Ποιος παντρεύτηκε το Αικατερίνη Β΄ της Ρωσίας;

Η Αικατερίνη Β΄ (ρωσικά: Екатерина II Великая, 2 Μαΐου 1729 – 17 Νοεμβρίου 1796), γεννηθείσα Σοφία του Άνχαλτ-Τσερμπστ (γερμ. Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst), επονομαζόμενη η Μεγάλη, του Οίκου των Ασκάνια ήταν πριγκίπισσα του Άνχαλτ-Τσερμπστ και μετέπειτα αυτοκράτειρα της Ρωσίας. Η πολιτική της συνδέθηκε στενά με την αναγέννηση του ελληνικού βίου λόγω της Συνθήκης του Κιουτσούκ-Καϊναρτζή.

Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (11 October [O.S. 30 September] 1739 – 16 October [O.S. 5 October] 1791) was a Russian military leader, statesman, nobleman, and favourite of Catherine the Great. He died during negotiations over the Treaty of Iași, which ended a war with the Ottoman Empire that he had overseen.

Potemkin was born into a family of middle-income landowners of Russian nobility. He first attracted Catherine's favor for helping in her 1762 coup, then distinguished himself as a military commander in the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). He became Catherine's lover, favorite and possibly her consort. After their passion cooled, he remained her lifelong friend and favored statesman. Catherine obtained for him the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and gave him the title of Prince of the Russian Empire among many others: he was both a Grand Admiral and the head of all of Russia's land and irregular forces. Potemkin's achievements include the peaceful annexation of the Crimea (1783) and the successful second Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), during which the armed forces under his command besieged Ochakov.

In 1775, Potemkin became the governor-general of Russia's new southern provinces. An absolute ruler, he worked to colonize the wild steppes, controversially dealing firmly with the Cossacks who lived there. He founded the towns of Kherson, Nikolayev, Sevastopol, and Yekaterinoslav. Ports in the region became bases for his new Black Sea Fleet.

His rule in the south is associated with the (probably mythical) "Potemkin village", a ruse involving the construction of painted façades to mimic real villages, full of happy, well-fed people, for visiting officials to see. Potemkin was known for his love of women, gambling and material wealth. He oversaw the construction of many historically significant buildings, including the Tauride Palace in Saint Petersburg.

Ο Πέτρος Γ΄ της Ρωσίας (Пе́тр III Фéдорович, 21 Φεβρουαρίου 1728 - 17 Ιουλίου 1762), γεννηθείς Πέτρος Φιόντοροβιτς, του Οίκου του Σ.Χ.Γκόττορπ, ήταν Αυτοκράτορας της Ρωσικής Αυτοκρατορίας για έξι μήνες το 1762. Σύμφωνα με τους περισσότερους ιστορικούς, ήταν διανοητικά ανώριμος και φίλος της Πρωσίας, κάτι που τον έκανε μη δημοφιλή ηγέτη. Φημολογείται ότι δολοφονήθηκε με συνωμοσία της συζύγου του, η οποία τον διαδέχτηκε στο θρόνο ως Αικατερίνη Β΄ της Ρωσίας.