The Rebel Romanov
Helen Rappaport
- To
- Queen
- Victoria
- she
- was
- Aunt
- Julie;
- to
- Catherine
- the
- Great
- she
- was
- Grand
- Duchess
- Anna
- Feodorovna,
- granddaughter-in-law.
- This
- is
- the
- story
- of
- Princess
- Juliane-Henriette-Ulrike
- of
- Saxe-Coburg,
- the
- Rebel
- Romanov.Born
- in
- 1781
- in
- a
- small
- impoverished
- duchy
- of
- Germany,
- Julie's
- quiet
- life
- took
- a
- fairy-tale
- turn
- when
- she
- married
- into
- the
- Russian
- Imperial
- Family
- -
- the
- Romanovs.
- But
- this
- world
- of
- baroque
- splendour,
- of
- opulent
- palaces
- and
- grandeur,
- was
- no
- happily
- ever
- after.
- Taken
- to
- Russia
- at
- just
- fourteen,
- her
- marriage
- was
- hastily
- brokered
- to
- save
- the
- Saxe-Coburg
- duchy
- from
- financial
- ruin.
- Her
- husband,
- Grand
- Duke
- Konstantin,
- was
- cruel
- and
- abusive,
- Julie
- was
- uprooted
- from
- her
- home,
- family,
- language
- and
- culture.As
- Russia
- and
- Europe
- were
- thrown
- into
- tumult
- by
- the
- murder
- of
- Emperor
- Paul
- and
- the
- rise
- of
- Napoleon,
- Julie
- finally
- made
- her
- escape
- back
- to
- Germany,
- where
- she
- lived
- for
- two
- decades
- as
- a
- social
- pariah,
- denied
- a
- divorce
- by
- the
- Imperial
- Family.
- Forced
- to
- give
- up
- two
- illegitimate
- children
- to
- protect
- her
- family's
- honour,
- she
- eventually
- built
- a
- life
- for
- herself
- in
- Switzerland,
- where
- she
- entertained
- poets
- and
- philosophers,
- regaling
- them
- with
- tales
- from
- the
- Russian
- court.Helen
- Rappaport
- recreates
- the
- extraordinary
- life
- of
- this
- forgotten
- figure.
- In
- doing
- so
- she
- sheds
- new
- light
- on
- the
- Romanovs,
- reveals
- the
- sacrifices
- Julie
- made
- to
- further
- her
- family's
- interests
- -
- her
- brother
- became
- king
- of
- Belgium,
- her
- sister
- gave
- birth
- to
- Queen
- Victoria
- -
- and
- investigates
- the
- true
- nature
- of
- Julie's
- relationship
- with
- Tsar
- Alexander
- I.
- Rich
- in
- history,
- drama
- and
- royal
- intrigue,
- Julie's
- remarkable
- story
- is
- told
- at last.
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