Catherine II, was Russia’s longest-serving female ruler and a formidable figure. Catherine was the last Empress regnant of Russia, ruling from 1762 to 1796 after toppling her husband, Peter III, and the nation prospered throughout her reign. It was so prosperous that the time is now referred to as Russia’s “Golden Age.” Today, Catherine is most widely recognized for her support of Enlightenment principles, role as an arts patron, and creation of state-funded higher education for women. She will also always be linked to filthy furnishings and a horrible tale about the questionable activity with a horse.
Catherine was a legendary Russian empress who governed for the longest period of any female ruler and did a pretty fantastic job, by all accounts. She demonstrated that being a horny goddess of filth is still possible even if you’re a powerful, mature woman. There’s a myth claiming Catherine’s most significant coup was a goddamn horse, but detractors made up the tale out of fear that a woman could rule a nation and her sexual proclivities. Anyway, Catherine had one of her castle’s rooms painted by one of her greatest life hobbies.
Story of Catherine the Great’s sensual table
You already know about the horse if you’ve seen The Great, Hulu’s humorous interpretation of Catherine’s life starring Elle Fanning. According to all accounts, Catherine was assertive, unafraid, and sexually liberated—qualities many people found terrifying at the time and still do. People were so scandalized by her libido and energy during her life that they began muttering that her death had occurred while copulating with a horse. This story has lasted ever since, even though she died in her bed of a stroke at the age of 67, an indisputable historical fact.
Know about the scandal
During her lifetime, people were so scandalized by her virility and sexuality that they began to mutter that she had committed suicide by having sex with a horse. This legend has lasted ever since. She was a horse girl and was usually spotted hanging around in the stables, which probably didn’t help. Long before the Empress’s passing, horse-related rumors begin to follow her in the television series.
However, one story that seems, to be honest is the existence of two stunning pieces of X-rated furniture. It’s highly amusing, so you should check out this Buzzfeed article analyzing the table and chairs in all their pornographic beauty. When the Wehrmacht invaded the palaces in 1941 as part of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s attempt to overthrow the Soviet government, they came across the furniture. Before the palaces were attacked and their contents were destroyed in the ensuing fires, they are said to have taken these two pictures of the custom-made furnishings.
Re-creation of Catherine the Great’s sex chair in color
Although their presence was only officially acknowledged almost 150 years after Catherine’s passing, historians are certain that these items belonged to her. Long rumored to have been secreted in private quarters when her son Paul I took the throne, Catherine’s infamous sexual furniture was well known. They even said it was a component of a larger “sex room” that Catherine had created especially for her inclinations. There are still some doubts about the Nazis’ stories about who took the photographs of the artifacts. In any case, a French furniture craftsman replicated the shot pieces in vivid color to retain their memory.
Catherine the Great’s sexual voracity is not doubted, even though her political adversaries probably made up the naughtiest allegations about her. She is believed to have had relationships with up to 22 different men over her three decades of power, which started when she was forced into an arranged marriage with Peter, her second cousin, at 16.
While Catherine found solace elsewhere, Peter was rumored to be a juvenile drunkard who spent most of his time playing with toy troops. Sergei Saltykov, a Russian military man, believed to be the father of one or more of her children, was one of her lovers. Another of her daughters was born to Stanslauv Poniatowski and Russian lieutenant Grigory Orlov, who assisted her in overthrowing Peter.
Final thoughts
Some of the scandals in Catherine the Great’s later years are depicted in a recent dramatization of her reign on HBO starring Helen Mirren. Armed forces commander Grigory Potempki was one of her favorites; it is alleged that she had his “elephantine sexual apparatus” cast in porcelain so she could “consolidate herself” while he was abroad.
The show also confirms rumors that Catherine had her best friend, the lady-in-waiting Countess Praskovya Bruce, put prospective partners through a test drive. The historical timeline demonstrates that Catherine began each of these relationships one at a time and genuinely loved several of her companions, despite the desire of others to condemn Catherine for her liberal sexuality.