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Grigory Potemkim

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Politician

The Resume

    (September 24, 1739-October 16, 1791)
    Born in Chizhovo, Russian Federation
    Last name also rendered as 'Potyomkin'
    Favorite of Catherine the Great
    Russian general and governor of Novorussiya in the southern Ukraine
    Annexed the Crimea to Russia (1783)

Why he might be annoying:

    After his affair with Catherine cooled off, he basically became her pimp, selecting men to be her lovers.
    He reportedly had incestuous relationships with his nieces.
    Near the end of his life, his behavior became increasingly erratic, possibly as the result of an STD.
    He violently assaulted his servants and threatened to attack Poland and Turkey.
    Due to poor financial planning, many of his building projects in the Ukraine were abandoned while half finished.
    His name is associated with Potemkin Villages, facades that he allegedly ordered built to impress Catherine during her tour of the Crimea (1787).

Why he might not be annoying:

    Catherine appreciated his organizational abilities as well as his more intimate achievements.
    As commander in chief of the Russian army, he advocated more humane discipline.
    He founded several cities, including Sevastapol and Dnipropetrovsk, and created Russia's Black Sea fleet.
    He may have been bumped off by poisoning when his growing insanity made him a liability in the Russian court.
    Most historians think that the tales of the Potemkin Villages are greatly exaggerated.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 21 Votes: 61.90% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 28 Votes: 60.71% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 21 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 16 Votes: 62.50% Annoying