This 24-hour-long audiobook was ideal for me at this time. And while Robert Massie’s 624-page treatment of Catherine the Great could have been overwhelmed by dull facts or obscure political struggles, it was consistently engaging. I was happy to have this to listen to as I worked on jigsaw puzzles.
Catherine the Great lived from 1729 to 1796 and reigned as empress from 1762 until her death. She was born a princess in a minor province in Prussia and was educated by her ambitious mother to be a queen. Empress Elizabeth of Russia brought in Catherine to marry her nephew Peter, the grandson of Peter the Great to produce an heir. This was done to solidify Elizabeth’s place on the throne to hold off others who might try to displace her.
From 1744 when Catherine arrived at age 15 until the death of Elizabeth in 1762, the whims and various intrigues involving Elizabeth were her focus. Catherine was diligent in learning Russian and educating herself to become a knowledgable monarch. Peter was useless as a monarch-in-training and after they married, he was apparently unable or unwilling to have sex with Catherine. It was agreed by all that she should have a child by a courtier that everyone pretended was Peter’s son. Upon his birth, Paul was spirited away from his mother and brought up in the care of Elizabeth.
After Elizabeth died, Peter became Emperor in January of 1862, but was overthrown by Catherine in July. He was radical in changing international alliances and quickly involved Russia in a war, perhaps motivated by his love of military uniforms and playing with toy soldiers. He died in unclear circumstances not long after he was spirited away by Catherine’s supporters.
Her reign was remarkable for its movement toward making Russia a modern state. Catherine truly was influenced by the Enlightenment and corresponded with Voltaire and sought ways to bring a love of science and culture to more people in Russia.
A mark of the author’s thorough approach is the background and details of the French Revolution which came 27 years into Catherine’s reign. I had not thought about the storming of the Bastille or read the names Robespierre and Danton in years. The executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in 1793 was chilling for Catherine and her support for freeing the serfs and other democratic measures were affected by that horror. She lived long enough to sign off on an order for Russia to join an attack against Napoleon, though she died before it occurred.
Something else I want to remember: if I ever knew about Empress Elizabeth, I had forgotten it. I was struck by the fact that she was not the first Elizabeth to be head of a state in Europe. Elizabeth I of England and Ireland ruled from 1558 to her death in 1603.
The author’s ability to keep the reader focused on the plot made this a wonderful book and makes me want to try his other books about Czarist Russia.
Robert K. Massie, Catherine the Great, Random House, 2012, 625 pages (I listened to the audiobook). Available in the public library.
I hope that you are well, and thank you for your review! I’m now reading “The Song of Achilles: A Novel” and the author, Madeline Miller, has really put the reader in the middle of all sorts of intrigue! “Catherine the Great” is now on my list of books to be read.
Thanks, Cathy, I’m doing well. I think you will enjoy reading Catherine the Great. I have put The Song of Achilles on my list to read. It sounds perfect!