St Petersburg and the Russian Court, 1703-1761

This book focuses on the city of St Petersburg, the capital of the Russian empire from the early eighteenth century until the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917. It uses the Russian court as a prism through which to view the various cultural changes that were introduced in the city during the eighteenth century.

Keenan does a fine job of giving us a sense of the period's byt', Russian for 'everyday life'. excellent and novel feature of the book is Keenan's frequent comparison of St Petersburg to other contemporary European cities such as London, Vienna and Paris. Keenan's book offers a much better sense of what was typical and exceptional in St Petersburg in the eighteenth century than has previously been available. (Simon Werrett, History, Vol. 100 (341), July, 2015)

"Like his mentor Lindsey Hughes's work, Keenan's book is clear, authoritative and lively. It is therefore a worthy monument to her memory." - G. M. Hamburg, Slavonic & East European Review

"In St Petersburg and the Russian Court, 1703-1761, Paul Keenan offers a comprehensive and succinct analysis of the city ... Its value to scholars of eighteenth-century Russia goes without saying." - Colum Leckey, Canadian Slavonic Papers

Autorentext

Paul Keenan is a Lecturer in the Department of International History at the London School of Economics, UK, where he has taught since 2004. His research examines the social and cultural development of Russia during the eighteenth century, with particular focus on the activities of the Russian court.

Inhalt
List of Maps Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. Location: Situating the City 2. Regulation: Policing the City's Inhabitants 3. Organisation: The Court and its Celebrations 4. Interaction: The City's Social Life 5. Instruction: Fashioning an Audience Conclusion Bibliography Key to Maps