ât el ▁al umn i ▁Category : Univers ity ▁of ▁Ne uch ât el ▁fac ulty <0x0A> </s> ▁El ena ▁Pal mer ▁is ▁a ▁German ▁journalist ▁and ▁author ▁with ▁Russian ▁orig ins . ▁ ▁Biography ▁▁ ▁El ena ▁Pal mer ▁is ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁bi ography ▁„ Peter ▁III ▁- ▁The ▁Prince ▁of ▁Hol stein “ ▁( S utton ▁Publishing , ▁Germany , ▁ 2 0 0 5 ), ▁here in ▁she ▁is ▁express ing ▁reasonable ▁doubt ▁towards ▁the ▁common ▁port ray al ▁of ▁Russian ▁em peror ▁Peter ▁III . ▁In ▁her ▁work ▁Pal mer ▁is ▁referencing ▁and ▁question ing ▁Peter ▁III ' s ▁wife ▁Catherine ▁the ▁Great ' s ▁mem oir s . ▁According ▁to ▁Pal mer ' s ▁research ▁Catherine ▁initi ated ▁Peter ' s ▁murder ▁and ▁il leg ally ▁succeeded ▁his ▁throne , ▁while ▁later ▁character izing ▁him ▁as ▁an ▁“ idi ot ”, ▁“ dr unk ard ▁of ▁Hol stein ”, ▁“ good - for - nothing ” ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁improve ▁her ▁own ▁bad ▁reputation ▁among ▁the ▁people ▁of ▁Russia . ▁El ena ▁Pal mer ▁says : ▁" Peter ▁III ▁was ▁neither ▁a ▁dr unk ard ▁nor ▁a ▁mor on . ▁His ▁plans ▁for ▁the ▁dram atic ▁transformation ▁of ▁society ▁reve al ▁a ▁young ▁Emperor ' s ▁vision ▁that ▁was ▁far ▁ahead ▁of ▁his ▁contempor aries . ▁Peter ▁took ▁a ▁position ▁of ▁“ en light ened ▁absol ut ism ”, ▁which ▁was ▁very ▁new ▁and ▁progress ive ▁for ▁this ▁period ▁in ▁Russian ▁history . ▁With ▁his ▁dem