Oh, and see if this Montefiore quote makes you laugh:
Potemkin gets jealous of Catherine, accuses her of having had fifteen lovers before him, and threatens to kill his rivals. She writes him an account of how she had FOUR lovers before him, insists she isn't wanton, but explains that she can't live without love for an hour. Montefiore calls this "surely the most extraordinary document ever written by a monarch."
I mean. That's a pretty strong claim to make. Heinrich would like to advance the Marwitz letters as a contender. And I'm just waiting for selenak to offer a number of other examples. :D
Re: Sodomy and Death Penalty. (Again.)
Potemkin gets jealous of Catherine, accuses her of having had fifteen lovers before him, and threatens to kill his rivals. She writes him an account of how she had FOUR lovers before him, insists she isn't wanton, but explains that she can't live without love for an hour. Montefiore calls this "surely the most extraordinary document ever written by a monarch."
I mean. That's a pretty strong claim to make. Heinrich would like to advance the Marwitz letters as a contender. And I'm just waiting for