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Secondary sourceBook1799

View of the Russian Empire during the Reign of Catharine the Second

William Tooke · 1799

An English-language account of Russia and Catherine II's reign, written by William Tooke shortly after her death.

An early biography-history written just after Catherine's death, summarizing her reign for European readers.

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View of the Russian Empire during the Reign of Catharine the Second
William Tooke, View of the Russian Empire during the Reign of Catharine the Second, 1799.

About this source

What it is

This is a three-volume book by William Tooke, a member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences at St Petersburg, published in London in 1799. It surveys the Russian Empire and the reign of Catherine the Second up to the close of the eighteenth century.

Why it matters

Written just after Catherine II's death, this book shows how a contemporary foreign observer summed up her reign for an English-reading public. It reflects the fascination Europe had with Russia at the time and helps historians see how Catherine's image was being shaped soon after she died.

Look closer

  • Why might an English writer living and working in Russia want to write about Catherine's reign right after her death?
  • What kind of information would Tooke have had access to, and what might he have left out?
  • How might this account differ from one written by a Russian author?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Catherine the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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