The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had

by Helen Rappaport

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.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Russia, Audiobook, Royalty, Russian History

1 pages, Audio CD

First published April 15, 2025

About the author

Helen Rappaport is a historian specialising in the Victorian period, with a particular interest in Queen Victoria and the Jamaican healer and caregiver, Mary Seacole. She also has written extensively on late Imperial Russia, the 1917 Revolution and the Romanov family. Her love of all things Victorian springs from her childhood growing up near the River Medway where Charles Dickens lived and worked. Her passion for Russian came from a Russian Special Studies BA degree course at Leeds University. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary D.Litt by Leeds for her services to history. She is also a member of the Royal Historical Society, the Genealogical Society, the Society of Authors and the Victorian Society. She lives in the West Country, and has an enduring love of the English countryside and the Jurassic Coast, but her ancestral roots are in the Orkneys and Shetlands from where she is descended on her father's side. She likes to think she has Viking blood.

Helen is the author of 14 published books with 2 forthcoming in 2022:

"In Search of Mary Seacole: The Making of a Cultural Icon" - Simon & Schuster UK, 17 February 2022

"After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris through Revolution and War" - St Martin's Press USA, 8 March 2022

For her next project she is working on a biography of Juliane of Saxe-Coburg aka Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia

Follow her also on Facebook at:
HelenRappaportWriter

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book (“Julie of Saxe-Coburg, The Empress Russia Never Had”) is a little misleading, because Julie (also known as Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia) was never meant to be empress of anything. Her brother-in-law, Alexander, was the sibling directly in line for the throne when she married into the Romanov family, and by the time Grand Duke Konstantin could've become tsar of Russia (a job he enthusiastically declined), he and Julie were already divorced. I mean, I suppose in a way that does make her an “empress Russia never had,” but by that definition I'm also an empress Russia never had. If there's ever a biography written about me, I hereby request that it also be subtitled in the same manner as this one, mostly because it'd be hilarious.

Anyway. The Rebel Romanov is an entertaining glimpse into Julie's life and how the Saxe-Coburgs helped to shape the royal families of Europe. And, if I'm being completely honest, Julie is probably one of the least interesting characters in this book. That's not necessarily a bad thing – she certainly has a story worth being told – but her main claim to fame is marrying a Russian grand duke, a dysfunctional marriage that really only lasted a few years (they lived separated-but-still-technically married for a couple of decades, however). From then on out, she lived a relatively low-key existence, although not a poverty-stricken one as she still received a hefty allowance from the Russian government. Meanwhile, many of her relatives went on to hold extremely powerful positions across Europe – her brother, Leopold, became king of Belgium and her niece and nephew were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of the UK. And that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as Saxe-Coburg royalty is concerned – to say they were an incredibly ambitious family is definitely an understatement.

And, yes, both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert were relatives of Julie's. European royalty is so inbred, you guys. So many cousins marrying cousins, and one of Julie's brothers even married his niece. Blech. And don't even get me started on all of the infidelity … at least the resulting illegitimate children probably had a deeper gene pool, I suppose?

As the author says in the epilogue, “much of Julie's life remains hidden from us.” There are numerous “might haves” in her story, and many documents that would have shed light on her inner thoughts and feelings have been intentionally destroyed or lost to time. Rappaport, however, has done a tremendous job of compiling the information about Julie that remains, and the history of the Saxe-Coburg lineage is truly fascinating. Anyone looking to learn more about the Romanovs, German history, or even the history of European royalty as a whole will likely find this book informative and entertaining.

My overall rating: 4.25 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is April 15, 2025.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marriage is hard. It is especially hard when you are a nearly broke German princess and you get married to a Russian prince who, how shall I put this lightly, has a significant personality disorder. Welcome to the story of Julie Saxe-Coburg!

Helen Rappaport tells Julie's story in her book The Rebel Romanov. You may not have heard about Julie, but you probably did hear about many other people in this book connected to her like Catherine the Great, Queen Victoria, Tsar Alexander, and various other royalty. Julie was a major part of the truly weird game of intermarriage that European royalty loved to take part in.

My enjoyment and rating of this book is based mostly on Rappaport's writing. She balances numerous characters (who frustratingly usually have the same names) and gives an excellent picture of the time they all lived in. Major players are highlighted but never completely overtake the narrative.

My singular issue with the book is a big one but not the fault of the author. Julie is not a very interesting main character at least as far as we can tell. Much of her correspondence needed to be kept secret or destroyed to avoid the ire of the Russian monarchy. Her exile from court meant she did not have any major influence on world events. It didn't help that she was also sickly (which may have been her husband's fault) and thus didn't travel as extensively as might be expected. Rappaport works with what she has, and the book is still very good. However, I think non-history nerds might be underwhelmed by Julie's story.

(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.)

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written, entertaining, meticulously researched biography of Julie of Saxe-Coburg. It is interesting and informative, and contains detailed and vivid descriptions of her life, court intrigue, traditions, locations, and historical figures. The footnotes, notes, bibliography and acknowledgements are enlightening, and are truly appreciated. Many thanks to Dr. Rappaport, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this fascinating book. This is my honest opinion.

[Mai H.]

Non-fiction November TBR

Women's History Month TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

With her April 2025 biography The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had, British historian and professor Helen Rappaport provides a detailed, engaging and also empowering biography of Princess Juliane (Julie) of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1781-1860), who was an aunt of Queen Victoria and was of course thus also an aunt of Prince Albert, of Queen Victoria's husband and consort as well (and with The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had presenting an often heartbreakingly infuriating but for me personally an ultimately hugely and delightfully uplifting biographical account regarding a 19th century European woman of nobility pointedly and strongly fighting against enforced passivity, rejecting being merely a commodity, of rebelling against constraints, against toxic marriages of convenience and dynastic alliances, of not accepting the obstacles and the censures of society, of dynastic rules, demands and horridly misogynist structures).

Now some of the more critical reviews of The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had seem to rather fault Rappaport for using in a biography (and thus in a book of non fiction) quite a bit of speculation. But well, since Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld seems to have destroyed the majority of her correspondences and that a journal she apparently kept has never been discovered (and might actually have never even existed) much of Julie's life therefore is and remains (and as Helen Rappaport also readily admits in The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had) rather hidden, but that this also of course then necessitates and requires conjecture in order for The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had to provide a sufficiently finished and polished text. But yes, I for one, even though I usually find too much author hypothesising and speculation in biographies majorly frustrating and also therefore kind of ahistorical, this has in fact not at all bothered me in and with The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had and specifically and precisely because there just is so much that is not known concerning Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld's life and with Helen Rappaport’s extensive knowledge of Russian and European history and culture also (at least for me personally speaking) and very much furthermore allowing her to create in The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had an informative as well as a totally believable chronology of a strong and courageous woman who was manipulated, victimised, sometimes despondent, but was ultimately totally defiant and refused to yield (and indeed most triumphantly and wonderfully so).

And Rappaport in The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had, her text descriptively as well as poignantly both shows and tells how at the tender age of only fourteen Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was betrothed and then wedded to (totally against her will and thus of course with no choice at all in the matter) Archduke Konstantin Romanov of Russia (to the impulsive, erratically mercurial, often violently abusive grandson of Catherine the Great) and with both Catherine the Great and Juliane's mother (the Duchess Auguste) hugely favouring this marriage, since it marked an important political alliance and for the financially hard-up Coburgs also expected access to Romanov wealth (so that The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had clearly showcases how Julie was basically someone if not actually something to sell to the quasi highest bidder so to speak, that Catherine the Great and the Romanovs were bidding the highest, had the most to offer, that for the Baroness Auguste Juliane and also her sisters were simply commodities to be traded, to be marketed and that their feelings etc. did not matter at all). Therefore and indeed, even after it became very totally obvious that Konstantin was very much both physically and emotionally abusive to his wife, to Juliane, was only really interested in his military pursuits, and that when she in 1801 was finally able to return to her family to visit her ailing mother and vowed never to return to Russia and to her husband (and was quite adamant regarding this), Helen Rappaport describes and points out in The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had how her family still insisted Juliane do so, to return to Russia and to her abusive husband, fearful of severing ties to wealth and dynastic influence, although and wonderfully so, Julie steadfastly refused and while still technically married, she had several affairs and also had several children out of wedlock (but that in 1820, her sympathetic brother in law, the Russian Czar Alexander I finally had Juilane's and Konstantin's marriage officially annulled and basically liberated Julie).

While Rappaport makes it pretty clear in The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had that Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was obviously not alone among nobly born European women being often if not even generally used as pawns (and sold) in and for political and "royal" machinations, but that yes, Julie's eventual and official annulment of her horrid marriage to Archduke Konstantin was indeed a very rare occurrence, as was the fact that she simply and stubbornly refused to return to Russia and to her nasty husband. And even with her family etc. hugely against her, Juliane of Saxe-Cogurg-Saalfeld is shown by Helen Rappaport in and throughout The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had as standing firm, as strongly and steadfastly refusing to follow family, societal and dynastic dictates, that she had affairs and illegitimate children even while still officially married to Konstantin, sacrificing her reputation and a life of luxury in exchange for freedom, happiness and also for safety away from her "husband's" raging violence (but really what matter luxury and wealth if the marriage is so unhappy and so toxic, and that for me, The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had and Helen Rappaport as an author rate with solidly and equals so as gloriously five stars).

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had was introduced to this reader thanks to the skillful research and writing of Helen Rappaport. I was further convinced by that coy, come-hither look of the darling on the cover. She looks like she's got something to share. . . .

The truth of it is though, if we believe all Ms. Rappaport has to report (and there's no reason to doubt her), poor Julie had a rough row to hoe. Ordered into a misaligned marriage to Konstantin the Krummy, at least she was able to convince the Men-In-Power that she was worthy of a divorce and a dispensation to turn the other way when she engaged in Other Relationships. She could have been Empress??! Well, that seems a far reach as that was all dependent on Konstantin (who didn't perform) and not even Grandmama Catherine the G was a fan of that plan. Her vote was ever for the fair-haired Alex.

My thoughts at the end of this read are two-fold -

1) Julie's tribe and all of their rich people shenanigans page after page, filled with chasing these families repeatedly through the years gave me more clues than I've appreciated in the past as to why the proletariat trigger-tipped over; and

2) If I was anywhere near her I would have pulled her aside and whispered: "Julie! Julie! you just need to run, run, run away - far away from these cold steppes, and go just about anywhere else - you can keep your name (everyone loves a Julie), open a shop and sell stuff - books, clothes, hats and leave all this royalty stuff behind. It surely hasn't done you a bit of good. Go!!"

She could have been Empress, but she dodged a bullet, I think (maybe literally?) she actually DOES have descendants, as a Not-Empress. Poor Chick. She was a loved-by-many fancy racehorse that never got to race except the few times she got loose and they forgot to lock the gates. Wherever she's landed, I earnestly hope she's happy now.

*A sincere thank you to Helen Rappaport, St. Martin's Press, Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 26|52:13a

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Princess Juliane of Saxe-Colburg-Saalfeld (Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna of Russia), so reaching for this book was out of curiosity and a desire to learn something about a woman I could find little about online.

Who is this woman?
To Queen Victoria, she was Aunt Julie.
To Catherine the Great, she was Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna, granddaughter-in-law.
To readers trying to place her in history, she was a rebel Romanov.

Juliane married Catherine the Great’s grandson Grand Duke Konstantin in 1796 to gain protection for the Saxe-Colburg line; it would then be under the protection of the Russian Empire. She was only 14 and agreed to move to a foreign land to help her family gain place and prestige. I can’t imagine her loneliness in a foreign country at such a young age nor realizing she was just a political pawn in a marriage that her parents had orchestrated. Imagine being stripped of your German name and being forced to switch faith/religion, all on top of dealing with a philandering husband at 14 years old! Desperate for love she had at least three illegitimate children and forced to put all up for adoption. Not much wonder we don’t hear much about her except that she wished to be written out of history!

I’ll admit that more than 50% of this book was way over my head and I lost focus. It’s such a meaty book and it’s written by an author who has extensive knowledge of royalty. To do it justice, it’s back on my shelf for a further read…or two…or three to do it justice.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 of 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.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 was expecting something a little bit more. On the other hand, I love reading about a historical figure that hasn't been written about by historians thousands of times.



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

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The Rebel Romanov, by Helen Rappaport, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Julie of Saxe-Coburg was selected to marry Catherine the Great of Russia, grandson Considine. This was a deep read, unsettling at times.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Princess Juliane of Saxe-Colburg-Saalfeld (Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna of Russia), so reaching for this book was out of curiosity and a desire to learn something about a woman I could find little about online.

Who is this woman?
- To Queen Victoria, she was Aunt Julie.
- To Catherine the Great, she was Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna, granddaughter-in-law.
- To readers trying to place her in history, she was a rebel Romanov.

Juliane married Catherine the Great’s grandson Grand Duke Konstantin in 1796 to gain protection for the Saxe-Colburg line; it would then be under the protection of the Russian Empire. She was only 14 and agreed to move to a foreign land to help her family gain place and prestige. I can’t imagine her loneliness in a foreign country at such a young age nor realizing she was just a political pawn in a marriage that her parents had orchestrated. Imagine being stripped of your German name and being forced to switch faith/religion, all on top of dealing with a philandering husband at 14 years old! Desperate for love she had at least three illegitimate children and was forced to put them all up for adoption. Not much wonder we don’t hear much about her except that she wished to be written out of history!

I’ll admit that more than 50% of this book was way over my head and I lost focus. It’s such a meaty book and it’s written by an author who has extensive knowledge of royalty. To do it justice, it’s back on my shelf for a further read…or two…or three to do it justice.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Sherwood Smith]

The title is misleading, I'll say up front; if you're looking for a rousing tale of an early campaigner for the rights of women a la Mary Wollstonecroft or Olympe de Gouges or even Queen Christina, you're going to be disappointed. Julie is a very minor figure on the Eastern European/Russian scene before, during, and after the Napoleonic ructions, about whom almost nothing has been written, her scant letters mostly lost, even her grave lost.

On the other hand, if you want an engaging look at the weird tangle of dynastic marriages as borders got drawn and redrawn before Napoleon blustered through, then retreated again, leaving the map of Europe to be redrawn yet again, you might find this book as worthwhile as I did. There just isn't much written in English about that end of Europe during the late eighteenth century and early-mid nineteenth; Napoloeon seems to take up al the real estate history-wise. Though glimpses into Julie's inner life pretty much all are supposition, there is enough quoted from period letters and memoirs to furnish us vivid glimpses of the other major players, plus what it was like to travel at that time.

This book is a great glimpse of the end of Catherine the Great's life, the tangle of her descendants' lives, and how yet another hapless daughter of nobility/royaltie got cut adrift, her life pretty much shipwrecked by politics and the rotten behavior of men. And julie's husband Konstantin, to whom she was married at age fourteen, is a prime example of a thoroughly nasty piece of work.

[Grisette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

I love watching (or as the case often is, listening to while doing something else) documentaries on historical figures from all eras. However, I am rarely inclined to devote the time required to read a nonfiction book about a historical figure. I was impelled to pick this book only because it was the only viable choice for me in order to earn the last badge (Her Story, for Women's History Month) of GR's Winter Challenge (hereby, done with 8 days to spare 🎉). That said, I do not regret reading this book. The writing was on the dry side, with extensive use of quotations, and read much like a thesis. However, the subject matter was real interesting and kept me turning the pages, even through the most domestic passages.

For through its shadowy historical heroine, Julie, the author guides the reader through a gripping piece of history where the whole of face of Europe was changing, from the glittering but cold splendour of the Russian Court to the coronation of Queen Victoria in England, via the political disturbances engineered by Napoleon across the old continent. While all these monumental historical happenings were recounted only in an oblique manner, it was a fascinating reading experience to dig into the Saxe-Coburg family and discover how they indeed impacted so many European royal houses during that key time, despite starting as impoverished and quite obscure German princes. And all this thanks to the most obscure of all family members, Princess Julie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Without her arranged marriage (at age 14!) with the second eldest grandson of Empress Catherine II of Russia, her whole family would not have had the opportunities they all seized in the next 50 years.

Of Julie herself, so little is known even by the end of the book, as explained by the author. She seemed to me as a tragic-romantic character whose tragic life ought not on the surface have been as painful as she herself (and many others) claimed. Her pain and sorrow seemed to be mostly in her mind because let's face it, she was royalty and lived comfortably, much more than the average person. That said, as the author rightly pointed out, we will never know the real details of what she had to endure with her husband when she was in Russia (namely, in her formative years when she was below 20) because Julie endeavoured all her life to keep her silence and destroy all her important papers. Hence, Julie still necessarily appears as an incomplete personnage by the end of the book. I wholly understand why the author was interested in her because despite the lack of more personal information, the extraordinary influence her doomed marriage had on the European royal houses cannot be denied.

She remains an unjustifiably neglected footnote in history. But perhaps, in many ways, this is what she wanted: she was, in the end, the architect of her own deliberate effacement from the record.

[Natalie K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and fascinating book! This is a biography of the little-known Princess Julie, aka Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna of Russia. She became a Romanov by marriage when she married Grand Duke Konstantin, Emperor Alexander I's younger brother. Though she got along well with Alexander and his wife Elise, her marriage to Konstantin was a disaster. They became estranged, she left Russia, and they eventually were granted a divorce. She had two illegitimate children and lived a relatively quiet life in Switzerland. I especially enjoyed the mentions of classical music she enjoyed. It's so fascinating that people were still attending concerts of Mozart's music in the 1830s, even though he died in 1791 (I guess he's never gone out of style, hooray for Mozart!).

Anyway, this is a fabulous biography of a little-known and somewhat tragic figure. Oh, and did I mention that this Julie was the aunt of Queen Victoria? Pretty fascinating!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie of Saxe-Coburg became the wife of one of Catherine the Great's grandsons. Konstantin, who was
undisciplined and cruel to his new wife.
So many marriages between royals was to keep the kingdoms with forthcoming Kings and Queens.
Julie escaped Russia and wanted no title associated with her name. She was living in Switzerland and had two children with a man there. Her daughter died in childbirth and her son Eduard did well for himself.
Growing up in Germany Lutheranism was familiar to her, but she embraced Russian Orthodox, finding a chapel there in Switzerland to worship, where she made her home.
Julie had a very sad life. she was born in 1781 and died in 1860.
Her gravestone in encrypted with : Julie Anne Philippians 1:2
"For me, to Live is Christ and to die is Gain"

I want to thank St Martin Press for sending me this ARC book, which will be on sale April 2025

[Morgan Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who studied all things Russian in university, I was instantly intrigued by The Rebel Romanov. Catherine the Great and her son Paul are often front and center in pop culture—especially with recent portrayals in shows like The Great and Catherine the Great—but Julie of Saxe-Coburg? Not nearly as well-known, despite her fascinating life. Enter Helen Rappaport’s latest, which shines a much-deserved spotlight on this complex and bold woman.

I received an advanced audiobook copy via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, and narrator Jennifer Dixon did a fantastic job. She moved seamlessly between English, Russian, French, and German, making the story feel immersive and authentic.

While the early chapters focus more heavily on Catherine and Paul, and I found myself slightly distracted at first (a common issue for me with nonfiction), once Julie's story took center stage, I was fully engaged. Rappaport strikes a great balance between scholarly research and compelling storytelling—it never felt too dry or overly academic.

If you're interested in the Romanovs and want something a little off the beaten path, this is a great pick. It’s a poignant portrait of a woman who defied the constraints of royal life in pursuit of her own freedom. And as always, I support women’s rights—and more importantly, women’s wrongs.

Happy publication day!

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed and informative book on the life of Princess Julie-Anne Saxe Coburg - someone who I knew little about. With so much written and focused on either the English or French monarchies, this is truly a refreshing look on a lesser known woman. Her life was certainly one that was hard to live and the author does a great job trying to put all the pieces together. Many parts of her life remain unknown but what the author did uncover was dutifully honored and the rest she asks the hard questions and tries to formulate respectable answers. Give this book a go - you will NOT be disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Dodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2018 I read Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie. It impressed me, and I've thought a lot about it since I read it. It was a good background for The Rebel Romanov. From the outside looking in, royal life seems idyllic. Julie of Saxe-Coburg, as well as Catherine, endured many difficulties. As Helen Rappaport reports, Julie was betrothed to Constantine, Catherine's deranged grandson. Like many royals, he was adulterous, and Julie suffered from syphilis acquired from him. Eventually she left him and her opulent royal life in Russia, although she retained an allowance and lived quite comfortably. She was somewhat of a social pariah because of the attitudes in the 1800s of a failed marriage. Rappaport chronicles Julie's life in detail. I enjoyed the pages of portraits, and illustrations of carriages and palaces accompanying the book.

[Bettina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pff wat een nutteloos bestaan, wat een leeg en zinloos leven. Wat een overbodige vrouw. (en wat een overbodig boek)

De titel is ook misleidend, prinses Juliana van Saksen is welbeschouwd zes jaar aan het Russische hof, getrouwd met grootvorst Constantijn, en dan gaat ze er vandoor. Ze komt nooit terug in Rusland en hoewel de officiele scheiding pas twintig jaar later wordt uitgesproken, denk ik niet dat je haar als een Romanov kunt beschouwen.
De ondertitel is 'de keizerin die Rusland nooit gehad heeft', is ook misleidend, want ze was nooit bedoeld om keizerin te worden, ze trouwde met een tweede zoon, niet de troonopvolger. Op die manier zijn we allemaal de keizerin die Rusland nooit gehad heeft.

Wel interessant zijn de details over het leven aan het Russische hof ttv Catharina de Grote en de politieke situatie in Europa rond 1800. Juliana was namelijk de tante van zowel koningin Victoria als Albert (Victoria's moeder was haar zus en Alberts vader was haar broer), en die afschuwelijke koning Leopold van Belgie was haar broer.

Haar huwelijk met grootvorst Constantijn zorgde ervoor dat haar volstrekt onaanzienlijke familie een hogere status kreeg en al die koninklijke huwelijken mogelijk waren. Zij werd opgeofferd voor het welzijn van haar familie, maar zijzelf heeft er weinig plezier van gehad. Haar echtgenoot was een sadist en een verschrikkelijke hork van een kerel.
Dat is triest, maar die hele familie Saksen Coburg was walgelijk en verdiende het eigenlijk om tijdens een flinke paleisrevolutie uit de raam van hun stomme schloss gegooid te worden. (volstrekt incompetente heersers die werkelijk niks hebben gedaan om het leven van hun onderdanen op welke manier dan ook te verbeteren) Ik kon nul sympathie opbrengen voor wie dan ook.

Jammer hoor, dit viel me tegen. Niet bepaald het beste boek dat Helen Rappaport heeft geschreven, en over het algemeen heb ik haar hoog zitten, maar dit was vrij suf.

[Moniek Bloks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport chronicles the life of Juliane or Julie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

She was born on 23 September 1781 in Bern to Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Augusta Caroline Reuss of Ebersdorf. If that name rings a bell, Julie was the aunt of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and she was thus also the sister of the future Leopold I of Belgium.

In 1795, she was chosen as a suitable bride for Catherine the Great's second grandson, Grand Duke Konstantin. She travelled to St. Petersburg with her mother and her sisters, Sophie and Antoinette, where the trio was presented to the Grand Duke, and he was forced to make a choice. Julie was baptised in the Russian Orthodox Church and chose the name Anna Feodorovna. They were married on 26 February 1796. 

Their marriage was a great mésalliance. Konstantin was violent and a true military man, and Julie was truly miserable. By 1799, the situation had become dire. Julie left Russia for medical treatment and intended not to return. However, her family was unsupportive, and she was finally forced to return to Russia. By October, she was back in Russia.

In 1801, another chance to escape presented itself. Emperor Paul I was assassinated in March, and Julie 'became ill'. Julie returned to Coburg and now she had the consent of the new Emperor, Alexander I. She arrived back in Coburg in one piece and refused to return, and she never did. Instead, she began divorce proceedings against her husband. The divorce was denied, also due to fears that Konstantin might contract a morganatic marriage.

Nevertheless, Julie tried to live her life. In 1808, she gave birth to her first child, who was named Eduard Edgar Schmidt-Löwe. He was later ennobled by his uncle, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and carried the last name von Löwenfels. She had a second child in 1812. This time, it was a daughter who was named Louise Hilda Agnes d'Aubert. This time paternity was a bit more certain, it was probably Rodolpe Abraham de Schiferli, who was the chamberlain of her household. The child was adopted. Julie refused to consider an attempt at reconciliation and by 1820, Julie was finally officially granted her divorce. 

The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport brings Julie's lost story back to life. From Julie's family and background to her rising star and downfall at the Russian Court and her struggle to construct a life for herself. She was a part of one of the most famous families of the time but was rendered to the sideline because of her situation. The book was wonderfully written and very well-researched. I have always loved Helen Rappaport's writing, and she does Julie justice. 

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

eBook ARC - 3 Stars
While this is clearly a well-researched [given the limited information about much of Julie's life and the absence of letters and diaries], and quite a bit of it was really fascinating, I am afraid I that overall, I really struggled with this one. Yes, I learned things [my knowledge of Russian history does not extend this far back an the only player I was initially familiar with was Catherine the Great], but it was just so dry in parts [and everyone was just SO...extra? Even more so for the Russian aristocracy I found], that by the end, I found I just didn't care that much anymore.

I will say that Julie herself was an interesting character, in that she was FOURTEEN when she was married [to a pretty vile human being], despised both her her husband [who gave her what they now believe was syphilis, because he continually diddled in so many other ponds] AND the spotlight [which is tough when one is a Royal], and just wanted to live quietly [BUT not poorly! ;-) ], all which seemed to completely infuriate the Russian Court of Royals.

One of the things that was interesting to me was that, with all the inter-marrying [one relative on the Saxe-Coburg side married his teen NIECE - EWWWWWWWW!!!!!!], I was still surprised that Julie was Aunt to both Queen Victoria AND to Prince Albert [I had forgotten that they were cousins. Also, ew.], and that part of the book and the history reminder was both gross AND fascinating.

Overall, this book was just not what I was expecting [Julie was neither a rebel nor was she ever in line to be Empress, so the title is extremely misleading], and I was just left mostly disappointed.

Audiobook ARC - 4 Stars
I absolutely love Jennifer M. Dixon as a narrator and she does an excellent job here. There is a lot of French, German, and Russian names and places, and she handles it deftly, like she speaks both those languages, names, and places on a regular basis. I highly recommend listening to her read this book as she makes even the dry parts better and she is the reason I was able to continue and not DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Rappaport, Jennifer M. Dixon - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

[Cora Tipping · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie🥹

“In death, the ever elusive Julie, still holds onto the anonymity she so longed for, but the lovely and peaceful green oasis of Elfenau, with the glorious Swiss landscape surrounding it, is her memorial.”

Everyone be sick and dying all the time and all the names be very Princess Diaries coded. Like ok Mia Thermopolis, we get it.

[Kristina Fontes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Julie before, but she charmed me, just as she did so many others while she lived. To have gone through what she did, and still to be kind? A triumph.

I also now want to visit Elfenau.

[Cindy Huskey · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport is a historical nonfiction about Julie of Saxe-Coburg, a Grand Duchess of Russia in the nineteenth century. When Catherine the Great contacts the Saxe-Coburg family to arrange marriages to German princesses for her grandchildren, she is delighted that Konstantin agrees to marry Julie. But their marriage is far from perfect and will not last long.

I was expecting more of a biography of Julie’s life, but as Helen Rappaport notes several times, that’s actually extremely tricky. Despite her station as a Grand Duchess of Russia, an in-law of Catherine the Great, a beloved aunt of Queen Victoria, and the sister-in-law of Czar Alexander II, there is not that much on Julie or her life, especially after she and Konstantin became estranged. She desired a life of privacy and it appears that many of those who truly loved her respected that to at least some degree, including respecting her forgoing attending weddings and other important royal events. Because of this, we get a lot of details about what is going on more broadly in the lives of European royalty and the ways in which they did connect to Julie.

I feel like reading this helped shed a light on where the elitist, militaristic, expansionist characteristics of the Russian court started to reach a fever pitch that ultimately led to the downfall of the Romanovs in a hundred years. Catherine wanting her grandsons to be educated but pushing masculinity onto them and zero arts, the lack of anyone holding Konstantin accountable for how he terrorized the soldiers under him and his own wife, and the dismissal of basically every other country absolutely contributed to these problems. A single nonfiction shouldn’t necessarily give all the answers because a lot of things are complex, but I do think that this work is an additional piece of the puzzle that helps make the picture more vivid.

I felt really bad for Julie not even a full chapter into this. It’s so obvious that she’s heading towards an unhappy marriage and that no one is going to save her, so she has to save herself in a time where that could mean, and did end up, basically destroying any chance of normalcy or having the things that she really wanted. She had at least two children (there’s two confirmed and there’s a possible third but we’re not positive) and couldn’t raise them because she was still married to a man that she hadn’t seen in years. And getting a divorce was made way too difficult even though both parties were miserable and wanted to marry other people. Unfortunately, there are still women to this day trapped in similar situations and drawing attention to the fact that even someone in a position of privilege like Julie can experience this will hopefully make readers more empathetic to survivors of domestic abuse.

Content warning for mentions of domestic abuse

I would recommend this to fans of nonfiction about the web of the European royal families and readers of works about the Romanovs

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna was somebody who never truly held any importance in history but was exactly at a place to experience all the momentous things of her era and met and was related to every influential royal from the Russian Tsar to Queen Victoria. Thus when you read this book, do so for a personal story of a woman and a view into the formalities and customs of her class, rather than for politics. The book flows very freely, as it is always the case with Helen Rappaport, though she is also one of those authors who will never let an opportunity for mentioning a scandal (or musing on it from the most preposterous angles) go by.

Now, I believe it is finally time for someone, anyone capable, to finally write an English biography of Empress Elizaveta Alexeievna. Pretty please?

[Bern · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have ambivalent feelings about this biography - so much so that I'm finally writing a full review again! I think that this is less a biography of Anna Feodorovna, nee Julia of Saxe-Coburg, than it is a broader history of Julie's immediate family and their rise in prominence from the end of the 18th century to the mid 19th century. This is because of how little record their is of Julie's life, which is something that Rappaport admits to both in the beginning of the book and more fully in the end.

I think that had Rappaport been more comfortable with zooming out and exploring Julie's surroundings and what it might reveal about her this would have been a better biography. But I also realize that is the sort of thing an academic and not popular historian would write. This is what happens when you become a history student. This is not what Rappaport does, and so a lot of this biography is very minute details that do not ultimately correct very well.

But this is not what really irritated me when I read this book. What really irritated me is that I SEE the influence of Nancy Goldstone and her stupid asterisk asides!!! If it is important to understanding your point IT SHOULD BE IN THE BODY OF YOUR BOOK. As someone who reads all footnotes and block quotes, I know that most people are reading these!! I just wish Rappaport had either incorporated most of these into the main text, and kept the rest of the notes in the endnotes as she used to do. Because let's be clear. Either put your asides in your endnotes or use footnotes like a real cool person!!

Sigh. Still an enjoyable read tho. Rappaport is stylistically still better than 90% of popular biographies. I need to stop reading popular history.

[Samantha Spitler · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC copy. Extremely well researched. This book was packed full of historical information: customes, religion, politics, women's roles, clothes, and food even. My one real negative was that the author sometimes used extremely "large" words that I (having 2 college degrees) had never heard of before. It may alienate the readers who are just interested in the history of the time.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a tough time rating this one, but ultimately I felt that this book had a lot of potential that just wasn't met.

Julie is the daughter of Franz and Auguste of Saxe-Coburg, a somewhat struggling German principality. She gets married off to Konstantin, the brother to the heir of the Russian throne (and thus becoming the granddaughter-in-law of Catherine the Great, who strategized the match). However, Konstantin is awful; Julie winds up returning to Europe and living the rest of her life there, mostly in Switzerland.

There are many points of intrigue here. Her life in the Russian court is brief but fascinating. She winds up having two (possibly three) illegitimate children, has affairs with multiple married men. Konstantin tries to reconcile with her, which could possibly have led to her becoming Tsarina (but maybe not). She has money problems. She's living through the Napoleonic Wars. Her niece and nephew are Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Her homes essentially become satellite Russian courts. Her brother becomes the King of Belgium. She may have had an affair with her brother-in-law Alexander, the tsarevitch. Her mother-in-law is the WORST.

The problem, though, is that while Rappaport's research is impeccable, not a ton is left from Julie's own point of view; she was big into burning correspondence and requested that others do the same. Rappaport mentions letters Julie has written, but the only ones to survive are the more anodyne ones and aren't quoted. So while a lot that's interesting is happening, the book is mostly details of Julie's illnesses and houses and guests. (I also struggled a bit because, reading this as an ARC, the family trees weren't yet included, so I couldn't reference the the way I wanted to!) We get hints of the good stuff, but Rappaport never delves into it. And Julie is only a rebel inasmuch that she left her husband, but then she...just kind of lived pretty quietly. The book also is quite detailed while Julie is in Russia, but then time moves inconsistently, with a lot of time jumps that are somewhat glossed over.

I will say that this would be the basis for a FANTASTIC tv series that can play with the truth in a way that Rappaport can't. And it gives an interesting look into life during the first half of the 19th century in Europe; I'd recommend to people interested in that era, and to people interested in the various intertwined European monarchies.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy!

[Laura✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Rebel Romanov" by Helen Rappaport offers an intriguing exploration of a lesser-known historical figure: Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia. While I have good knowledge of many of the famous personalities mentioned in the book, like Catherine the Great, Queen Victoria, and Leopold I, I was unaware and eager to learn about Julie - the third daughter of a relatively minor Germanic ducal house - who had connections to them all

Rappaport’s work is both well-researched and highly readable, guiding readers through Juliane’s journey from her early life in Saxe-Coburg to her reluctant role as Grand Duchess in the Russian court following her politically motivated marriage to Catherine the Great's grandson. The book spans her life from her pre-marriage days to her death at the age of 78, offering insights into the Russian court, the Napoleonic Wars, and the culture of the Romantic era.

While the biography sheds light on many aspects of Juliane’s life, her private experiences and the full nature of her relationships remain elusive, shrouded by the limitations of historical records -- she was a full supporter of "burn after reading". Additionally, it was fascinating to trace how the relatively obscure Saxe-Coburg family rose to prominence, placing its descendants on the thrones of England, Belgium, and Portugal through strategic marriages.

Overall, "The Rebel Romanov" is a compelling portrait of a woman navigating the demands of duty, society, and personal resilience within a transformative era. It’s a testament to Helen Rappaport’s skill as a historian and storyteller that Juliane’s story feels both vivid and relatable, despite the inevitable gaps in our understanding of her inner world.

This was an arc review for NetGalley.