From the author of The Romanovs: a vivid account of history's most successful political partnership—as sensual and fiery as it was creative and visionary. Catherine the Great was a woman of notorious passion and imperial ambition. Prince Potemkin—wildly flamboyant and sublimely talented—was the love of her life and her co-ruler.Together they seized Ukraine and Crimea; territories that define the Russian sphere of influence to this day. Their affair was so tumultuous that they negotiated an arrangement to share power; leaving each of them free to take younger lovers. But these “twin souls†never stopped loving each other.Drawing on the pair’s intimate letters and on vast research; Simon Sebag Montefiore's widely acclaimed biography restores these imperial partners to their rightful place as titans of their age.
#818715 in Books Cambridge University Press 2007Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.98 x .91 x 5.98l; 1.70 #File Name: 0521779227386 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. How Atlantic Creoles influenced the creation of a new worldBy José Carlos CostaIf you have any interest in the history of European colonies in the Americas this book is for you. For those who have a particular interest in the history of millions of Africans exported to the Americas and their specific origins and how they contributed to the formation of the Creole and African American culture we know today you will hardly find anything close to this in terms of quality.I am from Angola and my country has been the main source of African slaves during the Atlantic Slave trade (more than modern day Ghana and Nigeria combined). For those with some knowledge it’s pretty visible the influence of Angola; Kingdom of Kongo (which was mostly locaded in Angola; the capital town Mbanza Congo is still a provincial capital in Angola) and Central Africans in general; but for some reason I cannot explain; during 20th century many people reduced the African influence in the so called New World to Yoruba speaking people from Nigeria and partly peole from Benin and Sierra Leone but professors Heywood and Thornton work backs what I could see with my eyes when I visited Cuba; Brazil and even the United States; the Angolan slaves are founders of the British and Ducth colonies in north America and are a major source of Afro-American practices still alive today.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding!By A Skeptical ReaderExcellent study of the roots of the Charter Generation of African-American slaves. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of slavery; of European-African interactions in the Colonial period; or in the origins of the various so-called "tri-racial isolate" groups of the Eastern United States; such as the Melungeons; Lumbees; etc. It expands upon and fine tunes Ira Berlin's conception of the "Atlantic Creole" culture of the first Africans brought to North America in the seventeenth century.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A good startBy FelipeThis book by Heywood and Thornton is really a great start for students who are planning on researching the historical roots of the cultural relations between Africa and America. And more; it's a work that follows the most recent debates on cultural transformations sufferd by the Africans subjected to slavery. Sorry for the poor english. Bye.
