Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned at the age of 10. A barbarous, volatile feudal tsar with a taste for torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; a statesman of vision and colossal significance: Peter the Great embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development.
Robert K. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend - including his 'incognito' travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, his loving mistress, wife, and successor; and Menshikov, the charming, unscrupulous prince who rose to power through Peter's friendship. Impetuous and stubborn, generous and cruel, a man of enormous energy and complexity, Peter the Great is brought fully to life.
Chapter 3. “A Maiden of Great Intelligence”
Chapter 4. The Revolt of the Streltsy
Chapter 7. The Regency of Sophia
Chapter 9. Gordon, Lefort and the Jolly Company
Chapter 12. The Great Embassy to Western Europe
Chapter 13. “It Is Impossible to Describe Him”
Chapter 15. The Prince of Orange
Chapter 17. Leopold and Augustus
Chapter 18. “These Things Are in Your Way”
Chapter 21. Voronezh and the Southern Fleet
Chapter 22. Mistress of the North
Chapter 23. Let the Cannon Decide
Chapter 26. “We Must Not Lose Our Heads”
Chapter 27. The Founding of St. Petersburg
Chapter 28. Menshikov and Catherine
Chapter 29. The Hand of the Autocrat
Chapter 32. The Great Road to Moscow
Chapter 33. Golovchin and Lesnaya
Chapter 35. The Worst Winter Within Memory
Chapter 36. The Gathering of Forces
Chapter 38. Surrender by the River
Chapter 39. The Fruits of Poltava
Chapter 40. The Sultan’s World
Chapter 41. Liberator of the Balkan Christians
Chapter 42. Fifty Blows on the Pruth
Chapter 43. The German Campaign and Frederick William
Chapter 44. The Coast of Finland
Chapter 46. Venice of the North
Chapter 47. An Ambassador Reports
Chapter 48. The Second Journey West
Chapter 49. “The King Is a Mighty Man …”
Chapter 50. A Visitor in Paris
Chapter 51. The Education of an Heir
Chapter 52. A Paternal Ultimatum
Chapter 53. Flight of the Tsarevich
Chapter 54. The Future on Trial
Chapter 55. Charles’ Last Offensive
Chapter 56. King George Enters the Baltic
Chapter 58. In the Service of the State
Chapter 59. Commerce by Decree
Chapter 61. The Emperor in St. Petersburg
Genealogy of the Romanov Dynasty, 1613–1917