Official papers of Grigory Potemkin, who fought ashore and afloat for the inclusion the Crimea into Russia

By the 277th anniversary of Gregory Potemkin, celebrated on September 24, 2016 (1739-1791), the Presidential Library on its website features the electronic copies of the XVIII century’s documents - The official papers of Prince Grigory Potemkin of Tauride for the 1788-1789 and 1790-1793 years. These materials - the orders, the requests, a correspondence with “The Sevastopol Fleet Magazine” - give a complete idea of the great personality of one of the most prominent defenders of the country of Catherine’s the Great times.

Received from Catherine II in person the title of His Serene Highness Prince of Tauride at the end of battles for the Crimea joining Russia, General Field Marshal Grigory Potemkin was one of the mainstays on which the throne of the Empress was held. During the coup on the 28th of June 1762 Potemkin, according to legend, he gave Catherine II lanyard of his saber, and was following her everywhere with courage and unostentatious devotion. For participation in the coup he was promoted to sub-lieutenant, received the title of gentleman of the bedchamber and 400 serfs. Admitted to the court, Potemkin found himself under the protection of the Orlov brothers, and in 1763 by the nominal decree he was requested to present himself in the Synod “at the chief prosecutor's desk.” This was the basis on which he managed to build a successful career and to serve Russia with heart and soul.

Rarities of the Presidential Library reveal the complicated, sometimes contradictory nature of Grigory Potemkin. “The idea of Potemkin is usually connected with the notion of lush nobleman… and ambitions, a man who does weird things to stave off overcoming him boredom - we read in the electronic copy of a book of P. Schebalsky Potemkin and settling of the Novorossiysk Territory of 1868 year’s edition. - “Darling of the happiness” and “a magnificent prince of Tauris” - these epithets often complement the name of Potemkin.”

However, the books and documents describe Potemkin rather as an effective organizer and a performer of all the most daring ideas of the Empress. After the Crimea joined Russia Potemkin immediately went to that region for its arrangement and for supervision of the residents of Peninsula taking the oath of allegiance to Russia.

In the status of the Novorossiysk Governor-General Potemkin appears quite different in the description of the same author, P. Schebalsky: “This extraordinary person appears in all the greatness of his genius and in the whole power of his will. And he is pleased, he feels spacious, he is free-and-easy. His destiny made him a courtier… A son of a poor nobleman, he could feed his ambition simply overshadowing with a splendor all splendid grandees of Catherine; but a boredom he felt among this luxuriance was real; his thoughts and his tastes were far away from that what everyone around him was care of.”

More precisely then the others about Potemkin Catherine II said, who enjoyed a deep intelligence and a rare insight. In the book entitled “Seven handwritten letters and notes of Prince G. A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky to Count P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky” could be found such observation of Prince Potemkin belonging to the Empress: “He is the man of a noble mind, a rare intelligence and an excellent heart; his thoughts were always directed to the sublime. No one controlled him, but he surprisingly knew how to control the others…” Serious reforms had begun in the Crimea under his authority.

In February of 1784 a manifesto was promulgated, which declared that all the peoples who are friendly with the Russian Empire could do free trade in Kherson, Sevastopol and Feodosia, as well as settle in the Novorossiysk Krai and get the Russian citizenship. Digitized papers for 1788-1789 tell in details about the renovation and development of the Crimea, about, in particular, the fact that Potemkin ordered to plant grapes in every yard.

In 1787, Potemkin leaded a preparation and a conduct of Catherine’s II travel to the Crimea, from where the popular expression “Potemkin village" came, by which the plywood houses are usually meant that he supposedly erected along the path of following of the Empress. However, in reality Potemkin showed to Catherine only the really existing settlements, and the emergence of the myth of the “Potemkin villages” relates to the circulating roomers owe to Potemkin’s enemies.

Under the direction of that energetic associate of Catherine in the Black Sea the construction of military and commercial fleets was carried out, which have played a major role in the wars with Turkey in 1787-1791, in which Potemkin participated. Under the leadership of Prince the Ekaterinoslav Army successfully coped with an important task - the capture of Ochakov and access to the Danube. The victory was hard won, as told in the electronic copy of the book Ochakov released in 1901. Another unique document of 1789 - the commendation of the Empress Catherine II to Prince Grigory Potemkin of Tauride for successful operations during the war with Turkey can also be found on the Presidential Library website.