Ten Books About Catherine the Great

On the 17th of July, 1762, Catherine II, better known as Catherine the Great, became the official Tsarina of Russia after her husband, Peter III was murdered. She was known as not only a great ruler, but as an intelligent woman who was very involved in the cultural shifts and literary movements of Europe at the time - her letters prove this to us.

Catherine the Great was born in Prussia in 1729 and where she was born in now modern day Poland. Her cousins were the Kings Gustav III and Charles XIII of Sweden and even though she was Eastern European, Catherine received her education from a French Governess. She was known by her tomboy-ish nickname “Fike”. Though she was known as a bit of a rebellious youth, her childhood was often uninteresting and uneventful as she states in her letters and her family, even though they were royalty, had very little money of their own. Her power climb later on in her life would be primarily supported by her mother’s family who came into some wealth. At the age of ten years’ old, Catherine first met Peter III of Russia and found him absolutely horrid according to her letters. At a young age, Peter II was already an avid alcoholic and his skin was pasty and pale, looking aged because of the alcohol intake. Peter III was also overly fond of toy soldiers, something that wouldn’t go away with age. Catherine would write that whilst she would stay on her side of the castle, he would stay on his.

Upon her arrival in Russia, she fell sick with an illness that almost killed her and she received bloodletting regularly in order to cure her. She received it four times in one day and eventually, she recovered. Whilst her parents opposed her conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy, the religion of Russia, her in-laws welcomed it with open arms and she was raised in the esteem of the whole country, eventually becoming loved by very many people.

Even though she was loved by many, she became tired with her husband who showed little interest in her and more interest in his toy soldiers. She started to read voraciously in order to pass the time and the books were mostly in French. She would read Voltaire’s works and the philosophers of the French Enlightenment. As she learned more and more of the Russian Language, she became more and more interested in Russian Literature of the day. It was said to be the “Annals” of Tacitus that changed her aspect entirely and made her evermore involved in the power politics of Russia during her time.

In 1762, Peter III became the Tsar of Russia and Catherine, his empress consort. The Seven Years’ War was coming to a close and everyone was already sick and tired of Peter III’s attitude problem and temperament. Within six months of his reign there was already a coup d’etat against him and he was subsequently assassinated. However, the official recorded cause of his death was a stroke. Catherine was recognised as the new Tsarina on the 17th of July, 1762 and crowned at the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow on the 22nd of September of the same year. She was received as a Romanov even though she did not actually descend from that particular dynasty. The crown she wore is now in the Moscow Kremlin Armoury Museum.

Catherine was known to be involved heavily as a patron of the arts and the famed Hermitage Museum began as Catherine’s personal collection. By 1790, the Hermitage had 38’000 books, 10’000 gems and 10’000 drawings. Catherine loved everything that was oriental and had a particular taste for Chinese art. She also wrote fiction and her memoirs, her collected letters were published by Oxford World’s Classics and include letters to people she was reading in the day. Writers and philosophers like Diderot, Voltaire and others would solidify claims that her writing and reading skill was above and beyond in understanding and sophistication for the day. Catherine the Great wrote letters to Voltaire for just about fifteen years from her ascension to his death. He believed that she was a star of Europe and commended her as being accomplished and intelligent. When he died, she acquires his collection of books and placed them in the National Library of Russia. Thankfully though, there are many books written about her as well…

Ten Books About Catherine the Great

10.Russia: Art, Royalty and the Romanovs by Caroline de Guitaut

9. Catherine and Diderot by Robert Zaretsky

8. Catherine the Great: Last Empress of Russia by Michael Simmons

7. The Empress of Art by Susan Jaques

6. The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure by Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees

5. Catherine the Great by Simon Dixon

4. Catherine the Great by Virginia Rounding

3. Catherine the Great and Potemkin: The Imperial Love Affair by Simon Sebag-Montefiore

2. Catherine the Great by Robert K Massie

1. The Romanovs by Simon Sebag-Montefiore