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Article: Catherine the great--enlightened empress? Simon Henderson places a key figure into the context of modern Russian history.(Profiles in Power)
- Article from:
- History Review
- Article date:
- March 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 History Today Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Isabel de Madariaga, Catherine's greatest biographer, has written, 'Since I first took Catherine seriously as a ruler, some forty years ago, I have grown to like her very much.' Yet many historians have not allowed the Empress to grow on them. She has elicited strong and passionate condemnation. It is only recently that historians have sought to resurrect her image, replacing contempt with praise and understanding.
Catherine and her Critics
Much of the debate concerning Catherine's reign has revolved around the relationship between the Empress and the Enlightenment. In 1847 the historian Wilhelm Roseler coined the term 'enlightened absolutism' to refer ...