In light of the note on Leo Tolstoy, I recalled a passage from Daniil Granin's book "Evenings with Peter the Great", which unambiguously points to an intimate relationship between Peter Alexeyevich and Alexander Menshikov

In light of the note on Leo Tolstoy, I recalled a passage from Daniil Granin's book "Evenings with Peter the Great", which unambiguously points to an intimate relationship between Peter Alexeyevich and Alexander Menshikov. I remember well the strong impression this episode made on me, all the more so as I read Granin straight after Alexei Tolstoy's "Peter the First". It is hard to say where Daniil Granin got this delicate detail; in other places I have come across no direct evidence or hints of homoeroticism in Peter's biography.

Curiously, Peter's court had, one might say, no favourites in the traditional sense, although the names of several of his well-known mistresses spring to mind at once. Various sayings on the subject are attributed to Peter, for example: "An enemy may sooner have freedom, but a woman's shackles last long."

But Peter did have women whom he took with him on his journeys; they were called maîtresses. This was no secret to Catherine. The role of these women can be described as something like that of modern escort girls: they accompanied a high-ranking man and, at his wish, took part in certain activities whose nature is easy to guess. They were women of various stations, but not noble ones, and their names have not been preserved.