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Julia Gelardi's Born to Rule is the powerful epic story of five royal granddaughters of Queen Victoria, who reigned over the end of their empires, the destruction of their families, and the tumult of the twentieth century

Here are the stories of Alexandra, whose faith in Rasputin and tragic end have become the stuff of legend; Marie, the flamboyant and eccentric queen who battled her way through a life of intrigues and was also the mother of two Balkan queens and of the scandalous Carol II of Romania; Victoria Eugenie, Spain's very English queen who, like Alexandra, introduced hemophilia into her husband's family---with devastating consequences for her marriage; Maud, King Edward VII's daughter, who was independent Norway's reluctant queen; and Sophie, Kaiser Wilhelm II's much maligned sister, daughter of an emperor and herself the mother of no less than three kings and a queen, who ended her days in bitter exile.

Using never before published letters, memoirs, diplomatic documents, secondary sources, and interviews with descendents of the subjects, Julia Gelardi's Born to Rule is an astonishing and memorable work of popular history. 

Library Journal

Of Queen Victoria's numerous descendents, her five granddaughters ruled the royal roosts of many European countries for decades. While much has been written about the tragic, misunderstood Alexandra of Russia, assassinated with her unfortunate family in 1918, and about that groundbreaking free spirit, Marie of Romania, independent scholar Gelardi gives equal due to the other three granddaughters. It is a delight to delve into the lives of Sophie of Greece, Maud of Norway, and Victoria Eugenie of Spain while also revisiting the better-known women. All five granddaughters lived through the Great War, some even participating in it, which brought them a newfound awareness of the common people. In her engaging and lively book, Gelardi makes real the tragedies that befell Alexandra and Sophie, and the more mundane yet exalted lives of the others. Their well-told adventures make the recent escapades of the Windsors pale in comparison. Including a handy genealogical chart, this is highly recommended for public, academic, and libraries specializing in European history.-Gail Benjafield, St. Catharines P.L., Ont. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Laudatory concurrent biographies trace the intertwined lives of a quintet of princesses. For these comely royal cousins, all granddaughters of England's dear, stately Queen Victoria, it was good-at least for a while-to sport coronets and kind hearts throughout Europe at the start of the 20th century. The five princesses ruled as Alexandra of Russia, Marie of Romania, Victoria Eugenie of Spain, Sophie of Greece, and Maud of Norway. For their thrones, the blue-blooded girls were obliged to adopt new homes, new religions, and new languages. With considerable use of private correspondence and related primary sources, independent historian Gelardi deals with more queens than you'll find in a deck of cards. Naturally, there are kings too, and a few knaves: innocent Tsar Nicholas, Grand Duke Ernie, Prince Frank, the German Kaiser, and naughty King Carol. Tsarina Alexandra is mesmerized by Rasputin, then dies with her family at Ekaterinburg in the oft-told story. Unrestrained Marie cavorts with the smart set, the Astors, and a friendly fellow named Klondike Boyle. Queen Victoria Eugenie ("Ena" for short) deals with Generalissimo Franco. Along with marriage arrangements within the extended family, each memorialized with carefully formulated treaties, the story is marked by funerals, abdications, bombings, revolutions, world wars, and one royal palace lacking a lav or running water. The hereditary red thread of hemophilia surfaces from time to time as the narrative roves from Balmoral to the Winter Palace and the traditional role of the nobility fades. There were rewards, too; Gelardi notes the "paroxysms of elation" and "tumultuous greeting" of loyal subjects who were often "convulsed withexcitement" at the sight of their sovereigns. But by the middle of the century, it was all over. The Excellent Adventures of the Five Royal Cousins: sometimes solemn, sometimes frisky, but always captivating. (16 pp. color photos, not seen)Agent: Julia Castiglia/Castiglia Literary Agency

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Product Details

• ISBN: 0312324243
  
• ISBN-13: 9780312324247
• Format: Paperback, 496pp
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Pub. Date: February 2006
• Sales Rank: 35,221

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents