The Rebel Empresses
Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe
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The Rebel Empresses
Narrated by:
Tamsin Kennard
Buy Now for $33.99
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Narrated by:
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Tamsin Kennard
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By:
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Nancy Goldstone
About this listen
When they married Emperors Franz Joseph and Napoleon III, respectively, Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France became two of the most famous women on the planet. Not only were they both young and beautiful-becoming cultural and fashion icons of their time-but they played a pivotal role in ruling their realms during a tempestuous era characterized by unprecedented political and technological change.
Fearless, adventurous, and independent, Elisabeth and Eugénie represented a new kind of empress-one who rebelled against tradition and anticipated and embraced modern values. Yet both women endured hardship in their private and public lives. Elisabeth was plagued by a mother-in-law who snatched her infant children away and undermined her authority at court. Eugénie's husband was an infamous philanderer who could not match the military prowess of his namesake. Between them, Elisabeth and Eugénie were personally involved in every major international confrontation in their turbulent century, which witnessed thrilling technological advances, as well as revolutions, assassinations, and wars.
With her characteristic in-depth research and jump-off-the-page writing, Nancy Goldstone brings to life these two remarkable women, as Europe goes through the convulsions that led up to the international landscape we recognize today.©2025 Nancy Goldstone
Critic Reviews
Personal catastrophe and imperial history are deftly interlaced in these parallel lives . . . A bold portrait of two bold women caught in the tempests of history (Catherine Ostler)
A richly detailed, entertaining dual biography . . . Both women, in Goldstone's vibrant, wryly witty portraits, emerge as glamorous, strong-willed, and independent . . . In a brisk, lively narrative, Goldstone seamlessly interweaves the women's trials, challenges, and betrayals with the world events that swirled incessantly around them
Goldstone's sprawling chronology illustrates the influence the two imperial women had on the course of history at a time when traditional royal pageantry belied a modernizing world
In this witty and astute account, historian Goldstone presents the turbulent and politically entwined lives of Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France . . . It's an illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable view of the highborn milieu at the center of a period of rapid modernization
Fascinating insight into the lives of two remarkable women . . . Goldstone's wry commentary enhances the narrative
Empress Elisabeth is already the subject of a number of television shows and novels . . . But Nancy Goldstone may have penned the definitive non-fiction account of the storied figurehead, as well as her French counterpart
Beguiling . . . Probing . . . The Rebel Empresses is a rewarding look at two women who bucked the traditional expectations of their gender and station
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