We have all heard of the escapades of the Italian Casanova, but few know that Russia also had its own seducer, poet, and theater enthusiast, Ivan Mikhailovich Dolgorukov. He lived by the principle: "When I am not playing, I am in love; when I am not in love, I am playing." Contemporaries described him as a man who did not possess outstanding looks but had incredible charm and enjoyed great success with women.

For example, the wife of a criminal judge, a striking brunette with voluptuous curves named Fedosya Polochaninova, tried to win him over. She persistently pursued the prince, openly hinting at intimate relations. At first, Ivan joked and limited himself to innocent kisses, but soon rumors began to circulate in aristocratic circles that Fedosya had indeed gotten her way.

Another romance of Ivan's began with the daughter of an official, Polina Redkina. One day, they were to travel together to a ball. The roads at that time were poor, and to avoid jostling his companion, Ivan instructed the coachman to drive slowly. Once alone with Polina in the closed carriage, he quickly moved to kissing. In his memoirs, he wrote that they were both engulfed in passion and allowed themselves much. They arrived at the ball with noticeably rumpled clothing, but the audience, captivated by champagne and dancing, paid no attention to it. After the evening ended, they secluded themselves again in the carriage.

However, Ivan had to pay for his romantic escapades. Upon learning of his wife's infidelity, the offended husband ambushed the poet and brutally beat him at the entrance to the State Chamber. After that, Ivan filed a complaint with Catherine II. The case was heard in court, and their love letters became public. Ultimately, the poet was transferred to Moscow to the salt office.