Count Nikolay Alexandrovich Zubov (russian: Николай Александрович Зубов; 24 April 1763 – 9 August 1805) was the eldest of the

Zubov The Zubovs (russian: Зу́бов) were a Russian noble family, rose to occupy some of the highest offices of state in the 1790s, when Platon Zubov became the last favourite of Empress Catherine the Great (). The Zubovs were first noticed i ...

brothers who, together with

Count Pahlen Peter Ludwig Graf von der Pahlen (russian: Пётр Алексе́евич Па́лен, translit= Pyotr Alekseyevich Palen; , Palms Manor, Palmse, Palms (now ) – , Mitau (now )), a Baltic-German courtier and general, played a pivotal role in ...

, masterminded the conspiracy to assassinate Tsar

Paul of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her l ...

. In 1782 Zubov joined the Horse Guards Regiment where he became known for his gigantic height, physical strength and fiery temper. When his younger brother

Platon Platon may refer to: People * Plato (Πλάτων, romanized as ''Plátōn''), Greek philosopher * Plato (comic poet) (fl. 420–391 BCE) * Plato of Bactria (2nd century BCE), Greco-Bactrian king * Plato (exarch) (fl. 645–653), Byzantine exarc ...

became

Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

's lover, the "colossus" was made a count and general. He helped

Alexander Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...

fend off

Prince Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (, also , ;, rus, Князь Григо́рий Алекса́ндрович Потёмкин-Таври́ческий, Knjaz' Grigórij Aleksándrovich Potjómkin-Tavrícheskij, ɡrʲɪˈɡ ...

's intrigues, courted his only daughter, the ''Suvorochka'' (1775–1844), and eventually married her towards the end of 1794. Although Catherine II's death spelled the end of his career, Nicholas mustered courage and rushed to the

Gatchina Palace The Great Gatchina Palace (russian: Большой Гатчинский дворец) is a palace in Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It was built from 1766 to 1781 by Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigori Grigoryevich Orlov, who was a favouri ...

, where her son Paul was residing. He hoped to become the first to congratulate Paul on his prospective accession to the throne. On hearing the news of his arrival, Paul refused to see the courtier. He had heard the rumor that the Zubovs persuaded the Empress to sign a testament transferring the throne to her grandson

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and was afraid that Zubov had come to arrest him. In short order, the Zubov brothers were exiled from court and little was heard about them until November 1800, when Nicholas was permitted to return to

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. The connections of his sister

Olga Zherebtsova Olga Alexandrovna Zherebtsova, née Zubova, also known as Madame Gerebtzoff (russian: Ольга Александровна Жеребцова, 1766–1849), was a Russian aristocrat and socialite, known foremost for her political involvement and l ...

and the funds provided by her lover Lord Whitworth allowed him and

to form a conspiracy. On the night of 11 March 1801 the plotters broke into Paul's bedroom in

Saint Michael's Castle Saint Michael's Castle (russian: Миха́йловский за́мок, ''Mikhailovsky zamok''), also called the Mikhailovsky Castle or the Engineers' Castle (russian: Инженерный замок, ''Inzhenerny zamok''), is a former royal ...

, and Zubov struck the emperor down with a heavy snuffbox, whereupon the emperor was strangled by his accomplices. Zubov died four years after the regicide. Among his descendants was Count

Valentin Platonovich Zubov Valentin is a male given name meaning "strong, healthy, power, rule, terco". It comes from the Latin name ''Valentinus'', as in Saint Valentin. Commonly found in Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Latin America ...

(1884–1969) who founded the

Gatchina The town of Gatchina ( rus, Га́тчина, , ˈɡatːɕɪnə, links=y) serves as the administrative center of the Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which ...

museum and authored several books about Tsar Paul and his reign.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zubov, Nicholas 1763 births 1805 deaths 1801 crimes in Europe Counts of the Russian Empire Russian Empire regicides Suvorov family Imperial Russian Army personnel Paul I of Russia