Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great by Simon Dixon, published by HarperCollins on April 6, 2010, is an illustrated biography that delves into the life of one of history’s most renowned monarchs. This 464-page book explores Catherine’s significant achievements and her complex personal life, highlighting her role in transforming eighteenth-century Russia into a formidable state. The narrative presents her political ambitions, her charm, and the contradictions that defined her reign.
Readers will find an intimate examination of Catherine’s lifelong friendships and the dynamics of the royal court, including its politics and cultural developments. The book reveals how these relationships and the flourishing literature of the time influenced her exercise of power. Through its detailed portrayal, Catherine the Great provides insights into the empress’s character and the historical context in which she operated, making it a valuable resource for those interested in history, particularly regarding Russia and its former empire.
Official synopsis Publisher
Admired for her achievements and satirized for her personal life, Catherine the Great was one of the most celebrated monarchs in history, turning eighteenth-century Russia into arguably the largest and most powerful state since the fall of the Roman Empire. She promoted radical political ideas while emphasizing moderation in government. She could be ruthless when necessary, but she charmed everyone she met, joking at private dinner parties in the Hermitage, which she had built for her own use. Determined to endear herself to the Russians, she made religious devotions in which she never believed.
Intimate and revealing, Catherine the Great examines the lifelong friendships that sustained the empress throughout her personal life and places her within the context of the royal court: its politics, its flourishing literature and the very culture that became central to her exercise of absolute power.
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