Catherine The Great

Author : Catherine the Great
Publisher : Modern Library
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2007-12-18
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780307432438

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The Memoirs of Catherine the Great by Catherine the Great Pdf

Empress Catherine II brought Europe to Russia, and Russia to Europe, during her long and eventful reign (1762—96). She fostered the culture of the Enlightenment and greatly expanded the immense empire created by Czar Ivan the Terrible, shifting the balance of power in Europe eastward. Famous for her will to power and for her dozen lovers, Catherine was also a prolific and gifted writer. Fluent in French, Russian, and German, Catherine published political theory, journalism, comedies, operas, and history, while writing thousands of letters as she corresponded with Voltaire and other public figures. The Memoirs of Catherine the Great provides an unparalleled window into eighteenth-century Russia and the mind of an absolute ruler. With insight, humor, and candor, Catherine presents her eyewitness account of history, from her whirlwind entry into the Russian court in 1744 at age fourteen as the intended bride of Empress Elizabeth I’s nephew, the eccentric drunkard and future Peter III, to her unhappy marriage; from her two children, several miscarriages, and her and Peter’s numerous affairs to the political maneuvering that enabled Catherine to seize the throne from him in 1762. Catherine’s eye for telling details makes for compelling reading as she describes the dramatic fall and rise of her political fortunes. This definitive new translation from the French is scrupulously faithful to her words and is the first for which translators have consulted original manuscripts written in Catherine’s own hand. It is an indispensable work for anyone interested in Catherine the Great, Russian history, or the eighteenth century.

Author : Simon Dixon
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 265 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2015-10-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9781317894827

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Catherine the Great by Simon Dixon Pdf

Neither a comprehensive 'life and times' nor a conventional biography, this is an engaging and accessible exploration of rulership and monarchial authority in eighteenth century Russia. Its purpose is to see how Catherine II of Russia conceived of her power and how it was represented to her subjects. Simon Dixon asks essential questions about Catherin'es life and reign, and offers new and stimulating arguments about the Englightenment, the power of the monarch in early modern Europe, and the much-debated role of the "great individual" in history.

Author : Isabel de Madariaga
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 1991-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780300173444

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Catherine the Great by Isabel de Madariaga Pdf

There is no shortage of biographies of Catherine the Great, of varying quality and degrees of sensationalism. But there exists no brief account of her reign that incorporates the extensive research findings of the last twenty years and presents them accessibly, accurately, and concisely to the student and the general reader. Following her magisterial Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great, Isabel de Madariaga has written the most informative, balanced and up-to-date short study of this spectacular period in Russian history. De Madariaga establishes an authoritative account of the events of Catherine's life, disentangling the myth from the verifiable reality. But her principal aim is to provide an account of the achievements of the thirty-four-year reign. Well-read and intelligent, Catherine presided over a fundamental reorganization of central and local government, of financial administration, of law, and of literary and cultural life. De Madariaga tracks the changes and explains the reforms, placing them in the context of eighteenth-century Europe and the ideas of the Enlightenment and of the French Revolution. Chapters on the wars against the Turkish empire, the annexation of the Crimea in 1783, and the partition of Poland demonstrate Catherine's part in building Russia into a formidable European power. The text is distinguished throughout by the attention paid to historical controversies over the interpretation of Catherine's policies and to teh historiography on the period in general. Praised by French writers of her day and attacked by later historians for her neglect of the welfare of the serfs, Catherine's achievements are now measured against the difficulties she met. The book points to the problems Catherine faced, the human and material resources on which she could draw, and the intellectual climate in which she operated. De Madariaga considers past and present assessments of Catherine and consolidates balanced judgments, profound understanding, and exhaustive reserach into a highly assimilable form.

Author : Michael Streeter
Publisher : Haus Publishing
Page : 182 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1905791062

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Catherine the Great by Michael Streeter Pdf

A fascinating life of a ruler who was deservedly styled 'the Great'

Author : Pam Pollack,Meg Belviso,Who HQ
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 112 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2021-02-02
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9780399544316

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Who Was Catherine the Great? by Pam Pollack,Meg Belviso,Who HQ Pdf

Learn how a Prussian princess grew up to be Russia's longest-ruling female leader! Born in 1729, Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbs was never supposed to come to power. But at age sixteen, she married the heir to the Russian throne. By 1762, Sophie, known now as Catherine, overthrew her immature and incompetent husband, Peter III, to lead the nation. Catherine became the sole ruler of Russia. This exciting Who Was? title explores how Catherine was able to turn Russia into one of the great powers of Europe by expanding its borders, helping improve its educational system, and advocating for the arts. Her three-decade reign is considered the Golden Age of Russia, and she is called Catherine the Great.

Author : Simon Sebag Montefiore
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 689 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2021-08-04
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780593467916

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Catherine the Great & Potemkin by Simon Sebag Montefiore Pdf

From the author of The Romanovs: a vivid account of history's most successful political partnership—as sensual and fiery as it was creative and visionary. Catherine the Great was a woman of notorious passion and imperial ambition. Prince Potemkin—wildly flamboyant and sublimely talented—was the love of her life and her co-ruler. Together they seized Ukraine and Crimea, territories that define the Russian sphere of influence to this day. Their affair was so tumultuous that they negotiated an arrangement to share power, leaving each of them free to take younger lovers. But these “twin souls” never stopped loving each other. Drawing on the pair’s intimate letters and on vast research, Simon Sebag Montefiore's widely acclaimed biography restores these imperial partners to their rightful place as titans of their age.

Author : Lurana Donnels O'Malley
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2017-09-29
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781351891417

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The Dramatic Works of Catherine the Great by Lurana Donnels O'Malley Pdf

The first in-depth study of Catherine the Great's plays and opera libretti, this book provides analysis and critical interpretation of the dramatic works by this eighteenth-century Russian Empress. These works are shown to be remarkable for their diversity, frank satire, topical subject matter, and stylistic innovations. O'Malley reveals comparisons to and influences from European traditions, including Shakespeare and Molière, and sets Catherine in the larger field of Russian literature in the period, further illuminating her relationship to the aesthetic debates of the period. The study investigates how Catherine expressed her social ideas throughout her drama and exploited the stage's power to promote political ideals and ideology. O'Malley sets close textual analysis within an historical framework, analyzing the major plays according to content, style, themes, characters, and relation to Catherine's life and political aims.

Author : Robert K. Massie
Publisher : Random House
Page : 673 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2011-11-08
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781588360441

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Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie Pdf

“[A] tale of power, perseverance and passion . . . a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.”—The Wall Street Journal The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history. Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into empress of Russia by sheer determination. For thirty-four years, the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt with domestic rebellion, foreign wars, and the tidal wave of political change and violence churned up by the French Revolution. Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies—all are here, vividly brought to life. History offers few stories richer than that of Catherine the Great. In this book, an eternally fascinating woman is returned to life. “[A] compelling portrait not just of a Russian titan, but also of a flesh-and-blood woman.”—Newsweek “An absorbing, satisfying biography.”—Los Angeles Times “Juicy and suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review “A great life, indeed, and irresistibly told.”—Salon NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • The Washington Post • USA Today • The Boston Globe • San Francisco Chronicle • Chicago Tribune • Newsweek/The Daily Beast • Salon • Vogue • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Providence Journal • Washington Examiner • South Florida Sun-Sentinel • BookPage • Bookreporter • Publishers Weekly BONUS: This edition contains a Catherine the Great reader's guide.

Author : Virginia Rounding
Publisher : Macmillan
Page : 612 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2008-01-22
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0312378637

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Catherine the Great by Virginia Rounding Pdf

RA great thumping triumph of a bookS ("London Telegraph"), this is the first comprehensive modern biography of Catherine the Great to explore her both as a woman and empress.

Author : Susan Jaques
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 472 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2016-04-15
Category : Art
ISBN : 9781681771144

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The Empress of Art by Susan Jaques Pdf

A German princess who married a decadent and lazy Russian prince, Catherine mobilized support amongst the Russian nobles, playing off of her husband's increasing corruption and abuse of power. She then staged a coup that ended with him being strangled with his own scarf in the halls of the palace, and herself crowned the Empress of Russia. Intelligent and determined, Catherine modeled herself off of her grandfather in-law, Peter the Great, and sought to further modernize and westernize Russia. She believed that the best way to do this was through a ravenous acquisition of art, which Catherine often used as a form of diplomacy with other powers throughout Europe. She was a self-proclaimed "glutton for art" and she would be responsible for the creation of the Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, second only to the Louvre. Catherine also spearheaded the further expansion of St. Petersburg, and the magnificent architectural wonder the city became is largely her doing. There are few women in history more fascinating than Catherine the Great, and for the first time, Susan Jaques brings her to life through the prism of art.

Author : Zu Vincent
Publisher : Wicked History
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 0531207382

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Catherine the Great by Zu Vincent Pdf

Biography of Catherine the Great of Russia.

Author : Henri Troyat
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 401 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 1994-04-01
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780452011205

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Catherine the Great by Henri Troyat Pdf

By delving into the life of Catherine the Great, this acclaimed biographer reveals the rich tapestry of Russia’s past, giving insight into the paradoxical character of its people and their stunning evolution from feudalism to communism to their present-day struggle for a free-market democracy. This is history as it is rarely written today—elegant, witty, dramatic, and with an intimate knowledge of its characters. And what better subject for a biography than one of history's most powerful women, the German-born Russian empress whose adopted language and culture were French, and whose most loyal correspondents were Voltaire and Diderot? Troyat details the various lives of Catherine II: the ambitious child, the acquiescent yet firm grand duchess, the forceful politician and patron of the arts, the belligerent war maker, and the doting grandparent. “A remarkable woman . . . A riveting book.”—Mary Renault “Brilliantly captures one of the most colorful figures of all time.”—Doubleday Book Club News

Author : V. O. Kliuchevsky
Publisher : M.E. Sharpe
Page : 268 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 1997-04-18
Category : History
ISBN : 0765638894

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A Course in Russian History by V. O. Kliuchevsky Pdf

In this newly translated excerpt from his magisterial five-volume Course, Kliuchevsky (1841-1911) provides a colorful description of Russian court life in the eighteenth century, a dramatic narrative of the coup d'etat that brought Catherine II to power, a portrait of the empress herself, and an analysis of her foreign conquests and her major internal initiatives. While Kliuchevsky is critical of Catherine, he draws upon her memoirs and other writings and the accounts of her contemporaries to achieve a well-rounded and deeply human analysis of her character and personality. It is an extraordinary act of historical re-creation of the sort that brought Kliuchevsky such renown in his own time, and it remains so lifelike that it fairly leaps off the page. Kliuchevsky's examination of Western influence in Catherine's reign leads him to questions that were of urgent significance for Russia's development in his own day, and have remained so ever since: how to use Western ideas and practices to improve and enrich Russian life without turning them into idle fashions or political bludgeons, and where to find the social leadership capable of performing such a delicate task.

Author : Katharine Anthony
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 344 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 1927
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Catherine The Great by Katharine Anthony Pdf

Author : John T. Alexander
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 466 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 1989
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : UOM:39015013331213

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Catherine the Great by John T. Alexander Pdf

Examines all aspects of Catherine the Great's life and career, focusing on her role as mother, lover, and ruler during her reign as Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796.