Vem daterade Ivan Rimskij-Korsakov?

Ivan Nikolajevitj Rimskij-Korsakov, ursprungligen Korsav, född 1754, död 1831, var en rysk gunstling.

Korsakov, som var husar, ersatte 1778 Simon Zoritj som Katarina den storas älskare och generaladjutant efter att ha presenterats av Potemkin och utprovats av Praskovja Bruce. Katarina var förälskad i hans skönhet, kallade honom Pyrrhus och näktergal och beundrade honom då han sjöng och spelade fiol. Han var vid ett tillfälle sjuk, vilket gav upphov till ryktet att Katarinas älskare missbrukade potensmedel. I oktober 1779 ertappade Katarina honom som otrogen med Praskovja Bruce, enligt uppgift efter att ha visats till rätt rum av Aleksandra von Engelhardt på uppmaning av Potemkin, och såg till att han lämnade hovet. Det ryktades att Potemkin hade sett till att hon ertappade dem. Detta orsakade även Bruces fall; hon följde honom först i hans exil, men han reste i stället till Moskva med den gifta grevinnan Stroganova, där de sedan levde i ett lyckligt förhållande.

Графиня Екатери́на Петро́вна Стро́ганова (в девичестве княжна Трубецкая, 1744, Петербург — 20 ноября 1815, Братцево, где и похоронена) — светская красавица екатерининских времен, известная своей бурной личной жизнью.

Catherine II (born Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796), commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after a coup d'etat against her husband, Peter III. Her long reign helped Russia thrive under a golden age during the Enlightenment. This renaissance led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.

After overthrowing and possibly assassinating her husband and her subsequent rule of the Russian Empire, Catherine often relied on noble favourites such as Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev and admirals such as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the west, she installed her former lover to the throne of Poland, which was eventually partitioned. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was annexed following victories over the Bar Confederation and the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. With the support of Great Britain, Russia colonised the territories of New Russia along the coasts of the Black and Azov seas. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.

Many cities and towns were founded on Catherine's orders in the newly conquered lands, most notably Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, Nikolayev, and Sevastopol. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European culture. However, military conscription and the economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and of private landowners intensified the exploitation of serf labour. This was one of the chief reasons behind rebellions, including Pugachev's Rebellion of Cossacks, nomads, peoples of the Volga, and peasants.

The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. The construction of many mansions of the nobility in the classical style endorsed by the empress changed the face of the country. She is often included in the ranks of the enlightened despots. Catherine presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment and established the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe.