Princess Sophia

Tsarevna Sofya Alekseevna is one of the most mysterious figures in Russian history. In a patriarchal country, where the public activity of a woman was unthinkable, she ascended to the top of power. Who is she - the usurizing power of the retrograde, holding in the black body of the future great converter, or the wise ruler, solving the tasks, excessive to many crowned men? Preserving the princess influence, would Russia remain a medieval semi -Asian state - or would its Europeanization be softer than the grandiose Peter"s breaking of a traditional way of life?
Historian Viktor Naumov answers these questions, often with the mouth of the heroes of the book themselves, based on documents, reconstructing Sophia"s speeches, her adherents and enemies, refutes numerous myths and errors related to her personality and rule, shows her real role in Sagittarius rebels 1682 and 1698, gives a sensational interpretation of the relationship of the princess with her favorite Prince Golitsyn, creates a bright and tragic image of an outstanding woman standing at the feeding of a huge country