The Instruction of Catherine the Great: Enlightened Absolutism

Catherine the Great and the Siege of Ochakov 1788

In 1788, the Russian army under Grigory Potemkin and Alexander Suvorov laid siege to the Ottoman fortress of Ochakov, a key stronghold on the Dnieper-Bug estuary. The siege lasted nearly six months, marked by brutal winter conditions, strategic blunders, and a final bloody assault that shocked Europe. This episode explores the tactics, the human cost, and the political stakes of Ochakov — a battle that paved the way for Russia's annexation of the Black Sea coast. We follow Potemkin's cautious approach versus Suvorov's eagerness for a direct attack, the role of the Black Sea fleet under Paul Jones, and the aftermath that ceded Ochakov to Russia in the Treaty of Jassy. The siege also revealed tensions between Russian commanders and the evolving nature of 18th-century warfare. Drawing on eyewitness accounts from the Comte de Langeron and others, we reconstruct a pivotal moment in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792. #History #CatherineTheGreat #SiegeOfOchakov #Potemkin #Suvorov #RussoTurkishWar #18thCentury #MilitaryHistory #BlackSea #OttomanEmpire #RussianEmpire #PaulJones #TreatyOfJassy #EasternEurope #Novorossiya #FexingoHistory #Warfare #Siege Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great's Secret Wedding to Grigory Potemkin

In 1774, Empress Catherine II of Russia secretly married her longtime advisor and lover, Grigory Potemkin. This episode explores the evidence for the clandestine ceremony, the political and personal motivations behind it, and how it shaped Catherine's reign and Potemkin's unprecedented rise. Historians have long debated whether the wedding actually happened — we examine the letters, memoirs, and circumstances that suggest it did. Discover how the marriage remained hidden for centuries, the role of Catherine's confidante Countess Bruce, and the birth of Potemkin's daughter Elizaveta Tyomkina. The episode also considers why Catherine never publicly acknowledged the union and how it influenced her later partnerships with other favorites. Drawing on the work of historians like Simon Sebag Montefiore and Virginia Rounding, we separate fact from legend in one of the most intriguing personal stories of Russia's Golden Age. #CatherineTheGreat #GrigoryPotemkin #SecretWedding #RussianEmpire #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #RussianHistory #RoyalWedding #Romanovs #StPetersburg #TsarskoeSelo #ElizavetaTyomkina #SimonSebagMontefiore #VirginiaRounding #EasternEurope #Monarchy #HiddenHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great's Cossacks: Zaporozhian Host and the Conquest of Novorossiya

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Catherine the Great's complex relationship with the Zaporozhian Cossacks — the warrior society of the Dnieper River steppes. Once valued as allies against the Tatars and Turks, the Cossacks became a threat to imperial control. Lucas explains how Catherine and Grigory Potemkin dismantled the Zaporozhian Sich in 1775, abolished the Host, and absorbed its warriors into the Russian army. But the story doesn't end there: many Cossacks fled across the Danube into Ottoman territory, becoming the Transdanubian Sich. Others were later reorganized as the Black Sea and Azov Cossack hosts to fight in the Russo-Turkish wars. Lucas also unpacks the legendary Cossack response to Catherine's demands, the role of Petro Kalnyshevsky, and how Potemkin's colonization of Novorossiya relied on former Cossack lands. The episode touches on the strict hierarchy within the Sich, the role of the Koshovyi Otaman, and the lasting image of the Cossack as a symbol of Ukrainian identity. #History #FexingoHistory #CatherineTheGreat #ZaporozhianCossacks #ZaporozhianSich #Novorossiya #GrigoryPotemkin #PetroKalnyshevsky #TransdanubianSich #BlackSeaCossacks #AzovCossacks #RussoTurkishWar #UkrainianHistory #Steppe #Cossack #18thCentury #RussianEmpire #EasternEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great's Secret Wedding to Potemkin Exposed

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the secret marriage of Catherine the Great to her longtime confidant and statesman, Prince Grigory Potemkin. Discover how the wedding took place in 1774 at St. Sampson the Hospitable Church in St. Petersburg, the reasons for its secrecy, and the evidence that supports this union, including letters from Catherine and Potemkin. We also delve into the birth of their daughter, Elizaveta Grigorievna Tyomkina, and how the relationship shaped Catherine's policies in Novorossiya and the Greek Project. This is a story of love, power, and political strategy that redefines our understanding of Catherine's reign. #CatherineTheGreat #GrigoryPotemkin #SecretWedding #RussianHistory #StPetersburg #Novorossiya #GreekProject #ElizavetaTyomkina #StSampsonChurch #EnlightenedAbsolutism #18thCentury #Romanovs #RussianEmpire #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #EasternEurope #LoveStory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and the Pugachev Revolt: Peasant War

In 1773, a Don Cossack named Emelyan Pugachev sparked the largest peasant uprising in Russian history, threatening Catherine the Great's throne. This episode dives into the Pugachev Rebellion—its origins among Yaik Cossacks and serfs, Pugachev's audacious claim to be the murdered Tsar Peter III, the siege of Orenburg, and the revolt's brutal suppression by General Pyotr Panin. We explore why the rebellion failed, how it hardened Catherine's views on serfdom and centralization, and its legacy in Russian memory through Pushkin's 'The Captain's Daughter' and 'History of Pugachev'. Along the way, we discuss the role of Bashkir and Tatar participants, the razing of Kazan, and the execution of Pugachev in Moscow. This is a story of desperation, violence, and the limits of enlightened absolutism. #PugachevRebellion #EmelyanPugachev #CatherineTheGreat #YaikCossacks #PeasantWar #RussianHistory #Serfdom #Orenburg #Kazan #PyotrPanin #PeterIII #Bashkirs #Tatars #TheCaptainsDaughter #AlexanderPushkin #UralRiver #18thCentury #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]