Count Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, Feldmarshal, was one of the most glorious commanders in the history of Russia. More than once he managed to defeat the strongest army of his time—the Prussian one. His victories over the Turks were connected with the rise of the Russian Empire on the eve of the Napoleonic Wars, as well as with the breakthrough to the Black Sea and the Danube.
At the same time, Rumyantsev proved himself as a crafty politician: for many years he was the ruler of Little Russia, skillfully smoothing over contradictions and contributing to the flourishing of this blessed region.
Strangely enough, the present book is one of the first attempts at a popular-science biography of P. A. Rumyantsev. The author traced the complicated life path of this remarkable man and the astonishing metamorphosis that happened to him: the transformation of an unbridled young prankster and idler into a wise statesman and outstanding commander—one of the pillars of the brilliant Catherine era.