The Making of Russian Absolutism 1613-1801

Longman History of Russia

by Paul Dukes

Revised and expanded, the second edition of this fascinating study surveys the first two centuries of Romanov rule from the foundation of the dynasty by Michael Romanov in 1613 to the accession of Alexander I in 1801.

The central theme of the book is the growth of absolutism in Russia throughout these years, and it traces in detail how the Russian variety of what was a contemporary European phenomenon came fully into being.

Genres: History, Russia

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Paul Dukes was a historian at the University of Aberdeen, known for his work relating to Russia and Europe.

Reviews

[Abby]

I didn't take much away from this, to be honest, but I did like that the authors often commented on the presence of Scottish people in Russian history – the sentence "The second marriage of Tsar Alexis, it will also be recalled, was to Natalia Naryshkina, the daughter of a hitherto obscure noble family being brought up in the westernised household of Artamon Matveev, whose wife was descended from the Scottish family of Hamilton" makes me think of a pair of society ladies, perhaps ambassadors' wives, turning to each other at a ball as Natalia passes, and one of them saying "Oh, she's a Hamilton, you know."