Catherine The Great

More than a conventional biography, this is a full history of her rule and use of power. It shows how Catherine conceived of her power and how she represented it to her subjects, as well as how she wielded this power. Catherine's life and reign are a prism through which the culture and politics of her age are viewed. To what extent was her rule consensual and how far did it depend on force? As Simon Dixon answers these questions he sheds new light on the Enlightenment, the power of the monarch and the role of the great individual in history.

Simon Dixon is Professor of History, University of Leeds. He is a leading expert on Russian history and the author of many books, including The Modernisation of Russia, 1676-1825 (1999).

Catherine the Great (Catherine II of Russia) has become a legendary figure in Russian history. In this new work, Simon Dixon goes beyond the narrative to explore how she exercised her power. He analyzes the inter-relationships of consensus and control and the interaction of monarchy, nobility and bureaucracy in eighteenth century Russia, and illuminates the nature of authority in Europe of "Enlightened Absolutism" . Neither a comprehensive 'life and times', nor a conventional biography, this is an engaging and accessible exploration of rulership and monarchial authority in eighteenth century Russia. Its purpose is to see how Catherine II of Russia conceived of her power and how it was represented to her subjects. Simon Dixon asks essential questions about Catherine's life and reign, and offers new and stimulating arguments about the Enlightenment, the power of the monarch in early modern Europe, and the much-debated role of the "great individual" in history. Simon Disxon is Professor Modern History at the University of Leeds in 1999. He is the author of The Moderisation of Russia, 1876-1825 (1999).