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Product Description
From the ascent of Peter the Great to the Russian Revolution. From the Battle of the Boyne to the Easter Rising. Between these epochal events were two astounding centuries of war, diplomacy, intrigue, innovation and international radical political movements, the reverberations of which are still felt in both Russia and Ireland today.
In Anarchy and Authority, readers follow contemporaneous accounts of Irish men and women who ventured into the Russian empire during the two long centuries of Romanov rule. Human connections, political intrigues, cultural cross-pollination mesh with sweeping historical narratives in the story of the island and the empire.
Meticulously researched and energetically told, these are the stories of Irish residents, travellers and migrants to Russia from that time, ranging from diplomats and governesses, to early tourists, travel writers, soldiers, servants and even a revolutionary music-teacher. From the Irishmen and women who benefitted from the imperial wars waged by the Russian state, to those Irish observers who bore witness to the horrors of serfdom and the oppression of dissenting voices.
Anarchy and Authority brings to vivid life these Irish perspectives. Their fascinating insights and unique depths of field give increasing relevance to the turbulent geo-politics of modern times
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Angela Byrne is from Donegal and is a historian of women, migration, and travel and exploration in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She is editor at the Dictionary of Irish Biography (Royal Irish Academy), and has held research and lecturing positions at the universities of Greenwich, Toronto and NUI Maynooth, and EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. She has published widely and was elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2021. Anarchy And Authority is her fourth book.
PRAISE FOR ANARCHY AND AUTHORITY
‘Written with skill and sensitivity, this is an important and timely book.’ Dr Liam Chambers
‘Fascinating … an illuminating and entertaining picture of an often overlooked branch of the Irish Diaspora. It is a timely reminder that the Irish business of forging links and finding cultural commonalities in far-flung places has long been how this small nation makes its way in the world.’ Lise Hand
‘As cutting edge research goes, this new volume on Irish-Russian connections represents the tip of the spear.’ Dr David Murphy
‘An elegant analysis of the many tendrils that bound Ireland to Imperial Russia across two centuries, written by a talented author who has spent more than two decades thinking about the people, ideas, and politics that traversed them.’ Dr Ciaran O’Neill
‘Angela Byrne has expertly drawn on a captivating cast of Irish characters including soldiers, diplomats, maids, mercenaries, adventurers and revolutionaries to provide new and fascinating perspectives on Ireland’s centuries old relationship with Russia.’ Dr Gillian O’Brien
‘Taken from the Irish perspective, Byrne has produced a well-written and logically laid out manuscript, which offers a good gender balance between the investigated subject-persons, and a diversity of social, religious, and thematic perspectives. It will be of great interest to historians, literary scholars, and scholars of women’s and gender history.’ Dr Paul Huddie
‘A kaleidoscope of life stories told by a fine historian, Anarchy and Authority vividly illuminates Irish encounters with Russia from the time of Peter the Great through the revolutionary upheavals of the early twentieth century. An absorbing read.’ Breandán MacSuibhne
