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Captives and Rebels in Revolutionary Europe's First Family
by Veronica Buckley
A spirited, poignant history of the seven daughters of the great Empress Maria Theresia—among them, Queen Marie Antoinette of France—tracing their lives as they balanced dynastic duty with personal ambition in a time of revolutionary cataclysm.
"Others make war; you, happy Austria, marry."
For three centuries, the astute positioning of their many princesses and princes had kept the Habsburgs at the peak of European power. By 1764, after a generation of costly war, confronted by shaken alliances, immense debts, and restive subjects, the Empress Maria Theresia was seeking once again to assert the dynasty's power through strategic marriages. Her arsenal was full: her seven daughters were to serve as her pawns in the ruthless game of eighteenth-century dynastic politicking.
Delivered to the grandest or dingiest courts in Europe, they made their difficult and even dangerous ways: Marianna the seeker; the grande dame Marie Christine; Elisabeth, the malicious, disfigured beauty; fractious and wayward Amalie of Parma; the tragic bride Josepha; Carolina of Naples, Napoleon's relentless enemy; and Antonia, youngest of the seven, sacrificial offering to the gods of revolution, better known to history as Marie Antoinette.
Meticulously researched and animated by the sisters' own diaries and the almost daily letters traversing the continent, Seven Sisters reveals the drama, tragedy and comedy of these exceptional yet all too human lives. It is a vivid portrait of a brilliant world collapsing in a fearful time.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (4/02/2026)
I'm still working through The Seven Sisters: Captives and Rebels in Revolutionary Europe's First Family by Veronica Buckley. I am enjoying it and particularly appreciate how cultural and current events of the day, such as young Wolfgang Mozart's visit to Vienna and the observations of William Ham...
-Diane_Jones
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (3/26/2026)
Hope you can enjoy some walks soon, Kim! The audiobook that really sealed the beauty of outdoor walking and nature (while listening to an audiobook) was Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (the author narrates the audiobook). I just started Seven Sisters: Captives and Rebels in Revolutiona...
-Diane_Jones
"Buckley weaves a lively narrative around court intrigue, alliances, and the many conflicts that characterized the 18th-century's roiling politics. A richly detailed history of eventful lives." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Seven Sisters is history at its most intimate. Veronica Buckley has an instinct for detail – the small moments that reveal an entire political culture. The result is a narrative that is as illuminating as it is moving." —Amanda Foreman, author of The Duchess
"This fascinating book provides a novel and insightful view of European history at one of its most turbulent periods through the lives of seven women who saw their worlds turned upside down by war and revolution. A great read." —Adam Zamoyski, bestselling author of Moscow, 1812
This information about Seven Sisters was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Veronica Buckley is the author of two previous historical biographies, Christina, Queen of Sweden and The Secret Wife of Louis XIV. She has also written on art, theater and travel, and has adapted children's stories for performance with orchestra. With her husband Philipp Blom, she has published books on imperial Russian history and Viennese museum collections. Her books are published in many languages, and she has translated work for stage, radio, TV, and print media. She was born in New Zealand, has lived in many cities around the world, and now makes her home in Vienna. She is herself one of seven sisters.
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