In the Shadow of the Gods: The Emperor in World History

The new work by the renowned British historian Dominic Lieven is about emperors and the nature of hereditary power. The author examines, on the basis of extensive historical material (including the Ancient World, China, India, the Ottoman and Holy Roman Empires, among others), the Machiavellian 'dark arts' that founders of dynasties were expected to master, the sacred role of the monarch and its connection with world religions across different regions and eras, how peoples were subdued and vast empires governed, whether emperors could have friends, and what the status of women was in a world ruled by men. A central theme of the book is the issue of succession: how it was addressed in empires, what was expected of imperial heirs, and why hereditary power failed to pass the exam on modernity. A brilliant gallery of rulers from all eras will unfold before the reader’s eyes: from Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great and Empress Wu Zetian to Charles V, Suleyman the Magnificent, Maria Theresa and Nicholas II.

Dominic Lieven. In the Shadow of the Gods: The Emperor in World History / Translated from English by Evgenia Fomenko. Editor Alexandra Lavrenova. — Moscow: CORPUS, 2024.