Ellen Alpsten - A cárnő

Peter I the Great, the beloved and feared tsar of all Russians, is on his deathbed, but he has not named his heir. His only adult son died years earlier due to the Tsar's cruel treatment, and his grandson is still too young to rule. That's when the second wife of the tsar comes forward, Katalin, who rose incredibly from the ranks of the poor, and with enough sense and some money, controls fate in such a way that after the tsar's death, she herself can ascend the throne. This will make her Tsarina Catherine I, Russia's first female ruler.
Ellen Alpsten's captivating narrative presents the adventurous life of Marta Skawroñska, who goes from being a serf to a laundress, and from the tsar's lover to his wife, with fairly accurate historical fidelity. In a world of luxurious parties, cruel wars and court intrigues, an illiterate but smart and strong woman changes her fate and becomes the leader of one of the largest empires in Europe thanks to her attractive appearance and incredible mental strength. Only life itself can write such a story.