The Instruction of Catherine the Great: Enlightened Absolutism

Catherine the Great's Court Jews and the Rise of St. Petersburg

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known facet of Catherine the Great's reign: her relationship with Jewish financiers and merchants who helped modernize Russia's economy and build the glittering capital of St. Petersburg. Focusing on figures like the court jeweler Ekim (Joachim) Schapiro and the sugar magnate Lazar Polyakov, we delve into the pragmatic alliances between the empress and Jewish entrepreneurs. We discuss the Pale of Settlement, the 1762 and 1783 ukases that allowed limited Jewish settlement in urban centers, and the complex legacy of Catherine's policies—simultaneously restrictive and opportunistic. The episode also touches on the role of Jewish contractors in supplying the Russian army during the Russo-Turkish wars and the construction of the Winter Palace and the Hermitage. We examine how Catherine's 'enlightened' views clashed with the reality of a deeply anti-Semitic society, and how Jewish communities navigated these contradictions. Listeners will learn about the influential Jewish community of St. Petersburg, its synagogues, and the tensions between tradition and integration into Russian high society. #History #FexingoHistory #CatherineTheGreat #RussianEmpire #JewishHistory #StPetersburg #PaleOfSettlement #EkaterinaAlekseevna #CourtJews #EkimSchapiro #LazarPolyakov #18thCentury #Haskalah #RussianJews #WinterPalace #Hermitage #EnlightenedAbsolutism #RussoTurkishWars Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and the Plague Riot of 1771

In the autumn of 1771, Moscow was struck by a bubonic plague epidemic that killed tens of thousands and sparked a violent uprising known as the Plague Riot or Chumnoy Bunt. This episode dives deep into the crisis that challenged Catherine's early reign, the panic that gripped the city when quarantine measures broke down, and the shocking murder of Archbishop Amvrosy by an angry mob. We explore how Catherine, still consolidating power after her coup, responded with a mix of force and reform: sending her trusted general Grigory Orlov to restore order, and later investing in public health institutions like the Moscow Medical-Surgical Academy. The plague also exposed the deep inequalities in Russian society, as nobles fled while the poor died in droves. Lucas and Luna discuss the human cost, the social tensions between Old Believers and the Church, and the lasting impact on Catherine's domestic policies. A vivid, sobering look at a turning point that nearly unraveled the empress's early reign. Keywords: Plague Riot 1771, Chumnoy Bunt, Grigory Orlov, Archbishop Amvrosy, bubonic plague, Moscow, Catherine the Great, Russian Empire, quarantine, Old Believers, Moscow Medical-Surgical Academy, Donskoy Monastery, Varvarka Street, Kitay-gorod, epidemic, public health, 18th century Russia. #PlagueRiot #ChumnoyBunt #CatherineTheGreat #RussianHistory #18thCentury #Moscow #BubonicPlague #GrigoryOrlov #ArchbishopAmvrosy #OldBelievers #Quarantine #Epidemic #PublicHealth #RussianEmpire #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope #MoscowMedicalSurgicalAcademy Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and the Solovki Monastery Prison

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Catherine the Great's use of the Solovki Monastery as a political prison, a remote fortress in the White Sea that held dissenters like Archbishop Artemy and the Ukrainian hetman Petro Kalnyshevsky. They discuss how Catherine's reign saw the monastery's transformation from a religious center to a symbol of imperial repression, focusing on the contradictory nature of her enlightened absolutism. Lucas details the harsh conditions, the prisoners' lives, and how Catherine's policies toward Old Believers and Cossacks intersected with Solovki's grim history. The conversation touches on the monastery's role in the Pugachev Rebellion aftermath, the case of Saltychikha's imprisonment, and the legacy of Solovki as a precursor to later Gulag camps. Specific dates, names, and locations are woven throughout, offering a fresh lens on Catherine's Russia. #SolovkiMonastery #CatherineTheGreat #PoliticalPrison #OldBelievers #Artemy #PetroKalnyshevsky #WhiteSea #SolovetskyIslands #PugachevRebellion #Saltychikha #RussianHistory #18thCentury #EnlightenedAbsolutism #GulagPrecursor #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope #MonasticPrison #ImperialRussia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Catherine the Great and Alexander Suvorov: The Unconquered General

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore Catherine the Great's partnership with General Alexander Suvorov, Russia's most brilliant and eccentric military commander. They dive into Suvorov's revolutionary infantry tactics, his legendary campaign against the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Rymnik in 1789, and his grueling campaign in the Alps during the War of the Second Coalition. The conversation covers Suvorov's writing of 'The Science of Victory,' his famous maxim 'Train hard, fight easy,' and his relationship with Catherine and her successor Paul I. They also discuss Suvorov's banishment and his mysterious death in 1800. This episode offers a vivid look at how one man's genius shaped Russian military might and left a lasting legacy. #CatherineTheGreat #AlexanderSuvorov #RussianEmpire #MilitaryHistory #BattleOfRymnik #Suvorov #ScienceOfVictory #OttomanEmpire #WarOfTheSecondCoalition #AlpsCampaign #RussianArmy #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #EasternEurope #SuvorovQuote #Potemkin Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

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]