The Rebel Romanov

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters comes the story of a courageous young Imperial Grand Duchess who scandalized Europe in search of freedom.

In 1795, Catherine the Great of Russia was in search of a bride for her grandson Constantine, who stood third in line to her throne. In an eerie echo of her own story, Catherine selected an innocent young German princess, Julie of Saxe-Coburg, aunt of the future Queen Victoria. Though Julie had everything a young bride could wish for, she was alone in a court dominated by an aging empress and riven with rivalries, plotting, and gossip--not to mention her brute of a husband, who was tender one moment and violent the next. She longed to leave Russia and her disastrous marriage, but her family in Germany refused to allow her to do so.

Desperate for love, Julie allegedly sought consolation in the arms of others. Finally, Tsar Alexander granted her permission to leave in 1801, even though her husband was now heir to the throne. Rootless in Europe, Julie gave birth to two--possibly three--illegitimate children, all of whom she was forced to give up for adoption. Despite entreaties from Constantine to return and provide an heir, she refused, eventually finding love with her own married physician.

At a time when many royal brides meekly submitted to disastrous marriages, Julie proved to be a woman ahead of her time, sacrificing her reputation and a life of luxury in exchange for the freedom to live as she wished. The Rebel Romanov is the inspiring tale of a bold woman who, until now, has been ignored by history.

"What a wonderful book! The storytelling, the research, the deep love of her subject - this must be the climax of Rappaport's long and illustrious career." --Lucy Worsley, host of the hit PBS series "Lucy Worsley Investigates" and bestselling author of Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman

"Serious but sprightly.... Rappaport presents a portrait of a truly frightening marriage... This is a story of one kind of suffering: that of a noble girl sacrificed on the altar of family ambition. She floats like a specter through her own biography, unreal and unknowable" --The New York Times

"In this revealing biography, Rappaport goes beyond the scandal to the human story, with an excellent eye for detail, great powers of critical thinking but also empathy and sympathy. In so doing she finds a tale of strength, perseverance and tragedy, and presents a picture, just as beguiling as that painted by Le Brun; of a woman struggling against the constraints of her society in her quest to find what most of us still struggle to find today; happiness and meaning." --Adventures in Historyland

"[Rappaport] conjures with authority and verve the glitter of the Russian imperial court in the final years of Catherine's life... an accomplished and richly detailed account." --Country Life

"Informative and interesting." --Brendan Dowd, History Nerds United

"Sparkling... a captivating historical saga of a woman in revolt." --Publishers Weekly

"Rappaport's extensive knowledge of Russian and European history and culture allows her to create an informative chronology of a woman who was at times manipulated, victimized, despondent, and defiant...A brisk rendering of tumultuous times." --Kirkus Reviews

"Rappaport revivifies this often forgotten and unique personality. Her detailed account of Juliane's 40-day journey from Saxe-Coburg to Saint Petersburg will make readers appreciate the rigors of overland travel at the close of the eighteenth century." --Booklist

DR. HELEN RAPPAPORT is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including After the Romanovs, A Magnificent Obsession, The Romanov Sisters and Caught in the Revolution. She studied Russian Special Studies at Leeds University and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a specialist in Imperial Russian and Victorian history, and a frequent historical consultant on TV and radio. She lives in West Dorset.

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