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Voltaire and Russia in the Age of Enlightenment
Author(s) -
Gorbatov Inna
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
orbis litterarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.109
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1600-0730
pISSN - 0105-7510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0730.2007.00899.x
Subject(s) - ruler , autocracy , enlightenment , empire , historiography , reactionary , classics , sovereignty , reign , history , monarchy , democracy , ancient history , philosophy , law , politics , theology , political science , archaeology , quantum mechanics , physics
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.