The Memoirs of Catherine the GreatEmpress 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. |
Contents
| ix | |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | lxxi |
NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION | lxxvii |
NOTE ON NOBLE FAMILIES | lxxxv |
MAP | xcii |
1744 | 8 |
1745 | 21 |
1746 | 35 |
1750 | 80 |
1751 | 101 |
1753 | 115 |
1754 | 127 |
1755 | 140 |
1757 | 160 |
1758 | 175 |
CATHERINES OUTLINE 175659 | 213 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
affair Alexander Shuvalov Anna apartment Apraksin arrived asked began Brümmer Catherine II Catherine wrote Catherine's Chernyshev Choglokov Count Alexander Shuvalov Count Bestuzhev Count Lestocq Count Poniatowski Countess Rumiantseva coup Courland dismissed dressed Duke's Ekaterina Empress Elizabeth entourage everything favorite final memoir following day French Friedrich gave Grand Chancellor Grand Duchess Grand Duke Grimm Holstein husband Imperial Highness Imperial Majesty Ivan Ivan Shuvalov knew ladies later learned letters Lev Naryshkin Madame Choglokova Madame Kruse Madame Vladislavova maids of honor marriage married Marshal middle memoir Monsieur Choglokov Moscow mother Oranienbaum Peter Peter Shuvalov Peterhof Petersburg political Prince Princess Gagarina Princess of Courland reign replied returned sent Sergei Saltykov servants SIRIO speak spoke stay Summer Palace Sweden tell things throne tion told took translation Treaty of Åbo Tsarskoe Selo Voltaire Vorontsov wanted wife writing Zakhar Chernyshev