| Edition |
First Vintage Books edition. |
| Description |
xiv, 634 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, genealogical tables, portraits ; 21 cm |
| Note |
Originally published: London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000. |
|
Previously published under the title Prince of princes: the life of Potemkin. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [512]-614) and index. |
| Contents |
pt. 1. Potemkin and Catherine 1739-1762 -- 1. The provincial boy -- 2. The guardsman and the Grand Duchess : Catherine's coup -- 3. First meeting : the Empress's reckless suitor -- pt. 2. Closer 1762-1774 -- 4. Cyclops -- 5. The war hero -- 6. The happiest man alive -- pt. 3. Together 1774-1776 -- 7. Love -- 8. Power -- 9. Marriage : Madame Potemkin -- 10. Heartbreak and understanding -- pt. 4. The passionate partnership 1776-1777 -- 11. Her favourites -- 12. His nieces -- 13. Dutchesses, diplomats and charlatans -- pt. 5. The Colossus 1777-1783 -- 14. Byzantium -- 15. The Holy Roman Emperor -- 16. Three marriages and a crown -- 17. Potemkin's paradise : the Crimea -- pt. 6. The Co-Tsar 1784-1786 -- 18. Emperor of the south -- 19. British Blackamoors and Chechen warriors -- 20. Anglomania : the Benthams in Russia and the Emperor of Gardens -- 21. The white Negro -- 22. A day in the life of Grigory Alexandrovich -- pt. 7. The apogee, 1787-1790 -- 23. The magical theatre -- 24. Cleopatra -- 25. The Amazons -- 26. Jewish cossacks and American admirals : Potemkin's war -- 27. Cry havoc : the storming of Ochakov -- 28. My successes are yours -- 29. The delicious and the cruel : Sardanapalus -- 30. Sea of slaughter : Ismail -- pt. 8. The last dance 1791 -- 31. The beautiful Greek -- 32. Carnival and crisis -- 33. The last ride. |
| Summary |
As a young guardsman, Grigory Potemkin caught the eye of Catherine the Great with a theatrical act of gallantry during the coup that placed her on the throne. Over the next thirty years he would become her lover, co-ruler, and husband in a secret marriage that left room for both to satisfy their sexual appetites. Potemkin proved to be one of the most brilliant statesmen of the eighteenth century, helping Catherine expand the Russian empire and deftly manipulating allies and adversaries from Constantinople to London. This biography vividly re-creates Potemkin's outsized character and accomplishments and restores him to his rightful place as a colossus of the eighteenth century. It chronicles the tempestuous relationship between Potemkin and Catherine, a remarkable love affair between two strong personalities that helped shape the course of history. As he brings these characters to life, Montefiore also tells the story of the creation of the Russian empire. |
| Subject |
Potemkin, Grigoriĭ Aleksandrovich, kni︠a︡zʹ, 1739-1791.
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Favorites, Royal -- Russia -- Catherine II, 1762-1796 -- Biography.
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Statesmen -- Russia -- Catherine II, 1762-1796 -- Biography.
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Generals -- Russia -- Catherine II, 1762-1796 -- Biography.
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Russia -- History -- Catherine II, 1762-1796.
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| ISBN |
1400077176 paperback |
|
9781400077175 paperback |
|
