April 19, 1822
He died in his own castle near Riga. Platon Zubov - the last favorite Catherine IIOne of her son's killers is Emperor Paul.
Born in 1767, into a family of modest nobility. To make ends meet, his parents sent their 12-year-old son "to play violin quartets."
At 17, he entered military service. Four years later, he commanded a cavalry detachment that accompanied the empress on her travels. She took an immediate liking to him, invited him into her chambers, and stayed there until 11 p.m. He was 21 at the time. Catherine was 60. She called him "Darkie."
Two weeks later, he was promoted to colonel and given several rooms in the Catherine Palace. During his first years, he amused himself by flying kites, hunting, and playing with a trained monkey.
After Prince Potemkin's death, 24-year-old Zubov inherited many of his positions. Among them, he commanded the Black Sea Fleet, the artillery troops, the heavy cavalry, oversaw diplomatic relations, and served as governor of three territories. During his eight-year relationship with the empress, he became the most influential person in the country.
When Catherine II died, the favorite was 29 years old. He fell out of favor with Paul I, and all his palaces and 28 serfs were transferred to the state (though they were later returned).
In 1801 he took part in a conspiracy against the new emperor, proposing that he abdicate the throne:
We have come on behalf of the Motherland to ask Your Majesty to abdicate the throne, because moments of madness sometimes come over you.
At the moment of the murder he drummed his fingers on the window and sighed:
My God, the way this man screams! It's unbearable!
He tried to serve at the court of Alexander I, but never gained his trust.
He devoted his final years to amassing his fortune, including smuggling. By the age of 50, he had become a miserly old man who, despite having cellars full of money, scrimped on everything. He feared the thought of death and hid in his bedroom.
He left behind a daughter born in a late marriage, as well as five illegitimate children. He deposited a million rubles into each of their accounts.
