Download or read book Empress Zenobia written by Pat Southern and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2008-11-17 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ancient sources for the life and times of Zenobia are sparse, and the surviving literary works are biased towards the Roman point of view, much as are the sources for two other famous women who challenged Rome, Cleopatra and Boudica. In Empress Zenobia, Pat Southern seeks to tell the other side of the legendary 3rd century queen's place in history. As queen of Palmyra (present-day Syria), Zenobia was acknowledged in her lifetime as beautiful and clever, gathering round her at the Palmyrene court writers and poets, artists and philosophers. It was said that Zenobia claimed descent from Cleopatra, which cannot be true but is indicative of how she saw herself and how she intended to be seen by others at home and abroad. This lively narrative explores the legendary queen and charts the progression of her unequivocal declaration, not only of independence from Rome, but of supremacy. Initially, Zenobia acknowledged the suzerainty of the Roman Emperors, but finally began to call herself Augusta and her son Vaballathus Augustus. There could be no clearer challenge to the authority of Rome in the east, drawing the Emperor Aurelian to the final battles and the submission of Palmyra in AD 272. Zenobia's story has inspired many melodramatic fictions but few factual volumes of any authority have been published. Pat Southern's book is a lively account that is both up to date and authoritative, as well as thoroughly engaging.
Download or read book The Accidental Empress written by Allison Pataki and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-02-17 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Discover the “captivating, absorbing, and beautifully told” (Kathleen Grissom) love story of Sisi, the Austro-Hungarian empress and wife of Emperor Franz Joseph—perfect for fans of the Netflix series The Empress! The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead. Thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world. With Pataki’s rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters, The Accidental Empress offers “another absolutely compelling story” (Mary Higgins Clark) with this glimpse into one of history’s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved “Fairy Queen.”
Download or read book The Rebel Empresses written by Nancy Goldstone and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2025-02-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the acclaimed author of In the Shadow of the Empress comes the thrilling chronicle of two of the most influential and glamorous women in nineteenth-century Europe—Elisabeth, empress of Austria, and Eugénie, empress of France—and their efforts to rule amid the scandal, intrigue, tragedy, and violence of their era. 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.
Download or read book Rebel Princess written by Evelyn Anthony and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-11-17 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An obscure Prussian princess is transformed into Catherine the Great, the longest-ruling female leader of Russia The Prussian-born daughter of a minor princeling, Augusta Fredericka dreams of being a queen. When, one snowy December night in 1743, she’s summoned to Russia to wed Grand Duke Peter Romanov, she believes all her fantasies are about to come true. But the heir to the Russian throne is not the man Augusta expects. Stunted and deformed, her husband-to-be is an impotent half-wit who plays with dolls, hates women, and can’t bear to be touched. Once they wed, obtaining an heir becomes the driving obsession of Peter’s aunt, the scheming, powerful Empress Elizabeth, who hires a handsome nobleman to seduce the virgin grand duchess. It works: Catherine bears a son, Paul, who is taken from her, leaving her isolated and vulnerable. Catherine finds fulfillment in a succession of lovers, but lives in constant fear for her life. Her most treacherous enemy is her own husband, who plots to have her arrested for treason. Set against the turbulent background of czarist Russia, Evelyn Anthony’s novel weaves a spellbinding tale of passion and ambition and one woman’s rise to power as empress of her adopted country. Rebel Princess is the 1st book in the Romanov Trilogy, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Download or read book The Imperial Rebel written by A Piper Burgi and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2023-09-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sisi's health is declining. Her anorexia nervosa has done permanent damage to her body. The Empress seeks help from the most prominent specialists of the time. And Sisi finally realizes she wants to spend the little time she has left on this Earth with her husband. However, he has, over the years, developed his own life. So, when the Empress finally decides to settle down at the Hermesvilla, she quickly discovers that she's no longer needed. Meanwhile, a massive scandal is about to rattle the foundation of the Habsburg monarchy. Emperor Franz Joseph and his intimate friend, the actress Kathi Schratt, are rumored to be adulterers. Both parties assure a much-agitated Empress that they are indeed the victims of a horrible rumor. However, Sisi cannot just stand idly by and let things take their course. But would she go so far as to get the famous actress fired from the Burgtheater and drive a wedge between the two long-time friends? And if that wasn't enough, the imperial couple is being blackmailed by none other than Sisi's niece, Marie Larisch. She threatens to divulge the secrets of the House of Habsburg, especially the ones regarding the death of her cousin Crown Prince Rudolph unless she is paid handsomely. But what exactly has the imperial family to hide? Moreover, one payment is not enough for the former Countess. Repeatedly, she asks for more money. When, and more importantly, how will this situation be resolved? And who can be trusted to end Marie Larisch's blackmail scheme? All the while, the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, is still faced with a difficult choice: Letting go of the love of his life, Countess Sophie Chotek, and instead fulfilling his duty to the dynasty by marrying a stranger. He turns to Aunt Sisi for help in this crisis of the heart. She understands her nephew and wants to help him. However, she also loves her husband, with whom she has shared so much happiness and countless heartbreaks. But then, as if by accident, the Emperor meets the young woman, who has utterly captured the heir's heart. Sisi doesn't know about the young man in the office of a Royal Italian Army installation as he receives his discharge papers. His name is Luigi Lucheni. He is 24 years old and has just finished three years in the military. For the longest time, the young man, who looks like a muscular, dark-haired farmer, had been the regiment commander, the Prince of Aragon's batman. But even though the two men couldn't have been any different by degree of education or origin, they somehow had become accustomed to each other, and the Prince doesn't want to lose the intelligent young lad.
Download or read book Drama in the People s Republic of China written by Constantine Tung and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1987-07-01 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book ever published in the West on drama in the Peoples Republic of China. The plays, playwrights, theories, and performances range from the play that inflamed the Cultural Revolution to a post-Mao satiric drama that upset party leaders; from Jiang Qings drama theory for her model plays to the discovery of Bertolt Brecht; from the problems and dilemmas that confront theater reform in the post-Mao era to the performance of Ibsens Peer Gynt and Viennese operettas; and from a historical play glorifying Maos supremacy to a playwright calling for individualism and womens rights. This book not only depicts aspects of drama in the Peoples Republic of China, it also provides analyses of the political and social conditions that shaped and are represented in this drama.
Download or read book The Second Empress written by Michelle Moran and published by Crown. This book was released on 2012-08-14 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two women vie to change their destinies after Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte orders marriage to a princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir in this compelling novel from the internationally bestselling author of Nefertiti and Cleopatra’s Daughter. “A fascinating tale that won’t soon be forgotten.”—Times Record News After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When eighteen-year-old Marie-Louise is told that the emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, or refuse and plunge her country into war. To save her father’s throne, Marie-Louise is determined to be a good wife. But at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her new husband’s affection, including Napoleon’s sister Pauline, who is fiercely jealous, utterly uncontrollable, and the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. When war once again sweeps the Continent and bloodshed threatens Marie-Louise’s family, the second empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history—and change the course of her life.
Download or read book The Romanov Empress written by C. W. Gortner and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2019-07-02 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For readers of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir comes a dramatic novel of the beloved Empress Maria, the Danish princess who became the mother of the last Russian tsar. “This epic tale is captivating and beautifully told.”—Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage—as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir, Alexander, and once he ascends the throne, becomes empress. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie—now called Maria—must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love. Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has led her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache. From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it. Praise for The Romanov Empress “Timely . . . [Gortner’s] ability to weave what reads as a simple tale from such complex historical and familial storylines is impressive. . . . Maria’s life as a royal reads like a historical soap opera.”—USA Today “Gortner, an experienced hand at recreating the unique aura of a particular time and place, will deftly sweep historical-fictions fans into this glamorous, turbulent, and ultimately tragic chapter in history.”—Booklist (starred review) “Mesmerizing . . . This insightful first-person account of the downfall of the Romanov rule . . . is the powerful story of a mother trying to save her family and an aristocrat fighting to maintain rule in a country of rebellion.”—Publishers Weekly “A twist on the tragic story you’ve heard many times before.”—Bustle
Download or read book The Century written by and published by . This book was released on 1916 with total page 1172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Cixi written by Natasha Yim and published by Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames. This book was released on 2011 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series of historical accounts profiles strong women who took extraordinary measures to achieve and maintain power—including murder, deception, and black magic—examining the women's reputations in the context of their eras. Just how wicked were they? The books allow readers to decide for themselves if these infamous ladies were indeed heartless and evil or simply out of touch and making the most of their circumstances.The last empress of China, Cixi fought ruthlessly to isolate her country from the West while cloistered inside her lavish Forbidden City, ignoring the needs of her people. Her extravagant lifestyle, bouts of bad temper, and brutal punishments earned her a reputation as a cruel and ignorant leader. An exploration of Cixi's daily life—including what she ate and how she dressed—this story explains how she became one of the most notorious figures of the Qing dynasty.
Download or read book Vicky Peterwald Rebel written by Mike Shepherd and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-05-31 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of the Kris Longknife series comes a military science fiction adventure featuring Vicky Peterwald... Vicky Peterwald is no longer just the heir apparent to an imperial dynasty. She survived naval training and proved her mettle in combat to help the starving people of the ravaged world of St. Petersburg. Now, she is truly a Grand Duchess, leading a growing battle fleet in a rebellion against the tyranny of her stepmother, the Empress. Determined to stop her spoiled stepdaughter’s betrayal from upsetting the balance of power within the Peterwald Empire, the Empress is leading her own armada to St. Petersburg, intent on killing Vicky and every soul on the planet that gave her refuge. But Vicky is her father’s daughter, and it would be a grave mistake to underestimate her...
Download or read book Our Players Gallery written by W. J. Thorold and published by . This book was released on 1912 with total page 686 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Theatre written by and published by . This book was released on 1912 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Empress Dowager Cixi written by Jung Chang and published by Random House Canada. This book was released on 2013-10-29 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the beloved, internationally bestselling author of Wild Swans, and co-author of the bestselling Mao: The Unknown Story, the dramatic, epic biography of the unusual woman who ruled China for 50 years, from concubine to Empress, overturning centuries of traditions and formalities to bring China into the modern world. A woman, an Empress of immense wealth who was largely a prisoner within the compound walls of her palaces, a mother, a ruthless enemy, and a brilliant strategist: Chang makes a compelling case that Cixi was one of the most formidable and enlightened rulers of any nation. Cixi led an intense and singular life. Chosen at the age of 12 to be a concubine by the Emperor Xianfeng, she gave birth to his only male heir who at four was designated Emperor when his father died in 1861. In a brilliant move, the young woman enlisted the help of the Emperor's widow and the two women orchestrated a coup that ousted the regents and made Cixi sole Regent. Untrained and untaught, the two studied history and politics together, ruling the huge nation from behind a curtain. When her boy died, Cixi designated a young nephew as Emperor, continuing her reign till her death in 1908. Chang gives us a complex, riveting portrait of Cixi through a reign as long as that of her fellow Empress, Victoria, whom she longed to meet: her ruthlessness in fighting off rivals; her curiosity to learn; her reliance on Westerners who she placed in key positions; and her sensitivity and desire to preserve the distinctiveness of China's past while overturning traditions (she, as Chang reveals--not Mao, as he claimed--banned footbinding) and exposing its culture to western ideas and technology.
Download or read book Kalpa Imperial written by Angélica Gorodischer and published by Small Beer Press. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ursula K. Le Guin chose to translate this novel which was on the New York Times Summer Reading list and winner of the Prix Imaginales, Más Allá, Poblet and Sigfrido Radaelli awards. This is the first of Argentinean writer Angélica Gorodischer's award-winning books to be translated into English. In eleven chapters, Kalpa Imperial's multiple storytellers relate the story of a fabled nameless empire which has risen and fallen innumerable times. Fairy tales, oral histories and political commentaries are all woven tapestry-style into Kalpa Imperial: beggars become emperors, democracies become dictatorships, and history becomes legends and stories. But this is much more than a simple political allegory or fable. It is also a celebration of the power of storytelling. Gorodischer and translator Ursula K. Le Guin are a well-matched, sly and delightful team of magician-storytellers. Rarely have author and translator been such an effortless pairing. Kalpa Imperial is a powerful introduction to the writing of Angélica Gorodischer, a novel which will enthrall readers already familiar with the worlds of Le Guin.
Download or read book Tales of Wonder written by Donald H. Sullivan and published by Donald H Sullivan. This book was released on 2009-01-24 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eight tales of fantasy, a world of elves, space aliens, magic gone awry, mysterious beasts, a death curse, a stolen unicorn, a dream world, and a wand that belonged to Merlin
Download or read book written by Bell Yung and published by Chinese University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nonetheless, the most memorable feature of the volume as a whole is the tragic, yet transcendent, story of the star-crossed couple. It is a tale fraught with love and loyalty, piety and pathos, one which anyone who reads will not easily forget." VICTOR H. MAIR, University of Pennsylvania --
