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В книгата царува сякаш едно създание с менящ се лик, чувствено и дръзко. На моменти свещената Рус като че губи равновесие...
В не многото на брой страници, от които лъха пищност и студенина, изкусният Анри Троая разкрива съдбините на малко познатите владетелки, засенчени от ярката фигура на техния предшественик Петър Велики и от силната личност на следовницата им Екатерина Велика. Възкръсва цял един свят, империя, управлявана от желязна женска ръка...
Героини в поредното биографично произведение на Анри Троая са три императрици и една регентка, които властват над Руската империя в продължение на трийсет и седем години: Екатерина I, Анна Ивановна, Анна Леополдовна, Елизавета Петровна. Всяка от тях налага на държавата буйния си и разпуснат нрав, любовните истории, прищевките и жестокостта си. И своите екстравагантности.
Страховити царици!...
В не многото на брой страници, от които лъха пищност и студенина, изкусният Анри Троая разкрива съдбините на малко познатите владетелки, засенчени от ярката фигура на техния предшественик Петър Велики и от силната личност на следовницата им Екатерина Велика. Възкръсва цял един свят, империя, управлявана от желязна женска ръка...
Героини в поредното биографично произведение на Анри Троая са три императрици и една регентка, които властват над Руската империя в продължение на трийсет и седем години: Екатерина I, Анна Ивановна, Анна Леополдовна, Елизавета Петровна. Всяка от тях налага на държавата буйния си и разпуснат нрав, любовните истории, прищевките и жестокостта си. И своите екстравагантности.
Страховити царици!...
214 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 1998
8 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
About the author
Henri Troyat
508 books271 followersTroyat was a French author, biographer, historian and novelist.
Troyat was born Levon Aslan Torossian in Moscow to parents of Armenian descent. His family fled Russia in anticipation of the revolution. After a long exodus taking them to the Caucasus on to Crimea and later by sea to Constantinople and then Venice, the family finally settled in Paris in 1920, where young Troyat was schooled and later earned a law degree. The stirring and tragic events of this flight across half of Europe are vividly recounted by Troyat in 'Tant que la terre durera'.
Troyat received his first literary award, Le prix du roman populaire, at the age of twenty-four, and by twenty-seven, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt.
Troyat published more than 100 books, novels and biographies, among them those of Anton Chekhov, Catherine the Great, Rasputin, Ivan the Terrible and Leo Tolstoy.
Troyat's best-known work is La neige en deuil, which was adapted as an English-language film in 1956 under the title The Mountain.
He was elected as a member of the Académie française in 1959. At the time of his death, Troyat was the longest serving member of the Academy.
From Wikipedia
Troyat was born Levon Aslan Torossian in Moscow to parents of Armenian descent. His family fled Russia in anticipation of the revolution. After a long exodus taking them to the Caucasus on to Crimea and later by sea to Constantinople and then Venice, the family finally settled in Paris in 1920, where young Troyat was schooled and later earned a law degree. The stirring and tragic events of this flight across half of Europe are vividly recounted by Troyat in 'Tant que la terre durera'.
Troyat received his first literary award, Le prix du roman populaire, at the age of twenty-four, and by twenty-seven, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt.
Troyat published more than 100 books, novels and biographies, among them those of Anton Chekhov, Catherine the Great, Rasputin, Ivan the Terrible and Leo Tolstoy.
Troyat's best-known work is La neige en deuil, which was adapted as an English-language film in 1956 under the title The Mountain.
He was elected as a member of the Académie française in 1959. At the time of his death, Troyat was the longest serving member of the Academy.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 10, 2024
Henri Troyat (1911-2007) is a Russian-French author and historian. I have enjoyed his writing style, as he is the rare historian who writes history that reads like a novel. He has an exceptional background in Russian history.
Pyotr I Alekseyevich (Peter the Great), Tsar of Russia and First Emperor of All Russia, died in 1725. This revolutionary Tsar's death was followed by a strange period of rule by a series of women, whom were all different, yet strangely similar. Considering the Russian nation, at the time, this was a very interesting turn of events.
For a period of almost 37 years, culminating with Catherine the Great's rise to power, this period was ushered in by Peter's wife and successor, Catherine I Tsarina of Russia. Catherine reigned as Empress and then was succeeded by Anna Ivanovna who reigned as Empress for a decade until 1740.
Then due to a mixture of the death Tsar Peter II, and the infancy of his heir, and Privy Council maneuvering to limit German influence in the Court, we have Anna Leopoldovna (born Elisabeth Katharina Christine von Mecklenburg-Schwerin) who becomes Regent of Russia for her infant son for about one year.
But Anna's reign is cut short by a coup d'état and Catherine I's daughter, Elizabeth (Elizaveta Petrovna), uses the Army to become Empress till 1762 and her heir was to be Peter III. She will go down as one of the most popular Empressess of Russia. However, Elizabeth would be eclipsed in both fame and favor, in the eyes of the Russian people, by the wife of Peter III. Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, would marry Peter III and then eventually overthrow him and become Catherine II or Catherine the Great.
Troyat's masterful history shows us all the political maneuvering behind these power grabs and the complex personal and internal rivalries that underpinned these difficult times. What, I think, readers will find most interesting is the great deal of similarities between these different autocratic females. To quote "....they detected the same lubricity, the same surfeits of pleasure and cruelty, the same taste for buffoonery and ugliness, combined with the same quest for luxury and the same need to throw dust in people's eyes...."
Perhaps it was the environment of the Russian court, coupled with the unique Russian mentality that had Oriental cruelty mated with the trappings of Western Liberalist thoughts and culture. It never really worked out well and the proof of that is in the modern incarnation of Russia which still suffers from this mental deficiency.
Great history of a complex time of rule by a series of women who were different, yet similar.
Pyotr I Alekseyevich (Peter the Great), Tsar of Russia and First Emperor of All Russia, died in 1725. This revolutionary Tsar's death was followed by a strange period of rule by a series of women, whom were all different, yet strangely similar. Considering the Russian nation, at the time, this was a very interesting turn of events.
For a period of almost 37 years, culminating with Catherine the Great's rise to power, this period was ushered in by Peter's wife and successor, Catherine I Tsarina of Russia. Catherine reigned as Empress and then was succeeded by Anna Ivanovna who reigned as Empress for a decade until 1740.
Then due to a mixture of the death Tsar Peter II, and the infancy of his heir, and Privy Council maneuvering to limit German influence in the Court, we have Anna Leopoldovna (born Elisabeth Katharina Christine von Mecklenburg-Schwerin) who becomes Regent of Russia for her infant son for about one year.
But Anna's reign is cut short by a coup d'état and Catherine I's daughter, Elizabeth (Elizaveta Petrovna), uses the Army to become Empress till 1762 and her heir was to be Peter III. She will go down as one of the most popular Empressess of Russia. However, Elizabeth would be eclipsed in both fame and favor, in the eyes of the Russian people, by the wife of Peter III. Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, would marry Peter III and then eventually overthrow him and become Catherine II or Catherine the Great.
Troyat's masterful history shows us all the political maneuvering behind these power grabs and the complex personal and internal rivalries that underpinned these difficult times. What, I think, readers will find most interesting is the great deal of similarities between these different autocratic females. To quote "....they detected the same lubricity, the same surfeits of pleasure and cruelty, the same taste for buffoonery and ugliness, combined with the same quest for luxury and the same need to throw dust in people's eyes...."
Perhaps it was the environment of the Russian court, coupled with the unique Russian mentality that had Oriental cruelty mated with the trappings of Western Liberalist thoughts and culture. It never really worked out well and the proof of that is in the modern incarnation of Russia which still suffers from this mental deficiency.
Great history of a complex time of rule by a series of women who were different, yet similar.
September 24, 2009
WOW!!!!
These women were intense. The author has really done his research! Most of these women are from the same family and all exhibit very similar personality traits and life styles but the author never falters and guides you through the rise and fall of each one. I haven’t read much Russian history before so the beginning was a bit shocking coming from studying the more ‘civilized’ Western European courts. After the initial shock though, you find yourself eagerly engaged in the intricate and often salacious lives of each of these women. We’re all familiar with Catherine the Great but this is a book about how she got there and how she became the infamous Queen that we’ve all heard about.
The author is quick, witty and interesting. Non-fiction tends to take me quite a bit longer as I can only read it in short shifts but I devoured this book. There was no lag time in between chapters or even monarchs. I couldn’t put it down. Despite the many indelicacies the book handles these tastefully. The reader is left with no doubt about what goes on but there are no unnecessary racy love descriptions.
Overall, this was probably one of the most well written pieces of non-fiction that I have ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in history.
These women were intense. The author has really done his research! Most of these women are from the same family and all exhibit very similar personality traits and life styles but the author never falters and guides you through the rise and fall of each one. I haven’t read much Russian history before so the beginning was a bit shocking coming from studying the more ‘civilized’ Western European courts. After the initial shock though, you find yourself eagerly engaged in the intricate and often salacious lives of each of these women. We’re all familiar with Catherine the Great but this is a book about how she got there and how she became the infamous Queen that we’ve all heard about.
The author is quick, witty and interesting. Non-fiction tends to take me quite a bit longer as I can only read it in short shifts but I devoured this book. There was no lag time in between chapters or even monarchs. I couldn’t put it down. Despite the many indelicacies the book handles these tastefully. The reader is left with no doubt about what goes on but there are no unnecessary racy love descriptions.
Overall, this was probably one of the most well written pieces of non-fiction that I have ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in history.
August 29, 2023
The historic aspect of women governing was interesting. Like I saw in many historical novels there was more than one person pulling the string. It was not an easy task and I think that even tough there’s no more monarchie, it must be the same with politicians.
August 28, 2011
In this book Henri Troyat explores the lives of 5 women who ruled Russia in the 37 years between Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. It explores the well-known tsarinas such as Catherine I and Catherine II the Great, but also the less well-known Elizabeth I and Anna. Not knowing a lot about Russian royalty past the last tsar Nicholas II and his family, this was a very eye-opening book. I enjoyed the anecdotes about each woman from the tragic to the triumphant to the disturbing. The book is short so you don't get too bogged down into minutiae. You don't need a background on Russian history either to enjoy this book because lots of background history is worked in. My only problem with this book (and this may have been an issue with whoever translated the book into English) is that the writing style seemed to vacillate between scholarly writing and slang-infused casual writing. Neither style I object to but the jumping around made it hard to feel that the book was a cohesive piece of work. Other than that I found the book very interesting and would recommend it to anyone interested in Russian history.
Reading Scavenger Hunt: Will (legal document)
Reading Scavenger Hunt: Will (legal document)
September 3, 2011
I really liked this one! Fast paced and reads like fiction, but one can tell that a lot of research went into every word and the author makes an effort to treat each woman as a person, not just a cartoon character out of Russian history.
June 22, 2012
I liked it but agree with others, if you are looking for indepth and lots of facts, this isn't for you. The idea of transitioning between each Tsarina was good, it just seems a bit light on lots of facts. This helps if you have read other biographies of the different Tsarinas.
June 18, 2012
qué familia Tudor ni qué nada...
September 12, 2013
Sex, drugs, and rock n roll
February 14, 2024
მოკრძალებული ცხოვრებით არც ერთი ქვეყნის მმართველი გამოირჩეოდა, მაგრამ რუსეთის იმპერიის ხუთი ქალი-მეფის ცხოვრება მაინც განსაკუთრებულია. ამ პატარა წიგნში (მხოლოდ ეკატერინე დიდის ამბავი ორჯერ უფრო დიდია) სწორედ ამ კუთხით არის განხილული მათი მეფობის ხანა - ეკატერინე, ანა, ანა, ელისაბედი და ეკატერინე ფუფუნებას, ჭამა-სმას, ორგიებს ახმარდნენ ათასგვარი ინტრიგის შედეგად მოპოვებულ ძალაუფლებას.
February 11, 2024
Henri Troyat’ın kaleminden çok iyi bir biyografi. Rusya’nın kaotik 18. asrında, meşhur Büyük Petro’nun ardılları arasındaki hakimiyet mücadelesi. Alman prenseslerin taht oyunları ve Rus monarşisi üzerinde Fransız-Alman nüfuz savaşı. Mutlaka okunası👍🏻
February 27, 2024
Easy and quick to read, even though the particular bit of history involved was truly messy, this is a book I would recommend as a bridge between the biographies of Peter the great and Catherine the great by r.k. Massie.
August 28, 2025
Educational, short and to the point. Troyat sheds light on 5 women who held the reigns in Russia for a time.
May 26, 2023
A moderately entertaining romp through 40 years of salacious court gossip. Interesting and fun but not particularly enlightening. This is very much "tabloid" history, heavy on sex and scheming, light on any sort of sourcing (not even a bibliography), so if you are actually looking for reliable information about the empresses in question, rather than a general sense of their personalities and rumored lovers and vices, you'll have to look elsewhere.
The book, at least in translation, also could have benefited from better editing. There were some really basic mistakes - for example, Russia kept the Julian Calendar when the West adopted the Gregorian and not the other way around; there was no kingdom called Germany at the time - but I don't know if these are the fault of the author, the translator, the editor, or some combination.
Still, neither the most entertaining nor the most reliable book on the reigns between Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, but certainly an enjoyable and accessible introduction to anyone coming fresh to the topic, or even to a more knowledgeable reader looking to learn a bit more about four fascinating women rulers (the Empresses Catherine I, Anna, and Elizabeth, and the Regent Anna Leopoldovna) who have been woefully neglected by historians.
The book, at least in translation, also could have benefited from better editing. There were some really basic mistakes - for example, Russia kept the Julian Calendar when the West adopted the Gregorian and not the other way around; there was no kingdom called Germany at the time - but I don't know if these are the fault of the author, the translator, the editor, or some combination.
Still, neither the most entertaining nor the most reliable book on the reigns between Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, but certainly an enjoyable and accessible introduction to anyone coming fresh to the topic, or even to a more knowledgeable reader looking to learn a bit more about four fascinating women rulers (the Empresses Catherine I, Anna, and Elizabeth, and the Regent Anna Leopoldovna) who have been woefully neglected by historians.
August 18, 2024
Le roman relate les successions suivant la mort de Pierre le Grand (1725). Trois tsarines (Catherine Ire, Anna 1re et Élisabeth Ire) plus une régente (Anna Leopoldovna) vont se succéder en moins d'un demi-siècle. Le roman s'achève sur l'avènement de Catherine II (1762).
Le texte est très détaillé, on est vraiment plongé dans la Russie de l'époque. On est dans la cour de Saint-Pétersbourg et c'est rocambolesque ! Le style est très érudit. La profusion de détails s'avère cependant fastidieux au bout d'un moment.
Il est intéressant de noter que dans la page wikipedia concernant Élisabeth, celle-ci n'est pas dépeinte aussi inculte et frivole que Troyat semble l'affirmer. Est-ce les répétitions de l'historien sur ces points qui confère cette impression finale après lecture ?
Le texte est très détaillé, on est vraiment plongé dans la Russie de l'époque. On est dans la cour de Saint-Pétersbourg et c'est rocambolesque ! Le style est très érudit. La profusion de détails s'avère cependant fastidieux au bout d'un moment.
Il est intéressant de noter que dans la page wikipedia concernant Élisabeth, celle-ci n'est pas dépeinte aussi inculte et frivole que Troyat semble l'affirmer. Est-ce les répétitions de l'historien sur ces points qui confère cette impression finale après lecture ?
December 30, 2015
"Hidden" between the great rulers Peter the Great and Catherine II, these five women (four tsarinas and a regent) are not well known but they deserve to be. Starting by Peter's wife Catherine I, followed by his niece Anna Ivanovna, his grandniece Anna Leopoldovna and ending by his daughter Elizabeth I, these women ruled Russia for 36 years and it was not a piece of cake. It was a time of wars and upheaval. Some where loved, other despised and almost each one was criticized by their sexual behavior.
This book is not so big, but it goes to the point and allows us to take a good look at how it was to live and rule in 18th century Russia.
This book is not so big, but it goes to the point and allows us to take a good look at how it was to live and rule in 18th century Russia.
March 3, 2014
Книга, в основе своей, - описание восшествий на престол, мирных и не очень, адюльтеров и внутрисемейных дрязг 5 российских императриц: Екатерины 1, Анны Иоановны, Анны Леопольдовны, Елизаветы 1 и Екатерины 2. Ни их роль в истории, ни их свершения почти не упоминаются в данном труде. Счастливым исключением стала лишь Елизавета 1. О Екатерине 2 рассказано до ее вступления на престол - остальное в отдельной книге. Итог - сборник дворцовых сплетен, вполне увлекательных и заслуживающих прочтения.
August 19, 2011
It is a very nice overview of the "Russian" women who ruled Russia after Peter the Great and before Catherine the Great.I liked it because I wanted a overview, but if you were hoping for indepth discussions and detailed information, not your book here.
May 30, 2013
Siempre disfruto las novelas históricas (o la historia novelada). Me impresionó la depravación e hipocresía, que además es infinita cuando se combina con el poder absoluto. Mujeres intensas, de eso no hay duda.
June 7, 2008
Una pequeña intruduccion sobre las ultimas zarinas del imperio ruso. Este libro es una introduccion al facinante mundo de la historia.
December 30, 2011
Very interesting. I couldn't put it down and I now want to read his book about Catherine the Great if I can find it in French.
January 28, 2013
Se pone interesante apartir del Capítulo X y XI (osea, los dos últimos) especialmente por el contexto internacional.
September 28, 2013
Good start, but the ending was disappointing. I did not understand why he did not presented Ecaterina the Great to the full length, as he did with the others Tsarinas.
April 8, 2014
Too little references, too much speculation about feelings and desires.
September 23, 2015
Kinda hard to read.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews