The Great doesn’t pretend to adhere closely to the historical record. Instead, it presents an extravagantly vulgar yet brilliantly humorous portrayal of Catherine II and her era.

Art writer Jaques (A Love for the Beautiful) portrays Catherine II of Russia (1729–1796), founder of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as a shrewd investor in this considerate biography of ...

Upwardly noble The future Catherine the Great, Sophie, moved to the ducal castle in Szczecin, Poland, when her father, Prince Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, became governor.