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- Title
Voltaire and Russia in the Age of Enlightenment.
- Authors
Gorbatov, Inna
- Abstract
Voltaire's long interest in Russia was probably stimulated during his research for the Histoire de Charles XII. His ties to Russia became even closer in 1746, during the reign of Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, when he was made an honorable member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and appointed a Historiographer of the Russian Empire. In 1757, the Empress asked Voltaire to write the history of Peter the Great. Voltaire's Histoire de l'empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand became an important undertaking for Russia's new sovereign, Catherine II, who wanted to publicly demonstrate her firm support for Peter's Western-looking reforms. Catherine had been reading Voltaire's works for most of her adult life before she began her correspondence with him in 1763. The empress counted on Voltaire to favorably influence public opinion in Europe. Ultimately, he played a predominant role in creating the image of Catherine the Great as a wise, just, and democratic ruler. However, the revolutionary events that swept France instantly transformed Catherine from a ruler charmed by the new Enlightenment ideas into a reactionary autocrat, who ultimately broke up forever with Voltaire.
- Subjects
RUSSIA; VOLTAIRE, 1694-1778; CATHERINE II, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796; HISTOIRE de Charles XII (Book); RUSSIAN Academy of Sciences; HISTOIRE de l'empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand (Book); ENLIGHTENMENT; REIGN of Elizabeth, Russia, 1741-1762
- Publication
Orbis Litterarum, 2007, Vol 62, Issue 5, p381
- ISSN
0105-7510
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1600-0730.2007.00899.x