Review: Massie's _Catherine the Great:_ a good look at a remarkable woman

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Catherine the Great, who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, is one of those great curiosities of history. She was not Russian, nor was she by birth a Romanov, nor did anyone ever consider that she would become Empress and Autocrat of all the Russias and rule for so long. Robert K. Massie, best known for his biographies of Peter the Great (which won a Pulitzer Prize) and of Russia's last Tsar and Tsarina, Nicholas and Alexandra, now has turned his attention to Catherine the Great, who was born Sophia Augusta Fredericka of Anhalt-Zerbst, a tiny German principality, to two parents that were essentially nobodies. Her father, Christian, was staunchly Lutheran, a military man and much older to her father. Her mother, Johanna of Holstein-Guttorp, was very young when she had given birth to Sophia, and was bitterly disappointed that she was a daughter. She ignored her eldest child, and when her next one was born, was delighted that it was the son and heir that she longed for. While she neglected Sophia, she smothered her son, soon followed by another son and another daughter. However, Sophia had two advantages that were working for her. The first was that she very intelligent, and unlike princesses from a later time, she was encouraged to study and educate herself. Towards that goal she had a French governess, who was wise enough to hone her charge's mind, along with the other talents necessary for a young royal miss -- namely, languages, music, dancing and witty repartee. Too, Sophia was expected to mature early, which she did, and at the tender age of fourteen, she was suddenly summoned with her mother to Russia, to marry the Empress Elizabeth's heir, Grand Duke Peter. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Peter was not a very great catch -- he was not at all handsome, spoiled rotten, had very weak self-esteem, not to mention sadistic treatment at the hands of a tutor, and while not entirely stupid, had not a lot of mental stability. And he was utterly fascinated by the art of being a soldier and openly admired and worshipped King Frederick II of Prussia. To cap it all off, he was openly contemptuous of Russia and the Orthodox Church. Sophia on the other hand, knew quite well which way the wind blew when she arrived in Russia. She instantly took on the task of converting to the Russian Orthodox church -- a requirement for any princess who married the heir to the throne -- threw herself into learning the Russian language, and carefully navigated the intrigues of the Court, including pleasing a very capricious and demanding Empress. Unfortunately, she also had to deal with her mother, who was deluding herself into thinking all of the splendour and attention was for herself and not for her daughter. Johanna was narcissistic, self-absorbed and selfish -- and quite foolishly passed along information to the Prussians. Empress Elizabeth, for all of the appearance of being a gadfly, was nobody's fool. She knew quite well what Peter's capabilities were, and what Johanna was up to. What she really wanted to know what were Sophia's abilities -- could she settle Peter down into more mature behaviour, and provide an heir or two for Russia? The answer to the first was no, and to the second was maybe. Sophia converted, took the name Catherine Alexeievna, and started to win the hearts and minds of the courtiers and the common people, all the while treading carefully to keep the Empress happy, and the mischief making of her mother to a minimum. For thirteen very long years, Catherine remained married, managed to have her marriage consummated -- whether by Peter is still a question -- bore two children, and finally, the Empress died, and Peter became Tsar and Emperor. Fortunately, for everyone concerned, not the less Peter, the new Emperor only reigned for six months, causing more mayhem and destruction than anyone could tolerate. Especially Catherine. Those long years were not spent idle -- Catherine had made herself very popular, had built up alliances with ministers and the military, and then launched a sudden coup, helped by the five Orlov brothers. With hardly a shot fired, Catherine was suddenly ruling in her own name, with her toddler son Paul Petrovich as her heir. Unlike Elizabeth, who had staged a similar coup to take the throne from an infant tsar, Catherine knew that she had virtually no right to the Russian throne. That had not stopped her. Now she was determined to rule, and for the next thirty four years, did just that -- she reformed laws, brought the arts and education and the Enlightenment to Russia, expanded the borders, and well-earned the title of 'the Great.' How she did it, and the various people around her that were her willing tools is what I found most interesting about this book. While many biographies of her focus on her time as Peter's wife and her coup, or on her many lovers, this one actually looks at what Catherine did. And it works. I had very little idea of her reforms of Russian law. I knew that she could be brutal in her reprisals against those who sought to overturn her rule, but she was also very generous to those who helped her and to those who remained loyal. For anyone who wants to find out more about Catherine's rule, this would make an excellent start. Massie's writing is concise, brisk and gives a personal look at the participants in this grand story without sliding into sentimentality or clichés. It's here that I love reading history, for this one gave me a new insight into both Catherine and her great goof of a husband, Peter, as well as giving a new perspective on one of Catherine's allies, Princess Dashkova, as well as several of Catherine's lovers, especially Potemkin, Gregorii Orlov and Stanislaus Poniakowski. While there were not any photographic reproductions, and quite a few flaws with the editorial content and spellings, this book easily earned a spot on the keeper shelf. I do intent to get a copy of the final edition when it is published later on this year. Five stars overall, and very much recommended. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman Robert K. Massie 2011; Random House Publishing ISBN 978-0-679-45672-8