I'm going to go. He's

a-a-ra-s-s-s-s-a-s-s-a-s-a-s- Welcome to the Russian rulers podcast episode 51. One down, six to go.

Last week, we recounted the grand tour of the Crimea by Catherine along with her royal

entourage.

Her son Paul was growing increasingly hostile to his mother and Russia was embroiled in two wars

One against the Ottoman Empire and the other against their age-old enemies the Swedes

While the Russian enemies were winning battle after battle.

Their opponents were stubbornly fighting on,

despite horrendous losses.

The Swedes were regrouping, and the Turks kept drawing upon their vast empire to supply them with troops.

But the Turks and the Swedes were not taking into account was the Russian Empire had an almost overabundance of troops that they could call upon,

something many in Europe were all too well aware of.

Catherine was now in her 60s, and she was not aging well. As Professor Massant said in his work,

Memois Secretz, quote, while her forehead high and serene, her eyes clear and untroubled, but then the harmony of her face would disintegrate, and for a moment one would forget the great Catherine and see only the old woman when she opened

her mouth she showed that she had lost her teeth and her voice was broken and

mumbling. There was something rough and coarse about the lower part of her face, something false about

her light gray eyes, and a certain wrinkle at the base of her nose, gave her a rather sinister

look. Her latest lover gave her latest

latest lover Mamunov who was hand-picked by Potemkin

grew weary of his time with Catherine

and was having an affair with another young woman.

He begged the Empress to let him marry his true love,

...