The Rebel Empresses by Nancy Goldstone - ISBN: 9781399604000
Paperback
Two empresses defied empires and scandal in a tempestuous era.

The Rebel Empresses

Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe

$26.12

  • Paperback

    640 pages

  • Release Date

    9 June 2026

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Summary

The thrilling chronicle of two of the most influential and glamorous women in nineteenth-century Europe.

When they married Emperors Franz Joseph and Napoleon III, respectively, Elisabeth of Austria and Eugenie of France became two of the most famous women on the planet. Young and beautiful, both represented a new type of empress: one who rebelled against tradition and embraced modern values. Yet they also endured hardship, playing a pivotal role in ruling their realms…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781399604000
ISBN-10:1399604007
Author:Nancy Goldstone
Publisher:Orion Publishing Co
Imprint:Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:640
Release Date:9 June 2026
Weight:480g
Dimensions:196mm x 128mm x 38mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Personal catastrophe and imperial history are deftly interlaced in these parallel lives … A bold portrait of two bold women caught in the tempests of history – Catherine Ostler * Wall Street Journal *A richly detailed, entertaining dual biography … Both women, in Goldstone’s vibrant, wryly witty portraits, emerge as glamorous, strong-willed, and independent … In a brisk, lively narrative, Goldstone seamlessly interweaves the women’s trials, challenges, and betrayals with the world events that swirled incessantly around them * Kirkus *Goldstone’s sprawling chronology illustrates the influence the two imperial women had on the course of history at a time when traditional royal pageantry belied a modernizing world * Washington Post *In this witty and astute account, historian Goldstone presents the turbulent and politically entwined lives of Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France … It’s an illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable view of the highborn milieu at the center of a period of rapid modernization * Publishers Weekly *Fascinating insight into the lives of two remarkable women … Goldstone’s wry commentary enhances the narrative * Library Journal *Empress Elisabeth is already the subject of a number of television shows and novels … But Nancy Goldstone may have penned the definitive non-fiction account of the storied figurehead, as well as her French counterpart * San Diego Tribune *Beguiling … Probing … The Rebel Empresses is a rewarding look at two women who bucked the traditional expectations of their gender and station * Shelf Awareness *

About The Author

Nancy Goldstone

Nancy Goldstone is the author of numerous works of history. She lives in California.

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