Prince (Reichsfürst) Grigoriy Aleksandrovich Potyomkin-Tavricheski (pronounced Patyómkin) (September 24 [O.S. September 13] 1739) - October 16 [O.S. October 5] 1791) was a Russian general-field marshal, statesman, nobleman and favourite of Catherine II the Great. He is primarily remembered for his efforts to colonize the sparsely populated wild steppes of Southern Ukraine, which passed to Russia under the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji (1774). Among the towns founded by Potyomkin are Kherson, Nikolaev (Mykolayiv), Sevastopol, and Yekaterinoslav (now Dnipropetrovsk). He is also widely associated with the "Potemkin village", a method of ruse that may or may not be grounded in historical events. Son of Alexander Potyomkin and Daria Skuratowa.