It is hard to find another period in Russian history that produced so many legends and tales as the years of Catherine II’s reign. Was this era truly special, or—when we look back at the past—do we involuntarily yield to the charm of the “mad and wise” eighteenth century? Even people of that time seem extraordinary. They are remarkably unique; they are capable of great deeds and know no limits—neither in vices nor in virtues.
Among the haughty and brilliant statesmen surrounding the imperial throne, there was no shortage of vivid, remarkable individuals. The names of some of them have become almost proverbial. Others may still be destined to take their rightful place in national history. One such figure—Nikita Ivanovich Panin—this book is devoted to.