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The Memoirs of Catherine the Great
Empress 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.
From the Hardcover edition.
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.
From the Hardcover edition.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1859
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About the author
Catherine II
88 books10 followersCatherine the Great, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russia, the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. Her reign, the Catherinian Era, was called Russia's golden age. Russia was revitalized, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.
The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country. A notable example of an enlightened despot, a correspondent of Voltaire and an amateur opera librettist, Catherine presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, when the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe, was established.
Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas, and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to increased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief reasons behind several rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev's Rebellion of cossacks and peasants.
She was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, and came to power following a coup d'état and the assassination of her husband, Peter III, at the end of the Seven Years' War.
In both her accession to power and in rule of her empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov, and admirals such as Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was crushed following victories over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish wars, and Russia colonised the vast territories of Novorossiya along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, king Stanisław August Poniatowski, was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russia started to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.
The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the country. A notable example of an enlightened despot, a correspondent of Voltaire and an amateur opera librettist, Catherine presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, when the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe, was established.
Catherine reformed the administration of Russian guberniyas, and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to increased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief reasons behind several rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev's Rebellion of cossacks and peasants.
She was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, and came to power following a coup d'état and the assassination of her husband, Peter III, at the end of the Seven Years' War.
In both her accession to power and in rule of her empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov, and admirals such as Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was crushed following victories over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish wars, and Russia colonised the vast territories of Novorossiya along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, king Stanisław August Poniatowski, was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russia started to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
March 6, 2024
Ich liebe Memoirenliteratur des 18. Jahrhunderts, weiß daher, was ich davon mit Recht erwarten kann und worüber gerne geschwiegen wird. In diesem Fall sorgt der Adressat (der Thronfolger, dem sicherlich allerlei Gerede über die Umstände und Legitimität der Thronbesteigung seiner Mutter zu Ohren gekommen sind) für weitere Einschränkungen. Die mit zwei Sternen versehenen Rezis können nur von Leuten stammen, die ausführliche Beschreibungen der Nummern mit den Hengsten und allerlei zweibeinigen Favoriten erwartet haben.
Diese Memoiren aus Jugendjahren der späteren Kaiserin strotzen nur so vor Ungerechtigkeiten, die eine junge Frau erdulden musste, deren Wohl und Wehe von einer launischen, da kränklichen Zarin (Adoptivschwiegermutter) abhing, die sich als Erben den nächstbesten Verwandten aus Holstein geholt hatte, der eigentlich lieber König von Schweden geworden wäre und nie viel mit Russland anfangen konnte.
Als Chronik von Alltagspannen, schier unglaublichen Bausünden (z.B. der einzige Durchgang für 17 Zofen und Dienstmägde führt durch Katharinas Schlafzimmer. Wichtige Stützen an einem Neubau werden entfernt, so dass das Gebäude über den Gästen einstürzt) und des mit dem Intrigenstadls verbundenen Spitzelwesens, sowie der Mätressenwirtschaft des Gatten, sind Katharinas Memoiren eine herrliche Chronik der Epoche. Selbst wenn es allerlei Subtexte gibt, wie die Rechtfertigung für den Aufstand gegen den Gatten Peter, der seine Absetzung kaum überlebte oder auch den Trost an den Thronfolger im Wartestand, der es, alles in allem, doch viel besser hat als seine Mutter als Gattin des dauerbesoffenen Großfürsten und Thronfolgers.
Für das Leidensprotokoll der jungen Katharina hätte ich vielleicht nur vier Sterne vergeben, allerdings verfügt diese Ausgabe über drei Anhänge.
Der erste stammt von der Fürstin Daschkoff, der Schwester der aktuellen Favoritin des Zaren, der selbige gern in den Rang einer Zarin erhoben hätte. Doch Katharina tat ihm nicht den Gefallen rechtzeitig zu sterben. Die 19jährige Daschkoff beschreibt (oder übertreibt) ihren Anteil an der gelungenen Verschwörung gegen den unfähigen Zaren. Der Vorwurf der Übertreibung durch besagte Wichtigtuerin stammt von Katharina, die im folgenden Brief an ihren Favoriten Poniatowski kein Blatt vor den Mund nimmt und sich als die Macherin präsentiert, für die man die Zarin halten muss.
Gerade jener Brief, der sich exakt derselben Syntax wie die Memoiren bedient, auch wenn sich die Akzente klar vom Opfer, das sich nach Kräften über Wasser hält, zur kühlen Strategin verschoben haben, die schon ein halbes Jahr, bevor die Daschkoff zum ersten mal davon Kunde bekam, alle Fäden in der Hand hielt. Grund für die Beschwerde und den Auftrag an P so einiges richtig zu stellen, ist die Angst, dass Freund Voltaire gar den Eindruck bekommen könnte, eine 19jährige Wichtigtuerin hätte den unfähigen Zaren gestürzt und Katharina auf den Thron verholfen.
Der letzte Anhang sind Briefe des armen Zaren Peter, der als Gefangener seiner Rolle als Thronfolger das Reich nicht ohne Einwilligung von Zarin Elisabeth verlassen konnte, obwohl er gerne zurück nach Holstein wollte. Literarisch sicherlich ein ganz kleines Licht, aber eben auch ein ganz armer Wurm. Die Schwärmerei für Friedrich II. und die Rettung des Königs von Preußen nach dem Tod der Zarin durch Sabotage sämtlicher russischer Kriegsanstrengungen sind daher leicht nachvollziehbar. Wieder ein historisches Rätsel gelöst, daher fünf Sterne für das Gesamtgebilde, vier für die nominelle Hauptattraktion.
Diese Memoiren aus Jugendjahren der späteren Kaiserin strotzen nur so vor Ungerechtigkeiten, die eine junge Frau erdulden musste, deren Wohl und Wehe von einer launischen, da kränklichen Zarin (Adoptivschwiegermutter) abhing, die sich als Erben den nächstbesten Verwandten aus Holstein geholt hatte, der eigentlich lieber König von Schweden geworden wäre und nie viel mit Russland anfangen konnte.
Als Chronik von Alltagspannen, schier unglaublichen Bausünden (z.B. der einzige Durchgang für 17 Zofen und Dienstmägde führt durch Katharinas Schlafzimmer. Wichtige Stützen an einem Neubau werden entfernt, so dass das Gebäude über den Gästen einstürzt) und des mit dem Intrigenstadls verbundenen Spitzelwesens, sowie der Mätressenwirtschaft des Gatten, sind Katharinas Memoiren eine herrliche Chronik der Epoche. Selbst wenn es allerlei Subtexte gibt, wie die Rechtfertigung für den Aufstand gegen den Gatten Peter, der seine Absetzung kaum überlebte oder auch den Trost an den Thronfolger im Wartestand, der es, alles in allem, doch viel besser hat als seine Mutter als Gattin des dauerbesoffenen Großfürsten und Thronfolgers.
Für das Leidensprotokoll der jungen Katharina hätte ich vielleicht nur vier Sterne vergeben, allerdings verfügt diese Ausgabe über drei Anhänge.
Der erste stammt von der Fürstin Daschkoff, der Schwester der aktuellen Favoritin des Zaren, der selbige gern in den Rang einer Zarin erhoben hätte. Doch Katharina tat ihm nicht den Gefallen rechtzeitig zu sterben. Die 19jährige Daschkoff beschreibt (oder übertreibt) ihren Anteil an der gelungenen Verschwörung gegen den unfähigen Zaren. Der Vorwurf der Übertreibung durch besagte Wichtigtuerin stammt von Katharina, die im folgenden Brief an ihren Favoriten Poniatowski kein Blatt vor den Mund nimmt und sich als die Macherin präsentiert, für die man die Zarin halten muss.
Gerade jener Brief, der sich exakt derselben Syntax wie die Memoiren bedient, auch wenn sich die Akzente klar vom Opfer, das sich nach Kräften über Wasser hält, zur kühlen Strategin verschoben haben, die schon ein halbes Jahr, bevor die Daschkoff zum ersten mal davon Kunde bekam, alle Fäden in der Hand hielt. Grund für die Beschwerde und den Auftrag an P so einiges richtig zu stellen, ist die Angst, dass Freund Voltaire gar den Eindruck bekommen könnte, eine 19jährige Wichtigtuerin hätte den unfähigen Zaren gestürzt und Katharina auf den Thron verholfen.
Der letzte Anhang sind Briefe des armen Zaren Peter, der als Gefangener seiner Rolle als Thronfolger das Reich nicht ohne Einwilligung von Zarin Elisabeth verlassen konnte, obwohl er gerne zurück nach Holstein wollte. Literarisch sicherlich ein ganz kleines Licht, aber eben auch ein ganz armer Wurm. Die Schwärmerei für Friedrich II. und die Rettung des Königs von Preußen nach dem Tod der Zarin durch Sabotage sämtlicher russischer Kriegsanstrengungen sind daher leicht nachvollziehbar. Wieder ein historisches Rätsel gelöst, daher fünf Sterne für das Gesamtgebilde, vier für die nominelle Hauptattraktion.
March 19, 2010
Book covers years 1728 thru 1759. I think it was pretty dry and book really doesn't need prologue of 100 pages.
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November 16, 2019Po pierwszej lekturze pamiętników Katarzyny Wielkiej byłam troszeczkę zawiedziona, o ile oczywiście można być zawiedzionym czytaniem czyichś wspomnień.
Największym rozczarowaniem jest chyba to, że nie jest to "oryginalny pamiętnik", którego się spodziewałam. Katarzyna pisała swoje pamiętniki w latach osiemdziesiątych, czyli już jako kobieta w pełni dojrzała (przewrót pałacowy odbył się w 1762 roku). Tekst ich jest zredagowany, nie ma w nim zbyt wielu emocji czy intymnych zwierzeń carycy. Z pewnością pamiętniki dostarczają sporo informacji o młodzieńczych latach Katarzyny oraz stosunkach panujących na dworze cesarzowej Elżbiety, mimo to jednak przez cały czas odczuwałam subtelną chęć autorki na przedstawienie swojej osoby w jak najlepszym świetle. Męża opisywała jako nieokrzesanego, głupiego pijaka, a siebie jako postać wiecznie cierpiącą, osamotnioną, dobrą i niedocenianą. Czyżby próba usprawiedliwienia przewrotu?
Wielu autorów cytuje w swoich opracowaniach pamiętniki Katarzyny II, ale mimo wszystko warto sięgnąć po całość, gdyż stanowią one ciekawe źródło informacji na temat życia dworskiego w XVIII-wiecznej Rosji i oczywiście samej Katarzyny.
Największym rozczarowaniem jest chyba to, że nie jest to "oryginalny pamiętnik", którego się spodziewałam. Katarzyna pisała swoje pamiętniki w latach osiemdziesiątych, czyli już jako kobieta w pełni dojrzała (przewrót pałacowy odbył się w 1762 roku). Tekst ich jest zredagowany, nie ma w nim zbyt wielu emocji czy intymnych zwierzeń carycy. Z pewnością pamiętniki dostarczają sporo informacji o młodzieńczych latach Katarzyny oraz stosunkach panujących na dworze cesarzowej Elżbiety, mimo to jednak przez cały czas odczuwałam subtelną chęć autorki na przedstawienie swojej osoby w jak najlepszym świetle. Męża opisywała jako nieokrzesanego, głupiego pijaka, a siebie jako postać wiecznie cierpiącą, osamotnioną, dobrą i niedocenianą. Czyżby próba usprawiedliwienia przewrotu?
Wielu autorów cytuje w swoich opracowaniach pamiętniki Katarzyny II, ale mimo wszystko warto sięgnąć po całość, gdyż stanowią one ciekawe źródło informacji na temat życia dworskiego w XVIII-wiecznej Rosji i oczywiście samej Katarzyny.
October 9, 2011
I used to admire Catherine the Great, Russia's first (and only) Tsarina. The strong women who fought the Ottomans and gained more territory for Russia. The brave woman who brought the Enlightenment to Russia. The attractive woman who radically used her sex to influence politics. In her memoirs, SHE IS SO ANNOYING. She was the only female Tsarina of Russia, and all she writes about is crying over something her mom did or a servant the Empress sent away. She described her what she had for dinner and what she wore to the masquarade more than anything political or even somewhat relevant to history. I am sorry, Catherine, but I do not care about how your face broke out in pimples or how to cure sunburn. This was such a waste of my time.
July 8, 2023
I don’t believe it proper, civilized or gentlemanly to rate a personal diary, which was never meant to be printed or read by the general public.
But I’ll make an exception for Our Lady of Perpetual Perfection.
Not only does Catherine II dedicate her journal to her son, Paul I – she also takes great pains to deliver such a whitewashed and pristine image of herself, it gleams without the sun.
Her husband, Peter III, you see, is a lying, fornicating and drinking feeble-minded simpleton. Empress Elisabeth is a wicked, child-torturing witch with urinary incontinence.
Catherine, on the other hand, is a blameless, suffering victim. She’s impressed with her own wits and beauty. She’s always right, while other people are always wrong. Her judgement of any situation is always correct, and her multiple affairs only hinted at.
Don’t read the journal, as I did, with the expectation that you might find discussion of politics or history. This is predominantly petty melodrama of court squabbles and marital disagreements with You-Are-Not-The-Father, written by an astonishingly common mind. Now, either Catherine’s dumbing herself down on purpose – which is, of course, an option – or I have truly read a memoir of a gossiping hen.
And here I thought, Catherine II was a visionary. I thought it took one to rule an empire.
But I’ll make an exception for Our Lady of Perpetual Perfection.
Not only does Catherine II dedicate her journal to her son, Paul I – she also takes great pains to deliver such a whitewashed and pristine image of herself, it gleams without the sun.
Her husband, Peter III, you see, is a lying, fornicating and drinking feeble-minded simpleton. Empress Elisabeth is a wicked, child-torturing witch with urinary incontinence.
Catherine, on the other hand, is a blameless, suffering victim. She’s impressed with her own wits and beauty. She’s always right, while other people are always wrong. Her judgement of any situation is always correct, and her multiple affairs only hinted at.
Don’t read the journal, as I did, with the expectation that you might find discussion of politics or history. This is predominantly petty melodrama of court squabbles and marital disagreements with You-Are-Not-The-Father, written by an astonishingly common mind. Now, either Catherine’s dumbing herself down on purpose – which is, of course, an option – or I have truly read a memoir of a gossiping hen.
And here I thought, Catherine II was a visionary. I thought it took one to rule an empire.
August 30, 2015
Reading this interesting memoir, I think, was a bit tough due to its length and innumerable important persons involved as narrated in her account; therefore, this extract should suffice to those keen future readers:
… Begun nine years after her accession, this is the apologia for her course of action leading to the coup d’etat in 1762 and the deposition of her husband. Her account contains the intimate revelations of a woman of astonishing complexity; a woman whose ruthless schemes for Russian world leadership; a woman intellectually conscious of the nature of her moral lapses, yet emotionally incapable of resisting temptation. (Front flap)
… Begun nine years after her accession, this is the apologia for her course of action leading to the coup d’etat in 1762 and the deposition of her husband. Her account contains the intimate revelations of a woman of astonishing complexity; a woman whose ruthless schemes for Russian world leadership; a woman intellectually conscious of the nature of her moral lapses, yet emotionally incapable of resisting temptation. (Front flap)
September 30, 2016
Η Αικατερίνη η μεγάλη ήταν μία από τις σπουδαιότερες γυναίκες της ιστορίας, οπότε είμαστε ιδιαίτερα τυχεροί που μέσα από τα απομνημονεύματα της μπορούμε να ακούσουμε τη φωνή της. Το κακό βέβαια είναι ότι η αφήγηση της σταματάει στα τρία χρόνια πριν την ενθρόνιση της, κάτι που μας στερεί τη δική της οπτική στα σημαντικότερα γεγονότα της ζωής της που διαμόρφωσαν τη ρωσική ιστορία. Παρόλα αυτά τα απομνημονεύματα της είναι σημαντικά καθώς μας δίνουν μία ματιά στην ψυχοσύνθεση της αποκαλύπτοντας μας τη γυναίκα πίσω από την αυτοκράτειρα. Παράλληλα είναι μία εξαιρετική καταγραφή των ηθών της αριστοκρατίας και των πολιτικών παιχνιδιών που κυριαρχούσαν στην προνομιούχα ζωή της.
January 10, 2018
Die Autobiographie der Zarin Katharina der Großen von ihren Jugendjahren bis zur Krönung ist für ein Werk des Rokkoko unglaublich lebhaft und aktuell geschrieben. Eine bunte Mischung aus zeithistorischem Dokument, Klatsch aus der russischen Society und Intrigantenstadel. Dabei bekommt man auch einen lebhaften Einblick, wie Petersburg und Moskau vor 250 Jahren ausgesehen haben müssen und wie es sich dort als Mitglied des Hochadels gelebt hat. Meine Ausgabe ist mit sinnvollen Fußnoten und einer interessanten Einführung und einer Kurzbiographie versehen. Einziges Ärgernis sind die vielen Tippfehler.
September 30, 2020
Memoirs by Catherine the Great about her life experiences from the time she first arrived at Russia til she became the empress.
December 11, 2022
Es fängt ganz gut an, aber dann geht es doch zu achtzig Prozent um schwer durchschaubare Hof-Intrigen, die mich nicht so interessiert haben. Außerdem endet das Buch in dem Moment, in dem sie überhaupt erst Kaiserin wird. Danach hatte sie wahrscheinlich nicht mehr so viel Zeit zum Schreiben.
February 14, 2008
Though I enjoyed reading this memoir it took me a very long time to finish. The end of the memoir was pretty dry. The book covers the years of 1728 thru 1759.
I'm drawn to the life of Catherine the Great as I can relate to much of her life. She was cynical and sincere. "A Humanitarian and an enlightened ruler but ruthless." She believed that "human reason, common sense and tolerance could combat ignorance, tyranny and superstition to build an an enlightened better world." A graphomaniac who enjoyed philosophy and believed in freedom of the serfs, a strong structured economy and education.
It saddened me to read about how her children were taken away from her at birth and she was not allowed to see them for several weeks after their births and for only a short time. I cannot imagine the loneliness of a loveless marriage and an Empress who forbids you to see your own children.
Peter III was a twit and puss. I can't imagine being married to such an immature dimwit. To know that he would eventually killed by Scarface didn't bother me one bit. Go big Cath!
I will be looking into reading her personal letters. I wish she would have continued to write a memoir throughout her colorful and political life.
I'm drawn to the life of Catherine the Great as I can relate to much of her life. She was cynical and sincere. "A Humanitarian and an enlightened ruler but ruthless." She believed that "human reason, common sense and tolerance could combat ignorance, tyranny and superstition to build an an enlightened better world." A graphomaniac who enjoyed philosophy and believed in freedom of the serfs, a strong structured economy and education.
It saddened me to read about how her children were taken away from her at birth and she was not allowed to see them for several weeks after their births and for only a short time. I cannot imagine the loneliness of a loveless marriage and an Empress who forbids you to see your own children.
Peter III was a twit and puss. I can't imagine being married to such an immature dimwit. To know that he would eventually killed by Scarface didn't bother me one bit. Go big Cath!
I will be looking into reading her personal letters. I wish she would have continued to write a memoir throughout her colorful and political life.
March 12, 2015
I liked this memoir. It was well written, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Maybe I've just heard too much of the salacious gossipy stuff about Catherine. I think I should have read a biography about her first and then made the attempt to read this memoir of hers. She ended this memoir sooner than I thought she would. She didn't even touch on her time as Empress. I feel like some essential pieces have been left out of the story, so I can’t really write a decent review. I will be reading her biography soon.
October 24, 2012
This was another of the books that I tried to read, didn't have a real objection to, but just couldn't get in to it. Not all books can captivate every reader, so I think it is one you shouldn't discard if you are interested in the Russian royalty. It just wasn't one that grabbed me.
August 2, 2021
Catherine the Great will forever be my queen.
October 19, 2018
What a woman!
Catherine the Great had an amazingly difficult life since her arrival in Russia, even if it could've seemed easy and luxurious. How many sacrifices she had to make to became the Great Empress: her marriage with Peter III, immature cruel beast, her life apart from her mother, because the latter was not welcome in the kingdom, her separation for 40 days with her first infant. All the people who watched her every move to report it afterwards to Empress Elizabeth and all those intrigues..
Overall, it is a very interesting read and I highly recommend it to everyone!
Catherine the Great had an amazingly difficult life since her arrival in Russia, even if it could've seemed easy and luxurious. How many sacrifices she had to make to became the Great Empress: her marriage with Peter III, immature cruel beast, her life apart from her mother, because the latter was not welcome in the kingdom, her separation for 40 days with her first infant. All the people who watched her every move to report it afterwards to Empress Elizabeth and all those intrigues..
Overall, it is a very interesting read and I highly recommend it to everyone!
April 26, 2017
Very different than the cyclopedic entries on this empress' life! We read of Paul III and yet the stunning details of his spousal removal are not included; a gossip magazine once said that Catherine assembled numerous lovers and ruled, though most of us can do only one of those things. Romantic impressions from Hollywood's THE SCARLET EMPRESS with Marlene Dietrich sum up our appreciations of Catherine, despite her real life as lived and seen by us here; we read of mother-in-law unpleasant masquerades whereby male courtiers would have to don cheesecloth and ladies trouser roles; we read of manifold court figures, and of predecessor Empress Elisabeth, the wisest and best Empress of Russia, according to a still-extant bronze cast bell inscription from the Kremlin. Unfortunately German Pomerania of Catherine's hometown principality Stettin is since 1945 German-expelled and Polish-administered with German Silesia and German East Prussia. But Catherine's separate Partition of Poland would make Poland as Austrian-German Prussian-Russian by an undying Three Emperors' League of the Three Northern Courts and the Holy Alliance of later treaties. Though as here presented, Catherine was an unusual bluestocking (a woman writer), she is one of the Greats. Her Imperial Majesty's goals included overturning the Ottoman Empire and bringing back the Glory That Was Greece, though Her Imperial Majesty passed away before that could take place and seemingly only saw herself as something like a schoolteacher from these pages.
January 6, 2016
"Вот так всегда: на самом интересном месте!"
Удивительно, конечно, читать воспоминания Екатерины Великой. Не могу не отметить, что у нее хороший слог и отличное чувство юмора. Автобиографию воспринимаешь как увлекательный роман о закулисной жизни русского императорского двора XVIII века.
Я не питаю никаких иллюзий на тему столь необычного автора. Понятно, что историю пишут победители, и все описанное в мемуарах - исключительно события ее глазами. Или такие, как она хочет нам представить. Вот, что интересно. Обычно говорят, что Екатерина выставляет Петра III в ужасном свете, так, как ей выгодно. А я вот ничего ужасного в том, что она говорит, не увидела. Да, она его не любила. Да, считала его глупым. Попрекала за излишнюю любовь к алкоголю. И все. Зато о себе у нее, конечно, очень высокое мнение. Но разве ее позиция не подтвердилась в дальнейшем?!
Очень жаль, что Екатерина не успела закончить мемуары. Книга обрывается, причем на самом интересном месте - ее разговоре с Елизаветой Петровной о поведении наследника престола. О том, что было дальше Википедия не расскажет. Расскажет, конечно, но совсем не так, как сама Екатерина.
Удивительно, конечно, читать воспоминания Екатерины Великой. Не могу не отметить, что у нее хороший слог и отличное чувство юмора. Автобиографию воспринимаешь как увлекательный роман о закулисной жизни русского императорского двора XVIII века.
Я не питаю никаких иллюзий на тему столь необычного автора. Понятно, что историю пишут победители, и все описанное в мемуарах - исключительно события ее глазами. Или такие, как она хочет нам представить. Вот, что интересно. Обычно говорят, что Екатерина выставляет Петра III в ужасном свете, так, как ей выгодно. А я вот ничего ужасного в том, что она говорит, не увидела. Да, она его не любила. Да, считала его глупым. Попрекала за излишнюю любовь к алкоголю. И все. Зато о себе у нее, конечно, очень высокое мнение. Но разве ее позиция не подтвердилась в дальнейшем?!
Очень жаль, что Екатерина не успела закончить мемуары. Книга обрывается, причем на самом интересном месте - ее разговоре с Елизаветой Петровной о поведении наследника престола. О том, что было дальше Википедия не расскажет. Расскажет, конечно, но совсем не так, как сама Екатерина.
February 21, 2013
"The Memoirs of Catherine the Great", edited by Dominique Maroger. 1961. Peter the Great set the stage that allowed for a string of powerful women to dominate 18th century Russia. Catherine, along with her predecessors, through art, architecture and fashion, bequeathed Russia with unique sense of style, a kind of femininity that had not before existed. But more than simply leaving Russia with great beauty, Catherine expanded her country's borders and dramatically strengthened her armies forcing Western Europe to acknowledge Russia as a world power. Catherine's writing is intimate, honest and not written for public consumption. Unfortunately it ends all to short, in mid-sentence, just at the point before she seizes the throne. After reading her memoir, I feel as though a know Catherine. I feel as though I would have liked her.
July 26, 2012
This book illustrates the characteristics required of an empress, wisdom, grace, beauty, intelligence, loyalty, honesty, wit, patience, intuition, etc. The funny part of this book is that Catherine is described as having all these characteristics by...Catherine. I gave this book only a three star rating, because I found it difficult to keep up with all the characters and plots within plots detailed in this memoir. Also, this memoir ends abruptly at in integral point in Catherine's life. Therefor, I am going to have to buy a biography of Catherine the Great to discover how it was that she came to reign and how she maintained her throne.
October 24, 2009
I read this right after a trip to Moscow, so I found it fascinating. If you just happened across it and didn't have Russian on the brain, maybe not. A warning--this was a memoir written for future publication, not a diary, so it was really Catherine's attempt to vindicate herself and doesn't go into much seamy detail. And it doesn't cover her reign at all, just the years from her marriage until right before her reign. But it was a good read for anyone wanting to know about the workings of the Russian court of that time.
July 23, 2014
This was an very good portrayal of one of history's greatest leaders, Catherine the Great. Robert Massie was able to give a more personal look into Catherine's life via letters from friends and loved ones. Though Madariaga's biography was more concise, I liked this book better because it afforded me the opportunity to "see" what it was like to live in Catherine's 1700s. Massies' book really delved into Catherine's love life which always seemed related to her political life. All in all, a great book -even for those not excited by historical fiction.
June 2, 2012
This edition is highly annotated and highly interesting. I am probably a little biased since the translator and annotator taught my university course in which this book was discussed, but I had read great things about this edition before I heard of the professor. The annotations are extremely helpful in understanding the aristocratic environment surrounding Catherine and helpful for the Russian cultural neophyte. Catherine had a brilliant mind and it shows in her clever memoirs.
August 11, 2014
Difficult to get through. I got about 3/4 of the way through and could not make another page. Interesting topic and the first half seemed to flow much better than the 2nd. I wanted to make it to the end, but it just got so brutally boring I stopped caring. I agree with some of the other posts I read, who wants to read page after page of whining or here some of the same details referenced again and again.
April 11, 2009
Love it! She's such a facinating person to me and her perspective on things is also interesting.
She might have been the Empress of all Russia but she was actually German.
I just LOVE that she wrote this herself nearly 300 years ago!
She might have been the Empress of all Russia but she was actually German.
I just LOVE that she wrote this herself nearly 300 years ago!
November 24, 2015
The memoirs of Catherine The Creta
El preámbulo demasiado extenso y sobre cargado de datos. La biografía vanal, propia de la frivolidad de las cortes europeas y por el periodo que abarca no contiene lomas importante que fue su reinado y que es lo esperaba leer.
El preámbulo demasiado extenso y sobre cargado de datos. La biografía vanal, propia de la frivolidad de las cortes europeas y por el periodo que abarca no contiene lomas importante que fue su reinado y que es lo esperaba leer.
June 19, 2007
A little to dry for me.
March 13, 2014
It's really good so far
October 14, 2008
Fantastic. Very easy to read, once you get by all the Russian names. Also, there is a table of ranks and orders at the back that I suggest reading first.
December 12, 2009
There is no end to my love for Catherine the Great. I got a lot out of this book.
February 12, 2010
Fell in love with Catherine....like reading letters from a good friend. She felt
very close.
very close.
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