Catherine the Great and the Scottish Enlightenment in Russia

Catherine the Great and the Scottish Enlightenment in Russia

When Catherine the Great ascended the throne, she not only corresponded with Voltaire and Diderot but also invited a remarkable cohort of Scottish thinkers, doctors, and engineers to St. Petersburg. This episode explores the surprisingly deep influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on Russia's modernization. We meet Dr. John Rogerson, Catherine's personal physician who served for over three decades; Sir Samuel Greig, the Scottish admiral who modernized the Russian navy and founded the Russian naval astronomy school; and Charles Cameron, the Jacobite-sympathizing architect who remade Tsarskoe Selo in the neoclassical style. We also discuss how the Scottish moral philosophers Francis Hutcheson and Adam Smith shaped the Nakaz, and how the economist Sir James Steuart — though briefly imprisoned as a suspected spy — became a key advisor on monetary reform. The episode traces the flow of ideas from the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow to the court of the Empress, revealing a little-known chapter of transnational intellectual history. Catherine's Russia was not just a borrower of French wit but an eager student of Scottish practicality, medicine, and political economy. #CatherineTheGreat #ScottishEnlightenment #JohnRogerson #SamuelGreig #CharlesCameron #JamesSteuart #AdamSmith #FrancisHutcheson #TsarskoeSelo #RussianNavy #Nakaz #StPetersburg #Enlightenment #18thCentury #HistoryOfMedicine #NeoclassicalArchitecture #RussianHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and the Jewish Question

In 1772, with the first partition of Poland, Catherine the Great suddenly became the ruler of the largest Jewish population in the world. This episode explores how her stance on religious toleration collided with the practical realities of governing a people her empire had long excluded. We examine Catherine's early decrees, including the 1762 Edict of Toleration and the creation of the Pale of Settlement, her interactions with Jewish delegates during the 1767 Legislative Commission, and the tension between Enlightenment ideals and the anti-Jewish prejudices of her nobility. The episode also covers the 1794 decree that forced Jews into a separate tax status and the emergence of the Kahal as a self-governing body. How did the 'philosophe on the throne' reconcile Voltaire's principles with the restrictions that would define Jewish life in Russia for over a century? And what does this episode in her reign reveal about the limits of her enlightened absolutism? #CatherineTheGreat #JewishHistory #PaleOfSettlement #PartitionOfPoland #EnlightenedAbsolutism #RussianEmpire #18thCentury #JewishQuestion #Kahal #EdictOfToleration #LegislativeCommission #SaintPetersburg #EasternEurope #History #FexingoHistory #PolandLithuania #Voltaire #ReligiousToleration Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and Ivan Betskoy: Educating Russia

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Catherine the Great's ambitious educational reforms through the lens of Ivan Betskoy, the visionary who shaped her policies. They discuss Betskoy's Grand Plan to create a 'new race of men' via closed schools, the Smolny Institute for noble girls (already touched on in Ep 136, but here reframed through Betskoy's broader philosophy), and the Moscow Foundling Home, which aimed to produce educated, useful citizens. The conversation also covers the resistance from nobles, the financial struggles, and the practical failures of Betskoy's utopian ideals, including the high mortality rate at the foundling home. Lucas explains how Catherine's support waned as Betskoy's projects faltered, leading to a shift toward more practical education under her later reign. The episode ends with a reflection on whether the reforms ultimately succeeded in creating a more educated society, despite their shortcomings. Specific terms include Ivan Betskoy, Grand Plan, Smolny Institute, Moscow Foundling Home, and the Charter to the Nobility. #CatherineTheGreat #IvanBetskoy #RussianEducation #SmolnyInstitute #FoundlingHome #18thCentury #Enlightenment #RussianHistory #EmpressCatherine #StPetersburg #Moscow #EducationalReform #GrandPlan #Nakaz #Autocracy #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and the Partition of Poland

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Catherine the Great's role in the partitions of Poland-Lithuania, a series of territorial divisions that erased Poland from the map by 1795. They discuss the First Partition in 1772, triggered by Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth weakness and pressure from Prussia, Austria, and Russia. Lucas explains how Catherine justified her involvement through the so-called "dissident question" and protection of Orthodox Christians, while actually aiming to expand Russian influence. The conversation covers key figures like King Stanislaw August Poniatowski, Catherine's former lover and puppet ruler, and the Targowica Confederation, a Polish traitorous group that invited Russian intervention in 1792. The second and third partitions followed, with the final one in 1795 after the Kościuszko Uprising, a failed revolt led by Tadeusz Kościuszko. Lucas highlights the brutal suppression of Polish resistance and the long-term consequences for Polish identity and nationalism. The episode concludes by reflecting on Catherine's pragmatic empire-building and the moral ambiguity of her enlightened absolutism, as Poland became a pawn in great power politics. #CatherineTheGreat #PartitionOfPoland #PolishLithuanianCommonwealth #StanislawAugustPoniatowski #TadeuszKosciuszko #TargowicaConfederation #KosciuszkoUprising #RussianEmpire #Prussia #Austria #EnlightenedAbsolutism #18thCenturyHistory #EasternEurope #PolishHistory #Geopolitics #ImperialExpansion #HistoryPodcast #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792

In this episode of Catherine the Great: Russia's Most Powerful Empress, Lucas and Luna examine the second Russo-Turkish War of Catherine's reign, from 1787 to 1792. They explore the strategic clash between Russia and the Ottoman Empire over the Black Sea, focusing on key figures like Grigory Potemkin, Alexander Suvorov, and the Ottoman grand vizier Koca Yusuf Pasha. The discussion covers the dramatic siege of Ochakov in 1788, where Suvorov was wounded, and the stunning Russian victory at the Battle of Rymnik in 1789, where Suvorov earned the title Count of Rymnik. They also delve into the naval campaign, including the Battle of Fidonisi and the triumph of Fedor Ushakov at the Battle of Tendra. The episode concludes with the Treaty of Jassy in 1792, which secured Russia's hold on the Crimean Peninsula and shifted the balance of power in Eastern Europe. Lucas and Luna bring to life the brutal realities of 18th-century warfare, the ambitions of Catherine and Potemkin, and the enduring legacy of this conflict for Russia and the Ottoman Empire. #CatherineTheGreat #RussoTurkishWar #Potemkin #Suvorov #Ochakov #Rymnik #Ushakov #TreatyOfJassy #Crimea #BlackSea #OttomanEmpire #RussianEmpire #KocaYusufPasha #Fidonisi #Tendra #18thCenturyWarfare #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]