Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, Princess Isabel and the Ending of Servile Labour in Russia and Brazil

‘It is a highly original, ingenious and subtle analysis of the emancipation of serfs/slaves in Russia and Brazil, looked at through the optic of two royal princesses, Elena and Isabel. It explores the largely unappreciated role played by these two women in bringing about the end of servile labour, a role exercised through personal influence and outside the male realm of politics. The study is deeply researched, and the author’s command of Russian, Portuguese and French sources is impressive’— Professor Steve Smith, All Souls College, University of Oxford, UK.

‘A fascinating and original comparison, packed with detail about the lives of two influential royal women, and properly insistent on the importance of politics in the process of peasant emancipation’—  Simon Dixon, Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History, UCL; General Editor, Slavonic and East European Review.

‘It is a well-crafted work – nicely balanced, using specific evidence to move towards a more general explanation of emancipation – AND the role of two remarkable women in the process’— Professor James Walvin, Department of History, University of York, UK.