This book focuses on the city of St Petersburg, the capital of the Russian empire from the early eighteenth century until the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917. It uses the Russian court as a prism through which to view the various cultural changes that were introduced in the city during the eighteenth century.

Paul Keenan is a Lecturer in the Department of International History at the London School of Economics, UK, where he has taught since 2004. His research examines the social and cultural development of Russia during the eighteenth century, with particular focus on the activities of the Russian court.