Biography
According to a number of historical testimonies and family legends, which, however, do not have documentary evidence and are disputed by most historians, Grigory Potemkin and Catherine the Great were secretly married. In 1775, a female infant appeared in Potemkin's house, who was named Elizabeth Grigorievna Temkina (the surname was obtained by truncation from “Potemkin”). The girl was born secretly, but at the court there were rumors that the empress was her mother, though this is now regarded as unlikely. Elizabeth was brought up in the Samoilov household, and was never acknowledged by Catherine.References
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* 1775 births 1854 deaths 18th-century people from the Russian Empire 19th-century people from the Russian Empire 18th-century women from the Russian Empire 19th-century women from the Russian Empire People from the Russian Empire Potemkin family Children of Catherine the Great Illegitimate children of Russian monarchs {{Russia-bio-stub