” "You are no longer an emperor. Alexander is our sovereign!" Zubov said. Then Pavel pushed Nicholas away, he hit the emperor, everyone fell to the floor. End.

Under Alexander I, Platon Zubov hoped to take a prominent place, trying to please the new sovereign, full of good intentions to carry out political reform. Zubov scribbled plans for state reorganization and even composed a bold project for the abolition of serfdom. But, like other conspirators, he did not enjoy any influence with Alexander. The emperor tried to get rid of him and his comrades.

After these events, Platon Alexandrovich lived for almost a quarter of a century. He settled in Lithuania, in the village of Janishki he had a vast estate with a castle in the middle. He soon became famous as an unusually stingy landowner. His peasants were the poorest in the district, the prince walked around the estate in the most shabby form. Meanwhile, he was one of the richest people in Russia. It is known that the image of the Miserly Knight, who languishes over gold, Pushkin wrote off from a real person - Platon Aleksandrovich Zubov. Behind strong locks in the cellars, the miser kept many chests of gold and silver and often went downstairs to pour the accumulated handful of coins into the still incomplete chest. In total, he had more than 20 million rubles in the basement. His greatest pleasure was to open chests and admire the glitter of gold. True, once he nevertheless carried out one of these chests. At a rural fair, he accidentally saw a nineteen-year-old girl of unearthly beauty. It was the daughter of a local gentry Fekla Ignatievna Valentinovich. She didn't want to go after the old, ugly curmudgeon. And then Zubov actually bought it from his father, giving him a million rubles in gold.

He died in his other castle in Courland in 1822, leaving behind a beautiful widow and the complete indifference of his contemporaries, who had already forgotten about the once powerful favorite of Catherine the Great. He was buried in the family tomb of the Zubovs - a high blue church in the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage, in Strelna, next to the road along which he traveled with the empress to Peterhof. During the years of the revolution, the church was devastated, and the ashes of the last favorite of the great empress had long been scattered to the wind ...