I unfortunately only have dislike to report on this one. Whenever I browse books about the Romonov family, Helen Rappaport often seems associated with them. Maybe it was because this was a bit of an odd topic that the book did not land for me. I thought it might be a fun book to start off with Rappaport's bibliography yet from the start, I found myself detached from the text. It often felt more like I was reading a Wikipedia article than a book. It felt like my reaction was more of a me problem than the book's problem. I was unsure to what the book's argument was nor did I feel a sense of interest or empathy about the subject manner. Each chapter was so forgettable, I kept having to reread to remember.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Julie of Saxe-Coberg had quite a life and then some. Raised in a small German duchy, she was, at one time, in line for the Russian throne. And then she took her self back to Germany and say "no thanks." And for that she is a bit of a mystery. Helen Rappaport does an excellent job of describing Julie's world, her decisions, and ultimately her life after joining the Romanov family. She was connected to some of the biggest monarchies in Europe, but lived a quiet life away from a lot of pomp and circumstance. That being said, for a title that uses the word "rebel," I wish I had gotten more about why Julie was a rebel beyond her scorning the Romanovs and moving back to Germany. But for a woman so connected, she is so deeply hidden and I appreciated Rappaport's efforts to bring her life to the light.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of "The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had" by Helen Rappaport

"In the constant quest for social preferment and advantageous dynastic union, the vultures of royal ambition were always and forever circling."

This quote out of Chapter 12th of Helen Rappaport's "The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had" pretty much sums up the life and times of the aunt of England's Queen Victoria.

While Rappaport's research is thorough with careful notes included throughout, Julie is simply not a rebel and does not offer much throughout her lifetime to warrant any special recognition. On the extremely negative side and in her defense, she was "sold" to the grandson of Catherine the Great at the age of only 14 and had to endure a miserable life with Konstantin. Although she escaped the marriage and many years later was granted a divorce, her years encompass moving around with an entourage, affairs with men resulting in pregnancies she hid away, and seeing to her own needs at the expense of others.

Unfortunately, "The Rebel Romanov" has succeeded in turning this reader off to the frivolity, selfishness and hypocrisy of royals anywhere.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy of The Rebel Romanov Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had by Helen Rappaport in exchange for an honest review. It publishes April 15, 2025.
Helena Rappaport is my go-to for all things Romanov, and she delivered again with this wonderful book. I have read several books by Rappaport, and the way she turns what could be boring or dry history into a riveting story that I won’t want to put down will never cease to impress me!
The careful details shared in this book are so informative, yet fresh and interesting will teach you so much as well!

Look, when I pick up a book about a rebellious Romanov-era princess entangled in royal drama, I expect juicy levels of gossip, scandal, and backstabbing worthy of an HBO miniseries. What I got instead was a very well-researched—but rather dry—account that read like a dissertation with occasional hints of drama peeking through, waving weakly from the sidelines.

Julie of Saxe-Coburg had all the ingredients of a historical trainwreck I could have gleefully devoured: a terrible marriage to a violent man-child, an overbearing empress, whispered affairs, secret children, and a scandalous romance with a married doctor (oh, the audacity!). But instead of diving headfirst into the court intrigue and illicit rendezvous, this book methodically lays out the facts in a way that feels more like attending a very serious lecture than indulging in a juicy historical escape.

To be clear, the research? Impeccable. The drama? Strangely subdued. Julie was an absolute icon of her time—choosing personal freedom over royal duty—but I just wanted more sass in telling her story. More side-eye at Constantine’s Jekyll-and-Hyde routine. More exclamation points when discussing her multiple love affairs. More gasp-worthy revelations instead of measured analysis.

If you’re looking for a meticulously documented history lesson, this book delivers. If you were hoping for a delightfully scandalous royal tell-all, you might want to lower your expectations…or at least come prepared with a cup of tea and a shot of vodka.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the the opportunity to read this fabulous book. I learned so much from reading this fabulous book. I learned so much- I didn’t realize i hadn’t seen this connections before. The history of the Romanovs is so interesting and tragic. Helen Rappaport always does such a fabulous job in telling their stories.

I am a big fan of Helen Rappaport’s writing. I found this one of her books to have a slower start, likely because most of Rappaport’s other books that I have read were about the family and political situation surrounding Tsar Nicholas II and his family. However, once I got into it, I fell in love with Julie of Saxe-Cobourg. As always, Rappaport’s writing is informative and entertaining, making you excited to learn more about her subject.

When I accepted to preview this book, I thought it was written in the style of many Royal historical novels - of which I have read quite a few! However, this text is written as a very precise history. It kept me interested for a while, but the denseness of the facts and dates became too heavy for my taste; as I said, I prefer historical novels. In conclusion, if you are an avid reader of historical texts, especially about royalty, you may enjoy this book.

Very interesting story of Julie Romanov. I learned a lot about this Romanov that I didn't know exist. Relatively quick read and well researched.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

I’ve read a few of Rappaport’s books and really enjoyed them, but this one was a (teensy) bit of a miss for me. I applaud her for finding as much as she did in her research about Julie, as the “empress that never was” wanted to deliberately fade from view. However, there were a few long tangents that made it feel like padding to get this book to an acceptable length based on the small amount of first-hand documents available; the lengthy recap of her trip from Saxe-Coburg to Russia sticks out in particular.

That being said, I enjoy reading about this period of history and its remarkable women (right at the end of Catherine the Great, and the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign), and so I am glad to have read this and to have learned a little more about Julie, who was both Catherine’s granddaughter-in-law and Victoria’s aunt. I did enjoy that Rappaport framed Julie in the context of the strong women in her orbit, as she herself was a strong woman who outlasted an unhappy marriage.

The Rebel Romanov
By Helen Rappaport

This is the story of Julie of Saxe-Coburg, a Germanic princess destined to be sold off in marriage to Konstantin, the grandson of Catherine the Great of Russia. This was common practice in the early 1800s. The sons of royal families were expected to make financially advantageous marriages. The daughters were paraded like cattle at auction on the marriage market to benefit their financially strapped families or to boost the prospects of their brothers.

Julie was only 14 years old when she was escorted, together with her two sisters, for the inspection by Konstantin (and Catherine, of course) as a possible wife. Konstantin chose Julie. She was then deserted by her mother and sisters and left to the Russians, who required her to renounce her Lutheran faith in favor of the Russian Orthodox Church. The fact that she knew next to nothing about her prospective bridegroom was not important – she had a duty to perform.

Unfortunately Konstantin apparently had mental health issues as did his father. He was cruel and violent. And Julie had no recourse. But she was not alone in this predicament. As this book makes clear, women from noble families had no say in these situations.

Julie's story is at once heartbreaking and horrifying. The book presents a well-researched picture of life for those thought of as privileged during those years. A very interesting history!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Helen Rappaport's "The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had" presents a fascinating glimpse into Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg's life, a figure entangled in European and Russian aristocratic power dynamics.

Betrothed to Konstantin Romanov, grandson of Catherine the Great, at the age of 14, Julie faced emotional and psychological turmoil in her diplomatic marriage. Through meticulous research and clear storytelling, Rappaport portrays Julie's journey of political ambition, personal tragedy, and fierce independence, skillfully capturing her transition from a naive princess to a defiant and independent woman. Julie's divorce in 1820, a rare act of agency in an era dominated by patriarchal norms, highlights her courage and resilience.

The biography does not shy away from the controversial aspects of Julie's story, humanizing her amidst the backdrop of royal expectations. Rappaport integrates historical context seamlessly, immersing readers in the political intrigues and societal constraints of the era, although the depth of detail may be challenging for those less familiar with Russian history.

This is a well-paced biography that balances historical rigor with an emotionally compelling narrative. Rappaport's portrayal of Julie is sympathetic and vivid, shedding light on a woman who defied expectations and sought autonomy. "The Rebel Romanov" is a tribute to a life shaped by resilience and defiance, and a must-read for lovers of Russian history and European royalty.

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.