Grigory Orlov

Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov (1734–1783) was the favorite of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia who presumably fathered her son. He led the coup which overthrew Catherine's husband Peter III of Russia, and installed Catherine as empress. For some years, he was virtually co-ruler with her, but his repeated infidelities and the enmity of Catherine's other advisers led to his fall from power.

Overthrow of Peter

He was the son of Gregory Orlov, governor of Great Novgorod. He was educated in the corps of cadets at Saint Petersburg, began his military career in the Seven Years' War, and was wounded at Zorndorf. While serving in the capital as an artillery officer, he caught the fancy of the then Grand Duchess Catherine Alekseyevna, and was the leader of the conspiracy which resulted in the dethronement and death of her husband, Emperor Peter III (1762).

After the event, Empress Catherine raised him to the rank of count and made him adjutant-general, director-general of engineers, and general-in-chief. They had two illegitimate children, Yelizaveta and Aleksey, who were born in 1761 and 1762, respectively. The son was named after the village of Bobriki where he lived; from him descends the line of the Counts Bobrinsky. Orlov's influence became paramount after the discovery of the Khitrovo plot to murder the whole Orlov family. At one time, the Empress thought of marrying her favorite, but the plan was frustrated by her influential advisor Nikita Panin.

Orlov

Orlov (masculine) or Orlova (feminine), derived from the word ("orel", en:"Eagle"). It may refer to:

People

Places

Other

See also

Orlová

Orlová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈorlovaː]; Polish: Orłowa ; German: Orlau) is a town in the Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia.

The name is most probably possessive in origin, derived from the personal name Orel (Czech) (Orzeł in Polish), the same as eagle in English, although it may also be of topographic origins.

History

According to legend, Mieszko, a Silesian duke from the lower branch of the Piast dynasty, went hunting with his pregnant wife, Ludmiła. As they rested upon a hill, an eagle suddenly took flight, frightening the couple. The eagle dropped his prey, which fell to earth near them. Ludmiła prematurely gave birth to her child, Kazimierz. The couple, seeing a sign from God in this incident, founded a chapel on that spot and later named the subsequent settlement after the eagle (Polish: orzeł, Czech: orel). Thus, it is not clear when the settlement was really founded; however, it was first mentioned in a document of Pope Gregory IX issued on 7 December 1227 for Benedictine abbey in Tyniec as Orlova. Around 1268 a separate but dependent from Tyniec Benedictine monastery was founded.

Orlov (crater)

Orlov is a lunar impact crater. It is located on the Moon's far side, to the northeast of the larger crater Leeuwenhoek. To the north-northwest of Orlov is De Vries, and to the east-southeast is Rumford.

This crater lies between two larger satellite craters. Orlov Y is attached to the northern rim, and Leeuwenhoek E is connected along the southwest. The latter is also the location of an outward bulge in the rim of Orlov, giving it a wider interior wall along that side. There is some terracing along the eastern inner wall of Orlov. Orlov D, an oval-shaped crater, is attached to the outer rim along the northeast.

The interior floor of Orlov is relatively level with a central ridge formation located near the midpoint. There are some small craters along the extended inner wall to the southwest.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Orlov.

References