Catherine the Great and the Greek Project

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Catherine the Great's ambitious 'Greek Project' — a grand geopolitical scheme to resurrect the Byzantine Empire under her grandson Constantine. They discuss how Catherine, fresh from victories over the Ottoman Empire, planned to partition European Turkey and install a Christian ruler in Constantinople. The conversation covers the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774), Catherine's famed 'Greek Plan' with Grigory Potemkin, the founding of the city of Yekaterinoslav, and the propagandistic construction of Potemkin villages. They also touch on the role of Catherine's other favorites, the annexation of Crimea (1783), and the eventual collapse of the project after the French Revolution forced Russia's attention westward. The episode reveals how Catherine's imperial ambitions blended Enlightenment ideals with classic great-power politics, leaving a lasting mark on Russia's relationship with the Black Sea and the Balkans. #CatherineTheGreat #GreekProject #RussianEmpire #OttomanEmpire #GrigoryPotemkin #Constantinople #ByzantineEmpire #CrimeanAnnexation #TreatyOfKucukKaynarca #Yekaterinoslav #PotemkinVillages #GrandPrinceConstantine #BlackSea #18thCentury #EasternQuestion #History #FexingoHistory #ImperialRussia #RomanovDynasty #RussianHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo