{"product_id":"catherine-the-great-3","title":"Catherine The Great","description":"\u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eTHE MOST ACCESSIBLE AND ENJOYABLE PORTRAIT YET\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003ci\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e______________________________________________________\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePower, sex, and politics: the fascinating rule of one of Russia's most significant monarchs\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCatherine the Great ruled Russia from 1762 until 1796. Famous for the legends circulated by political rivals about her sexual rapacity, some were true - though not the infamous rumour of her death by stallion. However, a conservative Russian court was shocked by her use of her sexuality as a political tool, as well as the number and age of her lovers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnhappily married to the Grand Duke Peter, a man who preferred to play with his toy soldiers in the bedroom, they failed to produce an heir, and Catherine turned her attentions to a certain Sergey Saltykov who fathered the future Tsar Paul I. Six months into the reign of Peter III, Catherine, supported by the Imperial Guard, staged a successful coup against her husband and became Empress. It was her ambition to transform a vast but semi-barbaric country with the cultural and political reforms of Enlightenment Europe. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn this fascinating biography, Virginia Rounding reveals an extraordinary woman in all her complexity.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e______________________________________________________\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA great thumping triumph\u003c\/b\u003e of a book.' \u003ci\u003eDAILY TELEGRAPH\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Rounding shows that \u003cb\u003ethe reality is far more interesting than any of the fictions\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003ci\u003eSCOTLAND ON SUNDAY\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eAn intimate study \u003c\/b\u003eof Catherine's life' \u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eEnjoyable and perceptive\u003c\/b\u003e study . . . Rounding has read widely, and writes history with \u003cb\u003ea no-nonsense style and a respectful relish for the details that make the past come alive\u003c\/b\u003e.' Simon Sebag Montefiore, \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TELEGRAPH\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Rounding writes with enviable lucidity, and gives us\u003cb\u003e the most accessible and enjoyable portrait yet\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003ci\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eWritten with vigour and intelligence\u003c\/b\u003e enough to do justice to its prodigious subject.'\u003ci\u003e SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cornerstone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54251363565912,"sku":"9780099462347","price":26.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780099462347_981c57d7-a33c-4db5-a0d4-795973fda650.jpg?v=1764394220","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/catherine-the-great-3","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}