Catherine the Great, Kelly Mass
Catherine the Great, Kelly Mass
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Catherine the Great
The History of Russia’s Longest-Ruling Empress

Author: Kelly Mass

Narrator: Doug Greene

Unabridged: 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/07/2022

Synopsis

Catherine II (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; May the 2nd 1729-- November the 17th 1796, typically called Catherine the Great, ruled as Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796, making her the nation's longest-serving female ruler. Following the assassination of her spouse and 2nd cousin, Peter III, she rose to power. Russia grew bigger, its civilization was rejuvenated, and it was acknowledged as one of Europe's great powers during her reign.

Catherine used her honorable favorites, most significantly Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin, to help her gain power and manage the empire. She ruled at the time of a period when the Russian Empire was rapidly broadening through intrusion and diplomacy, with the help of very effective generals like Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev, and also admirals like Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was beat in the Russo-Turkish War (1768-- 1774), and Russia colonized Novorossiya along the Black and Azov Seas, thanks to triumphs over the Bar confederation and the Ottoman Empire.

Catherine the Great has been mentioned so many times in Russian history, it’s definitely a good chapter to study to understand the background of the country more.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Arminius on June 11, 2015

Catherine the Great was the German born wife of Peter III. Peter was (the Ruler of Russia) The former ruler Empress Elizabeth’s handpicked successor. When Russia Nobles found Peter unacceptable they kidnapped and most likely assassinated him. He may have been killed in a struggle but in either event......more

Goodreads review by Bruno on May 10, 2011

Have to agree with the comments about this book being obsessed with physical details. He seemed to spend more pages on the credentials of the architect who build a palace that Catherine stayed in for a couple of months in her youth than on the reasons why a really minor German princess was invited t......more

Goodreads review by Jim on April 21, 2012

This is the second biography I have read this spring about a Russian monarch, the other being Peter the Great. There is a kind of sameness to biographies of monarchs who have enjoyed long reigns -- as opposed to something like Tacitus's The Histories, about the Year of the Four Emperors in A.D. 69.......more

Goodreads review by Mandy on July 27, 2009

I had wanted to know more about her politics and the changes she made, but I learned way too much about how many roubles she spent on what person and what building project. *sigh* It was a good start, though.......more

Goodreads review by Bill on February 03, 2010

I'm a little disappointed in this book. I find the idea of Catherine the Great very fascinating but don't know much about her reign. This book really didn't give me much of a better sense about the monarch. It took some 120 pages before we even got to her reign, and then the book seemed more obsesse......more

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