Catherine the Great Selected Letters by Catherine The Great

'Your Majesty may find it extraordinary that I should answer with a shipment of fruit your letter of 6 August, in which you inform me that you are sending the plan for a treaty, and that of the 8 September, in which you are so good as to share with me equally important intelligence.Things big and small often come from the same source: my watermelons derive from the same principles as our planned alliance...' (To Frederick the Great)Catherine the Great's letters present a vivid picture of Russia in a momentous age.They also offer a unique account of her personal development and intimate life, her strategic acumen as a diplomat and military commander, and her political skills at the Russian court and in handling foreign monarchs.Born a German princess, Catherine married into the Russian royal family and came to the throne after a coup.As absolute ruler for 34 years she presided over the expansion of the Russian empire, legislated actively to reform the country in keeping with the princip