Peter the Great: A Biography

The definitive short biography of the enigmatic Peter the Great

Peter the Great (1672-1725), tsar of Russia for forty-three years, was a dramatic, appealing, and unconventional character. This book provides a vivid sense of the dynamics of his life--both public and private--and his reign.

Drawing on his letters and papers, as well as on other contemporary accounts, the book provides new insights into Peter's complex character, giving information on his actions, deliberations, possessions, and significant fantasy world--his many disguises and pseudonyms, his interest in dwarfs, his clowning and vandalism. It also sheds fresh light on his relationships with individuals such as his second wife Catherine and his favorite, Alexander Menshikov. The book includes discussions of Peter's image in painting and sculpture, and there are two final chapters on his legacy and posthumous reputation up to the present.

Author: Lindsey Hughes
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 03/11/2004
Pages: 324
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.13lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.92w x 0.92d
ISBN13: 9780300103007
ISBN10: 030010300X
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Historical
- Biography & Autobiography | Presidents & Heads of State
- History | Russia & the Former Soviet Union

About the Author
Lindsey Hughes is professor of Russian history at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London. She is also the author of the classic work Russia in the Age of Peter the Great.