Semyon Zorich
| Semyon Zorich | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | Simeon Zorić |
| Born | 1743 Čurug, Military Frontier, Austrian Empire (now Serbia) |
| Died | 1799 (aged 56) |
| Allegiance |
 Russian Empire
|
| Years of service | 1754–99 |
| Rank | lieutenant-general |
Semyon Zorich (1743–1799) was an Imperial Russian lieutenant-general and count of the Holy Roman Empire, born in Serbia, who served Imperial Russia against the Prussians and Turks. A member of the Russian court, he was presented to Empress Catherine the Great by Grigory Potemkin and, after having been tested by Praskovja Bruce and doctor Rogerson, became the Empress' lover. He was most influential in the commercial development of Shklov and Mogilev.
Simeon (Sima) Gavrilović Zorić (Russian: Семён Гаврилович Зорич/Semyon Gavrilovich Zorich), a Serb, was born in Čurug, a village at the time part of the Military Frontier of the Austrian Empire (now Žabalj municipality, South Bačka, Serbia). His exact date of birth is unknown, though on May 11, 1754 he signed up for the Hussar regiment in Slavo-Serbia, citing his birth year as 1743 (which would make him 11 at the time). His Serbian name Simeon (Semyon in Russian), customarily indicates that he was born on September 1, the date Serbs venerate Saint Simeon Stylites.
Semyon's father was Gavrilo Nerandžić and his mother was Stefanija, the daughter of Jovan Zorić, a military officer from the Potisje region (Tisa river basin), in the province of Vojvodina located in Serbia. The river Tisa flows between Banat and Bačka regions and was a strategic military frontier where the famed Šajkaši in their armed vessels patrolled the major rivers (Danube, Tisa, Drava, Sava) keeping the Ottomans at bay.
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