Helen Rappaport’s The Rebel Romanov tells the fascinating and little-known story of Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who later became Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna of Russia. Before reading this book, I had never heard of Princess Julie, and I imagine many readers may be in the same boat. However, even if you aren’t already familiar with her, this book is well worth picking up, especially if you have an interest in Russian history, European royalty, or women’s history.

Julie’s story is one of struggle and defiance. She was forced into a marriage she did not want, bound by the expectations of her noble status and the political maneuvering of European courts. Rappaport does an excellent job of illustrating how Julie’s personal experiences were deeply intertwined with the broader political landscape of the time. The book highlights the many challenges she faced, not just as a princess but as a woman in an era where duty and sacrifice were expected of royal women, often at great personal cost. Julie is the ultimate sympathetic character and Rappaport's respectful and honest treatment of her story allows the reader an emotional connection to her.

One of the aspects I found particularly compelling was the exploration of arranged royal marriages. While we often think of princesses as leading privileged lives, this book serves as a stark reminder that their fates were rarely their own. Instead of fairy-tale romances, these marriages were strategic alliances, leaving women like Julie with little control over their futures. The book sheds light on the emotional and psychological toll of these arrangements, making Julie’s story feel both personal and universal. Julie is the ultimate sympathetic character and Rappaport's respectful and honest treatment of her story allows the reader an emotional connection to her.

Ra0paport’s research is incredibly thorough, and her writing brings Julie’s world to life in vivid detail. The book is rich in historical context, yet it remains engaging and accessible, making it a great read for both history enthusiasts and those new to the subject. Overall, The Rebel Romanov is a captivating and insightful biography that not only reveals the struggles of one remarkable woman but also offers a deeper understanding of the rigid structures that governed royal life. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in women’s history, European royalty, or the personal stories hidden within grand historical narratives.

As in the sadly truncated streaming show 'The Great', this is the story of a sweet, young, Germanic innocent shipped off by her provincial family to marry into the Russian Imperial family, in hopes of financial stability and the higher status associated with a royal son-in-law. As with the Empress Elizabeth of Austria (Sisi) a few decades later, she was chosen over an older sister for the elevation, and as with Sisi, she was immediately forced to contend with an openly hostile mother-in-law. There, however, the paths of these women diverged. Sisi remained an obedient, if unhappy, wife and mother of a growing brood for many decades. Julie was almost immediately abused by her violent, impulsive spouse and had no living children by him before she fled back to Saxe-Coburg on the the not entirely false pretense that she needed to visit her sick mother and take treatment herself at German healing spas such as the still famous one at Baden-Baden. The hideously long journeys by carriage between Germany and Moscow are described in just enough disturbing detail - from nigh-impassable roads to the most rudimentary of inns to foods fit only for peasants - to make one grateful for the development of railways and especially of sleeper cars a few decades after Julie's journeying began.

Readers with an interest in European upheavals will recognize many of the players and situations, but most will need to refer frequently to the family trees and maps in this historical journey through Europe and Russia's late 18th and early 19th centuries. While the historical personage of the title, a Saxe-Coburg ducal daughter familiarly known as Julie or Julchen, is one of the few 'J' names, there are many similar names attached to different players, such as Anna, Antoinette, Victoria, Victoire... and that's without getting into the Russian names of Julie's in-laws, ladies in waiting, court enemies, and even the multiple titles and appellations belonging to or bestowed upon Julie herself. Or the men. While Leopold and Konstantin stand out fairly well from the pack, the variants of Alexander will make your head spin as you are galloped through a series of Ernsts.

The 'rebel' of the title seems not to have been particularly rebellious apart from that one desperate deceit to get her out of Russia.

The rest of the book is a brisk trot through European history from the Napoleonic Wars to Queen Victoria by way of royal marriages, births, deaths, and remarriages that largely left the Russian years in the dust and connected Julie's ducal family (though not herself) ever closer with the royalty of England. While Julie was for a time a kind of unofficial ambassadress in Europe for her brother-in-law when he became Tsar, there's little record hinting at any noteworthy achievements either political, social, or charitable to be laid at her door. She never quite comes off the page as a living, breathing person.

This last owes much to her lifelong habit of telling all her correspondents to burn her letters lest the Russian secret police get hold of them, and her surviving relations' purge of journals or other revealing documents after her death. Thus much of what the author dug out was mentions of her in other people's letters to yet other people. While in fiction great play can be made with bringing a character to life through other people's eyes and pens, in non-fiction that's less than satisfactory. Even though the author does a bang-up job of connecting many disparate dots, there's just not enough 'Julie' in the book to hang a really good tale around.

If you're already into the history and familiar with some of the players, you'll find this a worthy enough addition to your collection. If you're looking for a titillating read with any resemblance to 'The Great', this is not the book for you.

This book tells the story of Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld who became known as Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna of Russia. I'd never heard of Princess Julie before picking up this book, so even if you are in similar shoes don't be shy about giving this book a shot if Russian or women's history interests you.

Julie was trapped in a marriage she didn't want due to her station in life. The book shows how her personal life was connected to broader politics and the struggles that faced as a princess and woman of her era. Reading this was a reminder of how different life was for women of this era compared to the men and how being a princess was in reality a terrible fate. I appreciated the in-depth look at the custom of arranged royal marriages and what they mean for women. This was a very-well researched look into Julie's life and her hardships.

I love books that lead me to other books. Author Helen Rappaport does just that with her biography, “The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had.” Julie was betrothed at the age of 14 to the grandson of Catherine the Great. I don’t know what anyone was expecting from such a situation, but it certainly gives me the willies.

Rappaport does a wonderful job explaining the procedures and customs involved in royal marriages and how they were arranged in the 18th and 19th centuries. The book moves along at a good pace and I enjoyed it.

Appealing to Anglophiles (I confess I did not know this prior to reading “The Rebel Romanov”) is the fact that Julie was the aunt of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Queen’s mother was Julie’s sister, Victoire, and the Prince’s father was Julie’s brother, Ernst. This bombshell is what sent me to search other sources for more information, something I can spend hours doing when I come across something so intriguing. My first source was “The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England,” edited by Antonia Fraser. I was hooked.

For an exploration of a bygone age, readers who like to dig around in the history of the Saxe-Coburgs and the descendants of Catherine the Great will find much to like in “The Rebel Romanov.”

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own

Julie of Saxe Coburg was the aunt of Queen Victoria of England. She was the first wife of Constantine, grandson of Catherine the Great and as Helen Rappaport argues a bit of a rebel.

Now, when people banter around the word "rebel" I always picture someone who waves their finger at authority and does whatever they want despite the "haters." Julie seemed to be the type of person who rebelled without many of her family members even knowing the full scale of her rebellious nature. Like many other young women, she married a man who was cruel and unkind and preferred his mistresses over her. Eventually, this would send her back to her family where it is rumoured she had illegitimate children, divorced and lived the rest of her life trying to find her paradise.

I feel a bit swindled because of that title. The book is well-researched and Helen Rappaport breathed life into all the political intrigue of the time. My expectations were higher on why Julie held such a moniker. Julie was mostly sick while she was in Russia or under house arrest by her horrid father-in-law. I guess I wasn't expecting something a little bit more. On the other hand, I love reading about a historical figure that hasn't necessarily been written about by historians thousands of times.



Expected Publication 15/04/25
Goodreads Review 20/03/25

Another accomplished work by Rappaport, proving her, once again, deserving of her place among the top rank of contemporary historians. Despite the dearth of primary archival material on Princess Julianne of Saxe-Coburg, also Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna, she has produced an engaging account giving us a vivid portrait of her life and persona as well as of her immediate context during a significant period In European history.

There is an impressive depth of scholarship on Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (often here as "Julie") who as much intriguing as she is obscure. She had formative years in the household of the overbearing, dictatorial Catherine the Great where she had been found a suitable wife for Catherine's grandson, Grand Duke Konstantin. This led into the traumatic time of Paul I's assassination.

I found it interesting that being upper class did not at this time protect one for the discomforts of a journey to St Petersburg from Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, which I think is the type of mini-state being lampooned in The Mouse That Roared"
There were still more bone-rattling roads to endure after Riga, on the route to Dorpat (now Tartu), for as Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun noted, the highways were unbelievably bad. Huge stones shook her carriage violently. The inns had nothing to recommend them– they were ‘of the most rude order where it would have been impossible to stay’, so Vigée and her companions had been ‘obliged to move from rut to rut all the way to Saint Petersburg without any chance of rest’.
...
Louisa Adams, wife of US diplomat and future president John Adams, made a similar journey in reverse, from St Petersburg to Berlin, and then on to Paris, across war-torn Europe at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Louisa wrote up her fascinating ‘Narrative of a Journey from Russia to France in 1815’ in 1836, which remains in manuscript, held in the Adams Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.


Further drama, which makes me think this life could be an epic costume drama for the big screen is the rise of and disruption by Napoleon:
German states were forcibly united under Napoleonic ‘protection’ with the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine, and the following month thousands of French troops began pouring into Germany. By September they were approaching Coburg, prompting Julie’s parents, after much agonising, to hastily pack and flee north to their residence in Saalfeld.


Such a movie would not just be about invasions and gowns as Julie had plenty of love interests to portray in a turbulent life:

Storms of all kinds have assailed her, early tempests which destroyed her happiness and our hopes. It is lost, this beautiful glittering time, and scarcely a happy memory remains for the poor thing, so often has she been cheated and nearly continually made ill by it.’ There is a clear suggestion here of how Julie’s two illegitimate pregnancies had brought unwanted complications to an already difficult life and perhaps Julie had begun to find her mother’s enduring angst too much.


Julie ultimately proved to be private and nurturing an inner fantasy world.
...
an estate known as Brunnadern, originally the site of a thirteenth-century Dominican convent. Here, after thirteen years of wandering, Julie would finally put down roots at a place she named Elfenau.
...
In August the following year, Julie’s mother finally made a longed-for trip to see Elfenau. Her enthusiastic account, much like her journey to Russia, is full of detailed and lyrical descriptions of the scenery that convey her intense love of nature and the landscape. ‘My favourite pleasure is wandering around in God’s beautiful world,’ as she says, and she shares also a valuable account of several people making a regular appearance in Julie’s growing social circle.


That social circle included artists to a point eliciting disapproval from others. Big musical segments for the movie!
Genevese society seemed to disapprove of Julie, particularly her fondness for the theatre. But, as Julie admitted to Renette, the theatre was one of her few joys and she went four or five times a week. She had particularly enjoyed performances by Madame Albert on tour with the Théâtre des Nouveautés of Paris, which since its opening in 1827 had become popular for its light comedies and vaudevilles. Julie also attended public recitations by the French poet and playwright Eugène de Pradel, of Paris’s Royal Athenaeum, and invited him to Le Châtelet to give a performance: ‘I have no need of grand receptions, nor of concerts and masked balls,’ she wrote, for the theatre ‘helped the winter pass more quickly’. Negative talk about Julie reached such a point that year that a complaint was made to the state council


Oh, did I mention there is a subplot here about the "her niece Victoria", that is Queen Victoria.

A more thorough working knowledge or European Royal genealogy would have served me well in reading this, that’s for sure!! A few quick notes:

- Well-researched — the author is clearly passionate about sharing this story and is prepared to defend every point along the way.
- Interesting subject matter. There’s a lot out there about Victoria and Anastasia but this relative is much less frequently explored!
- This one is for the history buffs — an established base of European politics and genealogy isn’t necessarily required but would definitely be helpful!

Thank you to St Martins for the free advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport is an engaging deep dive into the intriguing life of little-known Russian Empress, Julie of Saxe-Coburg. This was a fairly quick read and provided many glimpses into the world of European and Russian aristocracy that I really had no idea about. The intertwining of family trees and the brittleness of some of those branches was so interesting to read. At times, it was confusing- so many names, marriages, city-state changes, etc- but Rappaport did her best to fully explain the lineage of each character in the novel. The absolute heartbreak of what Julie endured from such a young age is rage-inducing. How young women were sacrificed on the altar of inter-marriage is so antithema to women‘s empowerment today shows how far we‘ve come, and yet how far we still have to go. However, with the sadness comes hope and resilience. Julie of Saxe-Coburg did not lay down and give up; rather she endured and stretched and demanded that she have a life of her own. In the end, she was able to find that quiet life she yearned for. Rappaport has written a highly researched and yet approachable history of Julie and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about strong women in history.

A huge thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review this book prior to publication.

I was thrilled when I got the notification my request had been approved.

I’m a huge fan of history and while I have read a plethora of books about the Saxe Coburgs and the Romanovs, I had no recollection of ever hearing about Julie before.

This book delves into her story. It is often heartbreaking and frustrating. She was so young when she was married off to Konstantin and so sorely abused by him.

It is rather fascinating to realize and understand that were it not for her marriage, the history of several counties and dynasties would have been very different. Without her, Léopold would have never married Charlotte. With her, the Coburgs became a powerful family that used their children from an otherwise unforgettable German duchy to cement their place in history and broaden their political power and advantages.

This was a great look into a woman largely unknown to most readers but who nonetheless played a critical role in shaping history into the modern era.

Book Review: The Rebel Romanov, Julie of Saxe-Coburg, The Empress Russia Never Had
By Dr. Helen Rappaport

Dr. Helen Rappaport, a noted specialist in Imperial Russian and Victorian history, brings to life the fascinating but largely forgotten story of Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld—later known as Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna of Russia. In The Rebel Romanov, Rappaport masterfully explores the tumultuous life of this royal figure who was briefly part of the Russian imperial family but ultimately rejected the role fate had assigned her.

Born in 1781 in Coburg, Juliane was married off at a young age to Grand Duke Constantine of Russia, a union that quickly turned disastrous. While Constantine’s volatile and cruel nature made their marriage unbearable, Juliane’s independent spirit and determination to break free set her apart from many royal women of her time. She eventually left Russia in 1813 and settled in Switzerland, securing an annulment in 1820. Despite her brief and unhappy connection to the Romanovs, Juliane’s story had lasting repercussions—Queen Victoria herself remained wary of the Russian imperial family, in part because of her aunt’s experience.

Rappaport’s clear, engaging writing brings depth to this forgotten historical figure, weaving together personal drama with the broader political landscape of 19th-century Europe. Her meticulous research shines through, making The Rebel Romanov not just a compelling biography but also a valuable exploration of the often-overlooked women of European dynastic history.

For readers interested in Imperial Russia, royal history, or untold stories of remarkable women, The Rebel Romanov is a must-read. Rappaport once again proves why she is one of the leading historians of her field, offering a rich and nuanced portrait of a woman who defied expectations and left her mark on history—even if she never became an empress.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Apr. 15, 2025
Non-fiction writer Helen Rappaport brings another one of her Romanov Princesses to the pages in her newest book, “The Rebel Romanov: Julie Saxe-Coburg, The Empress Russia Never Had”.
German princess Julie Saxe-Coburg, aunt of the future Queen Victoria, was selected by Catherine the Great of Russia as the bride for her son, Konstantin. Gruff, cruel, abusive and aloof, Konstantin was a harsh husband but Julie suffered through it in silence, knowing that a marriage dissolution would ruin her family’s reputation and financial situation. After years apart, Tsar Alexander of Russia (Konstantin’s brother) finally permitted Julie the divorce she so longed for however, she spent the rest of her years living in isolation, spurned by townspeople and estranged from her own family.
Rappaport tells the story of Julie through family and friends’ correspondence and any of the remaining official statements and paperwork she could find. Julie is the “Rebel Romanov” for a reason, after all. The only thing she wanted was privacy and to live life away from the public eye and, although she was rarely granted this in her life, it seems that she has been granted almost total dissolution from the records centuries after her death.
Like most families in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, Julie’s story is a tragic one. Forced to marry someone she has no positive feelings for, only to be abused and abandoned, faced with rumours that threaten her family’s honour, not to mention the numerous family and close friends she lost to illness and from childbirth. But, despite it all, Julie rose above it and lived a long (for the time) life, dying in relative anonymity.
The story itself is a very detailed who’s-who of the Russian (and English and, although less so, the Greek) oligarchies and the way they manipulated and schemed and plotted their way into power. Of course, women of the time were seen as nothing more than chattel, pawned off to the highest bidder, although they played an important role in the courts and the countries as a whole. I respected Julie’s bravery and strength but I found it difficult to read through the other convoluted Royal relationships (although most of them did have some connection to Julie’s).
“Rebel” is a look into eighteenth century Russia and its Royal citizens, especially the challenges faced by Julie and other females of her status. Although we learn about Julie, there are a lot of dry segments that focus on the convoluted ins-and-outs of aristocracy that I could’ve done without. Rappaport has chosen an excellent protagonist to feature, as there is very little written in the history books of the young Russian princess, which makes her life all the more intriguing.

"The Rebel Romanov" with the subtitle of Julie of Saxe- Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had was written by Helen Rappaport. It is the story of Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld who lived from 1781-1860, and was also known as Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia. This was a a time when young Princesses were being bartered in marriage deals for status, money, debt, and reproducing male heirs for the royal lines. Empress Catherine II of Russia herself searched for an acceptable wife for her grandson, the Grand Duke Konstantin. What Empress Catherine neglected to mention to both Juliane and her family was that her grandson was a cruel, violent and jealous man. Sadly, this was the trajectory for Juliane, and we learn how she tries to save herself, her family and her future.
This story is very well researched and written. It is a thorough version of the Grand Duchess Anna Fedorovna's attempt for normalcy, and time with her beloved family. 4 Stars

I would like to thank NetGalley and the St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

My thanks to both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy of a look at the event filled life of a woman who though royal in blood, was set for an arranged life of disappointment and fear, and how she made a fate of her own, scandalizing many, but inspiring others.

My father tell my brother and I when we complained about not getting something that some of the most powerful and richest people who ever lived never had air conditioning nor indoor plumbing. Well my father would be a little cruder about the indoor plumbing, but we got the point. Also unlike most powerful people my father and mother were married out of love, and not to seal some deal. This idea of the sanctity of marriage is novel, as children and marriages were no different than signatures. A prince or a princess married for property, prosperity. A pact of politics, not passion or pleasure. Courtships were conducted by court couriers, the happy couple not ever seeing each other sometimes until the wedding or even being married by proxy. This was the norm. Women would be trapped in loveless relationships, only needed to create heirs to keep a line of succession clear, the rest of the time husbands would have courtesans, wives would have to be careful. Few could escape loveless and sometimes dangerous relationships. Unless they tried very hard. The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had by historian and writer Helen Rappaport is a biography and history of a young woman who fled her husband and the scandals and tribulations that followed.

Catherine the Great was the ruler of Russia and in the year 1795 began to plan for a time that she might not be around to control things. On her list was to find a bride for Catherine's grandson Konstantin, who was the second in line of succession, but already had a reputation for trouble. Catherine dispatched one of her generals to tour Europe to find a bride. The general didn't get far, becoming sick in the town of Coburg in Germany. Becoming aware that the Duke, who had more name than wealth, had three daughters, the general wrote to Saint Petersburg saying he had found the perfect candidates. Soon Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and her sisters were off to Russia, a 40 day trip across dangerous roads, filled with bandits, disease and inns that wouldn't be even one-star. There the three were studied and deliberated on, with Julie becoming the winner. Konstantin was no real catch, a man of moods and violence, leaving Julie alone, a trapped in a marriage far, far from home. Until she found a way to get out.

I never had a sister so I don't know why so many young ladies want to be princesses. A casual reading of history shows how miserable and sad these lives must be. Even Disney Princesses have a high mortality rate. This was a really fascinating read, about a time I thought I knew, but turned out I knew from the male point of view and not from the women's. This is the second book by Rappaport I have read, and is a book that kept me far more engaged than I thought. There is a lot of history, and explanation of how people were connected to each other. However Rappaport is a really good writer and keeps everything straight for the reader. Rappaport is also very good at setting the scene, the inns the sisters stopped in, the coldness of Russia. The freedom that Julie had when she got some distance. A really excellent history.

Fans of Rappaport's other books will enjoy this, as well as people who love to read books on royalty. I must say this person was unfamiliar to me, and I learned quite a lot about which I always enjoy.

This is a well researched non-fiction book that reads like fiction. The story flows and makes history exciting. Thsnks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I’m most appreciative to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for an ARC of this historical insight into the royalty of the 1800s in Europe. The subject matter was well researched and beautifully documented. The book covered a lot of people and a lot of wars/disputes during that time.

In my Kindle copy the Family Tree of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was omitted as well as The Family Tree of the Romonovs, the Maps and the Illustrations. It would certainly have been helpful in understanding those family lines and political lines to have had those illustrations.

This book would be a worthy addition to the knowledge and library of anyone interested in that period.

I’ve always been fascinated by the Romanovs, so I was excited to read a book coming from the story at a different angle. This book did not actually end up being what I expected it to be. Reading more like a highly detailed scholarly work and less like a historical narrative, the text is dense and spends a lot of time on family trees and minutia and not actually as much time on the promised mysterious Romanov. It felt at times like a ton of background filler with not enough new scholarship on this woman to warrant her own book. I found the historical details interesting, but I would not necessarily recommend this book for the casual historical learner.

I absolutely love Helen Rappaport’s books. And this one didn’t disappoint. A story of a forced marriage, common in the 1700’s among royalty. It is a great story.

Some mixed feelings about this one! It's exquisitely researched and the cast of characters assembled incredibly interesting and layered. While I wasn't necessarily enamored with Julia herself so much as the writing of Helen Rappaport, it almost feels like that was the point. The rest of her family and their descendants got to be interesting and layered because of Julia's marriage and ultimate divorce. She was really the anchor for everything that happened after her. Truly remarkable!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew a bit about Julie as I'm a fan of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert so reading about her life was very interesting. That area of time I have little knowledge so Helen is able to write a world in which Julie lives. She was such a sad figure and having to be a woman on your own at that time is rough. I enjoyed this book