Five Empresses: Court Life in Eighteenth-Century Russia

by Evgenii V. Anisimov

From the untimely demise of the 52-year-old Peter the Great in 1725 to nearly the end of that century, the fate of the Russian empire would rest largely in the hands of five tsarinas. This book tells their stories. Peter's widow Catherine I (1725-27), an orphan and former laundress, would gain control of the ancestral throne, a victorious army, and formidable navy in a country that stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Next, Anna Ioannovna (1730-40), chosen by conniving ministers who sought an ineffectual puppet, would instead tear up the document that would have changed the course of Russian history forever only to rule Russia as her private fiefdom and hunting estate. The ill-fated Anna Leopoldovna (1740-41), groomed for the throne by her namesake aunt, would be Regent for her young son only briefly before a coup by her aunt Elizabeth would condemn Anna's family to a life of imprisonment, desolation, and death in obscurity. The beautiful and shrewd Elizabeth (1741-61) would seize her father Peter's throne, but, obsessed with her own fading beauty, she would squander resources in a relentless effort to stay young and keep her rivals at bay. Finally, Catherine the Great (1762-96) would overthrow (and later order the murder of) her own husband and rightful heir. Astute and intelligent, Catherine had a talent for making people like her, winning them to her cause; however, the era of her rule would be a time of tumultuous change for both Europe and her beloved Russia.



In this vivid, quick-paced account, Anisimov goes beyond simply laying out the facts of each empress's reign, to draw realistic psychological portraits and to consider the larger fate of women in politics. Together, these five portraits represent a history of 18th-century court life and international affairs. Anisimov's tone is commanding, authoritative, but also convivial--inviting the reader to share the captivating secrets that his efforts have uncovered.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Biography, Russian History, Royalty, 18th Century

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Евгений Анисимов

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe four is a little high but I have looser standards for non fiction books. I think maybe this was too big a project for one book. I have read quite a bit about the two Catherine's and really was wanting more information about the three in between. Overall, if you are interested in the subject matter, you will find plenty of information here, presented in a different style than most biographies I have read, perhaps because the author is Russian. I generally enjoyed the style though and appreciated the fact that the author threw in a bit of gossip and labelled it as such. My quibble was that it was a bit difficult to keep the timeline straight. For example one page in Elizabeth's chapter spoke of three different events that took place in three different years of a 15 year time span, and not in chronological order. It was the same way when talking about events leading up to the death of Catherine's husband. I usually do not have a problem with jumping around but I found myself flipping back and forth regularly trying to figure out the timeline.

[David Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really made me sad. I loved Anisimov's "Reforms of Peter the Great." That book was truly enlightening, but this one just didn't work. It was full of hackneyed saying and poor historical research. There were constant references to "fate" in every chapter of the book, which bugged me endlessly. He also didn't seem to evaluate his sources all that thorougly. Whatever someone had to say about one of the Tsarinas was generally considered good enough to base broad generalizations upon. And like all historical works that focus upon biography rather than broader context of the period, this book emphasizes the sordid personal lives of the rulers of Russia.

The one thing that saved this book was that Anisimov does provide introductory readers to some of the more basic, and at times convoluted, changes that happened at the Court in 18th century Russia.

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a history of 18th century Russia and the women who ruled as the Autocrats of All The Russias after the death of Peter the Great. This book is written by a Russian and I am assuming that it was translated to English from the original. The style is unusual as the author sometimes speaks directly to the reader; i.e.; "...reader, you may want to return to page 243 to see the connection....". This is somewhat disconcerting.

This is a slow read since the Russian names are very difficult to keep in perspective....there are several Catherines, Annas, etc. and the book overlaps time periods which compounds the problem.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but frankly, it takes a great deal of concentration to follow the lines of succession and to determine who was the daughter/wife/grandchild of whom. Not a book to take to the beach for a week-end read.

[Lisa Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a good overview of the chaotic and frequently volatile nature of court politics in tsarist Russia from the time of Peter the Great through the end of Catherine the Great's reign, it really shines as it chronicles the accessions and reigns of two often overlooked rulers, Anna Ioannovna and Anna Leopoldovna.

Even though the author leaps from fact to conjecture a bit more than I would like, I predict that I will be rereading this collective biography more than once. Mr Anisimov's detailed character portraits helped to solidify my understanding of the struggle for power in eighteenth century Russia. For that reason, I would recommend it to any student, or fan, of the Romanov dynasty.

[Tori Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a really interesting look into Russian history, but I felt it was a bit disjointed in places. It's structured so that each Tsarina gets a chapter, but the author is constantly moving back and forth in history attempting to explain the influences on each reign. Interesting, in depth, somewhat enjoyable, but a prior knowledge of Russian history is absolutely essential.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it quaintly old fashioned until I realized that it wasn't an old book! A bit confusing at times. Once again does show that it is no fun being a royal.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about the female rulers of Russia.