The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

«The Autograph Notes of Empress Catherine II» are the personal memoirs of one of the most outstanding rulers in Russia. They are a valuable historical document and a literary monument of the 18th century. In her memoirs, Catherine II tells about her childhood and youth in a German principality, her move to Russia as the fiancée of the heir to the throne, her adaptation to the new country and the court environment, her difficult relationships with Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and her husband, as well as the events that led to her accession to the throne in 1762 and the first years of her reign.

The notes provide a view of the era «from within», help understand the motives behind decisions that affected Russia’s fate, and offer an assessment of the empress herself—her mind, her attentiveness, and her ability to analyze. An easygoing, sincere narrative style with elements of irony gives the text special value: it is not simply a chronicle of events, but a testimony of the age, filtered through the prism of living human experience. The memoirs will be of interest to historians, cultural scholars, and everyone who is interested in the history of 18th-century Russia and the biography of Catherine II.