Peter the Great : a biography /

Though the reigning popular biography of Russia's Westernizing czar is Robert Massie's Peter the Great (1980), this more scholarly treatment is also a reliable source for the chronology of the autocrat's life. Furthermore, Hughes delves into topics not covered in Massie's dramatic narrative, such as the appraisal of Peter's reforms by subsequent generations of Russians. Peter was the first czar whose image was accurately painted, in itself a symbolic break from the past of iconic representations. He is also the first czar about whom an assessment can be made largely from contemporary documents, rather than court chronicles, and Hughes is clearly expert in handling the material. There can be no doubt Peter was psychologically affected by witnessing, at age 10, killings of members of his court faction, and throughout his life, he delighted in abasing his entourage (he notoriously tortured to death his son, Czarevitch Alexis, in 1718). Civilizer and barbarian--Hughes offers both sides of Peter the Great in her able biography. --Gilbert Taylor

Peter the Great, who ruled Russia from 1682 to 1725, has gone down in history as the man who opened Russia to the West. This accessible scholarly review of Peter offers no bombshells to change this view, but it does add nuance and understanding. Hughes modulates the view of Peter's radicalism: in many of his reforms (Peter established a hierarchy for Russian nobility and thrust Russia onto the world stage as a power with Russia's victory over Sweden), he was simply extending policies launched by his father; in other areas, his reforms dissipated after his reign ended. A professor of Russian history at University College London, Hughes (Russia in the Age of Peter the Great) also pays careful attention to something that is often neglected opposition to Peter's rule; he became czar under dubious circumstances after his sister, who was acting as regent, was sent off to live in a convent. But in other aspects, Hughes gives Peter his rightful credit as a new-world maker. Regarding Peter's Academy of Sciences, an example of his support of scholarship, Hughes writes, "[I]ts significance for Russia's scientific and intellectual life was enormous." Nor does she neglect Peter's personal life. She notes his love of drinking, his fascination with dwarfs and his personal relationship with the woman who became his second wife, a relationship consummated long before she took the title of Catherine I. This book will likely become a standard for scholars and students who want a short but comprehensive account of Peter the Great. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Biography of the tsar who aimed the Russian head, if not the heart, westward. Following up on Russia in the Age of Peter the Great (1998), Hughes (History/University Coll., London) returns to familiar terrain with a new focus: the life of the man who dominated the vast Russian stage from the time he inherited the throne at age ten until his death in 1725. Born in 1672 into a huge family (16 children), Peter grew up in a country far more primitive than the one he would bequeath. Russia had no schools or universities; 90% of the population belonged to the peasant class. Hughes characterizes Peter as striking in many ways. He was large (over six-and-a-half feet), curious, energetic, willful, practical, and organized-qualities he would retain until his dying days. He loved food, drink, practical jokes. He escaped from a passionless arranged marriage by packing his protesting wife off to a convent, then married the redoubtable Catherine, who would reign after his death. Although Hughes recognizes and emphasizes Peter's accomplishments, she does not conceal his flaws and cruelty. Opponents were tortured, beaten, executed. Near the end of his life, he beheaded one of Catherine's rumored lovers and presented her the capital relic preserved in a jar. Adhering principally to documentary evidence, Hughes takes us along with Peter as he attempts to revolutionize his country's fashions (he favored German clothing), educational system, governmental bureaucracy, inheritance laws, and religion (he made certain the church remained subservient to the state). She also shows us Peter's abiding passion for sailing and lets us see the tsar dressed as a Dutch shipbuilder learning all he can from the masters of the sea in the Netherlands. Another passion-never realized-was to eliminate corruption in the ruling classes. Hughes notes that virtually all of Peter's specific initiatives are long gone, but he did make Russia a great world power. Impeccable scholarship, though it lacks Petrine panache. (16 illustrations and map, not seen)