Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great by Simon Dixon

When Catherine II died in St Petersburg in 1796 the world sensed the loss of the most celebrated monarch of Europe - something no one would have predicted at the birth sixty-seven years before of an obscure German princess, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, later married off to the pathetic heir to the Russian throne. There were few greater transformations of fortunes in history. Sophie/Catherine had come to rule in her own right over the largest state in existence since the fall of the Roman Empire. She was branded both a usurper and an assassin when she seized power from her wretched husband in 1762. Yet she survived the initial succession crisis, and went on to occupy the Russian throne for thirty-four years. In the process, she turned her new empire from peripheral pariah to European great power.

A superb biography.. scholarly, refreshing, commonsensical and compelling, vividly portraying the charismatic Empress and her times -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Sunday Telegraph *
Dixon brings his subject to life admirably in this scholarly and sympathetic biography of a remarkable woman -- Maria Fairweather * Mail on Sunday *
Dixon is impressive at description, building with intricate detail, and the book swarms with terrific characters. -- Duncan Fallowell * Daily Express *
Lively and readable -- Paul Byrne * Irish Times *

Simon Dixon is Professor of Russian History at University College, London and chairman of the Literary Committee for the Russian Booker Prize.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781861977779
ISBN 10	1861977778
Title	Catherine the Great
Author	Simon Dixon
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Profile Books Ltd
Year published	2010-03-18
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.