Semyon Zorich or Simon Gavrilovitj Zoritj (1745 - 1799) was a Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

n noble

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 and a Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n officer

Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...

 and favorite, lover of Empress Catherine the Great from 1777 to 1778.

He was an officer at the Russian court, known for his time as a prisoner of the Turks, when he was presented to Catherine by Potemkin

Potemkin

Potemkin is a Russian surname which derives from the word Потёмка Potyomka meaning "dark". It may refer to:People*Prince Grigory Potyomkin, statesman and lover of Catherine the Great...

 and, after having been tested by Praskovja Bruce and doctor Rogerson, became the lover of the monarch. In 1777, during his tenure as lover, the aide-de-champ's of the favorite was organized as the stand-ins of the favorite. He was described as very temperamental. When Potemkin presented Catherine to a replacement in 1778, he threatened to kill his replacement, challenge Potemkin to a duel and argued with Catherine.