The History of Russia Podcast · Damon Boar

Episode 73 - Treading Water

·24 min

Damon starts by noting the long gap and resetting the story at the Russian court. He recaps how Elizabeth and Bastuzhev tried to keep Peter and Catherine under control. The wider post-war European scene still matters, especially the effort to keep Frederick the Great contained. Otto Brummer leaves with a nice pension. Armand Lestock leaves without the same comfort. The title fits the mood, because the court keeps moving without really getting anywhere. The calendar slides from 1748 toward 1753. The point is not speed so much as pressure. A major thread is the Choglikov and Kosheleva affair. Maria Kosheleva becomes pregnant and says Choglikov is the father. Elizabeth responds by telling Madame Choglikova that divorce is on the table and that Nikolai Choglikov could be dismissed from court. Madame Choglikova backs off and asks to keep her husband. Elizabeth surprisingly agrees, and the matter is covered over. The scandal still weakens the Choglikovs and leaves Madame Choglikova humiliated. Those losses make the old boundaries around Peter and Catherine feel less rigid. Peter's erratic behavior and worsening alcohol problem keep adding strain. Catherine's journal fills with toothaches, headaches, fevers, and long stretches in bed. Elizabeth then becomes seriously ill with a stomach problem. Bestuzhev and Choglikov are seen meeting and whispering, then stopping when the royal couple comes near. Damon also notes that the official story around Catherine's first pregnancy, and probably the second, may not be the whole truth, with Soltykov looking like the likeliest father before the episode turns toward palace building, Siberian expansion, educational reform, and serfdom.

As heard by us

A patient court chronicle that finds motion inside a seeming holding pattern.

Episode 73 presents late-1740s Russian court politics as a measured chain of pressure points. It follows Elizabeth and Bastuzhev as they try to control Peter and Catherine, then moves through the Choglikov-Kosheleva scandal, the decline of the Choglikovs, and the gradual…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want court scandal to show how power starts slipping at the edges.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify