Título: Grigory Potemkin
Seção: Personality and reputation
Background: Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tavricheski (Russian: Grigorii Aleksandrovich Potiomkin-Tavricheskii; 'Potyomkin', r Grigoriy Aleksandrovich Potyomkin-Tavricheskiy; October 11 [O.S. September 30] 1739 - October 16 [O.S. October 5] 1791) was a Russian military leader, statesman, nobleman and favourite of Catherine the Great. He died during negotiations over the Treaty of Jassy, which ended a war with the Ottoman Empire that he had overseen. Potemkin was born into a family of middle-income noble landowners.

Conteúdo: Potemkin "exuded both menace and welcome"; he was arrogant, demanding of his courtiers and very changeable in his moods but also fascinating, warm and kind. It was generally agreed among his female companions that he was "amply endowed with 'sex appeal'". Louis Philippe, comte de Segur described him as "colossal like Russia", "an inconceivable mixture of grandeur and pettiness, laziness and activity, bravery and timidity, ambition and insouciance". The internal contrast was evident throughout his life: he frequented both church and numerous orgies, for example. In Segur's view, onlookers had a tendency to unjustly attribute to Catherine alone the successes of the period and to Potemkin the failures. An eccentric workaholic, Potemkin was vain and a great lover of jewelry (a taste he did not always remember to pay for), but he disliked sycophancy and was sensitive about his appearance, particularly his lost eye. He only agreed to having portraits made of him twice, in 1784 and again in 1791, both times by Johann Baptist von Lampi and from an angle which disguised his injury.  Potemkin was also an intellectual. The Prince of Ligne noted that Potemkin had "natural abilities [and] an excellent memory". He was interested in history and generally knowledgeable. Potemkin loved the classical music of the period, as well as opera. He liked all food, both peasant and fine; particular favorites included roast beef and potatoes, and his anglophilia meant that English gardens were prepared

user: What was his personality like?

assistant: Potemkin "exuded both menace and welcome"; he was arrogant,

user: So he could be nice too?

assistant: demanding of his courtiers and very changeable in his moods but also fascinating, warm and kind.

user: What did others have to say about his personality?

assistant: It was generally agreed among his female companions that he was "amply endowed with 'sex appeal'".

user: So he was a ladies' man?

assistant: '". Louis Philippe, comte de Segur described him as "colossal like Russia", "an inconceivable mixture of grandeur and pettiness, laziness and activity, bravery and timidity, ambition and insouciance".

user: What else was he like?

assistant: he frequented both church and numerous orgies,

user: What was his reputation?

assistant: Criticisms include "laziness, corruption, debauchery, indecision, extravagance, falsification, military incompetence and disinformation on a vast scale"

user: So people didn't like him?

assistant: supporters hold that only "the sybaritism [devotion to luxury] and extravagance... are truly justified", stressing Potemkin's "intelligence, force of personality,

user: Was he smart?

assistant: "lots of intelligence, intrigue and credit" but lacked "knowledge, application and virtue".

user: What else should I know about him?

assistant: A practical politician, his political ideas were "quintessentially Russian", and he believed in the superiority of the Tsarist autocracy (he once described the French revolutionaries as "a pack of madmen").