Autograph letter signed from François Pierre Pictet to Voltaire, written from St Petersburg, and dated 16 August 1762 [D10650]
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CMV33283
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Add MS 24024, fol.66 (A), ‘François Marie Arouet de Voltaire: Letter to, from M. Pictet: 1762.: Fr.’
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Autograph letter signed from François Pierre Pictet to Voltaire, written from St Petersburg, and dated 16 August 1762 [D10650]
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Brief Summary:
Autograph letter signed from François Pierre Pictet, Secretary to Catharine II of Russia, to Voltaire, written from St Petersburg and dated 15 August 1762.
Detailed Summary:
Pictet begins by saying that Voltaire will be surprised to receive a letter from him, but that the recent revolution has given rise to many reflections that he wished to discuss with him. He notes that anyone who knew Peter III of Russia, his behaviour, and his projects can only approve his being overthrown by his wife, Catherine the Great, whom he describes as ‘the most worthy and greatest Empress who has ever reigned in the Universe’. He assures Voltaire that it was not Catherine that sought the throne but that she was only following the general wish of the Nation, crediting the revolution to the difference in characters between Peter III and Catherine the Great. He goes on to explore Peter’s faults in great depth before providing an account of the revolution and the movements of Peter III and Catherine the Great. Pictet concludes by discussing a proposal made by Catherine to D’Alembert.
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5 ff.
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