Shumigorsky E.S. – Emperor Paul I. Life and Reign. A gift book in a leather binding

Shumigorsky E.S. – Emperor Paul I. Life and Reign. A gift book in a leather binding.

Evgeny Shumigorsky’s monograph “Emperor Paul I. Life and Reign” is a classic historical work that became one of the first serious attempts to objectively and impartially rethink the personality of the “romantic emperor.” Written at the beginning of the 20th century, this book decisively refutes the common myths and anecdotes about Paul Petrovich, relying on strictly documentary archival sources. The author thoroughly examines the tsarevich’s childhood years, the difficult atmosphere of estrangement from his mother, Catherine the Great, and the long years of isolation in Gatchina, which shaped his complex and suspicious character. In the book, Paul I is portrayed not as a mad tyrant, but as a deeply tragic figure — an idealist and a knight on the throne, who sincerely wished for the good of his country.
Shumigorsky meticulously analyses his reformist activities, including the fight against noble abuses, the streamlining of succession to the throne, and the improvement of the peasants’ situation. However, the book honestly shows how the emperor’s hot‑tempered nature and his demand for blind obedience gradually turned good intentions into harsh despotism. The strict regulation of public life and the unpredictable foreign policy of Paul I ultimately turned the highest St. Petersburg aristocracy and the guard against him. Shumigorsky’s study convincingly proves that the fateful conspiracy of March 1801 was the result of a deep rift between the ruler and the elite. Thanks to its vivid language and historical accuracy, this biography is still recognized as one of the best works that help to understand the dramatic fate of the “Russian Hamlet”.

The price of the book is 18,000₽

The price of the book in a gift box made of genuine leather is 25,000₽