A Kingdom and a Village

In "A Kingdom and a Village," Simon Morrison delves into the captivating history of Moscow, a city that lies at the heart of a vast country covering eleven percent of the Earth's landmass, spanning eleven time zones, and home to nearly 150 million people, including approximately thirteen million in the capital itself. Morrison, a renowned historian, traces Moscow's evolution from what was once mockingly referred to as a 'big village' by the St. Petersburg nobility, into a bustling metropolis of significant geopolitical importance. The history of Moscow is filled with intense and dramatic events, particularly over the last century, marked by invasions, devastating battles, and the destruction and subsequent rebuilding of crucial cultural and religious sites. This period also witnessed the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an authoritarian leader with a deep understanding of Russian history. Morrison's narrative reaches back to Moscow's origins nearly a thousand years ago when it was founded as a fortress beside a river. Throughout its history, Moscow has been a target for numerous external forces, from the Tatar Mongols to Napoleon and Hitler, reinforcing its identity as both a coveted prize and a stronghold of continuous defence and renewal.Using an extensive range of archival materials, Morrison sheds light on the complex past of Moscow, offering insight into the city's intricate connections to Russia's broader historical trajectory. Understanding Moscow, he argues, is key to comprehending both the enigmatic past and the challenging realities of the present. "A Kingdom and a Village" is not just the biography of a city but serves as an essential exploration of a nation and its people.