#crown prince rudolf of austria-hungary

[obscurehistoricalinterests]

'Sisi' was a terrible empress. Her romanticization needs to STOP.

In more recent decades, Elisabeth has received a growing attention in pop culture: there are several series, films and even a musical paying tribute to her legend. Her beauty is admired, her trials and tribulations are pitied, her struggle to escape the chafing constraints of royal life is celebrated. There's a whiff of feminism surrounding her lately - a strong, intelligent woman, metaphorically, and if we take the film Corsage, even literally flipping off the patriarchy. She's galloping through forests barefoot, she's facing off her tyrannical mother in law, she's fighting for her freedom, for control over her own life. German writer Karen Duve goes as far as to call Elisabeth "an undiscovered feminist icon." 

But... was she? One of her ladies in waiting once said that Elisabeth will "live on in legend, not in history". And right she was. You see, Elisabeth has triumphed. When I look around, it seems as if we see her exactly as she would have wanted us to. A tragic heroine, a beautiful apparition, a nymph who somehow got trapped in the mortal realm, to her immense suffering. And for a modern woman,  there is much to empathize with in Elisabeth: her sublime sensitivity, her iron self-discipline, her headstrong character, her inborn thirst for freedom. But upon lifting the starry veil of this ethereal fairy-tale queen, one will find the face of a much more complex, flawed and ultimately human woman. Self-obsessed and narcissistic, monstrously selfish and possessive, cruelly indifferent to her empire (with one all-consuming exception), incessantly self-victimizing and deeply, deeply unhappy - overwhelmingly through her own fault.  

[sisionscreen]

While we do not have official confirmation yet, showrunner Katharina Eyssen is currently preparing a third season of The Empress (2022).

We can see in her notes that we will probably meet Elisabeth's Hungarian lady-in-waiting Ida Ferenczy as well as Gyula Andrássy and a character named Konstantin. Another note hints at Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduchess Gisela being in the third season. Furthermore, we may explore Elisabeth going to Corfu alongside her mental health.

[minetteskvareninova]

Crown prince Rudolph: When Franz Ferdinand becomes an emperor, this country will fall apart! If only he wasn't next in line, if only... Me: BOY DO I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU

[minetteskvareninova]

"Rudolf would've prevented WWI" - ...okay that's it. Folks, pack it up, I've found the worst crown prince Rudolf take. Like, no, fam, Mr. "actually we should do MORE colonialism in Balkans and Bismarck is a big ol' meanie for not letting us" wasn't going to prevent WWI, I'm sorry.

“Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria was a brilliant young man. He was incredibly intelligent and had great ideas for the future. Unfortunately his father had no interest in listening to Rudolf or even giving him a chance to make a difference. Come to think of it, so many terrible things (WWI, for example) probably wouldn’t have happened if Franz Joseph would have taken Rudolf’s advice.” - Submitted by Anonymous

[fitzrove]

19th century royal carriages (Austria-Hungary)

(Ones at the bottom are miniatures made as toys for Crown Prince Rudolf)

vs. 19th century hearses (A-H & Poland)

Wenn ich tanzen will

Die schatten werden länger

[best-habsburg-monarch]

Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, etc. Reigned 1848-1916

Challenge: Talk about his reign without talking about wife a lot (impossible)

from anon:

Dual Monarchy. HELLO.

Constitution! (Italy immediately declared war after but ya know)

Survived assassination attempts

Doesn't lose territory to Prussian unification which is something I guess

Shares 2 names with Hayden

from @minetteskvareninova:

Franz Joseph propaganda (proper):

as much of a poor little meow meow as Joseph II.

also known as Starej Procházka (ask @archduchessofnowhere I promise it's hillarious)

wholesome friendship with Katharina Schratt

was there not for a good time, but a long time certainly, and unlike queen Victoria doesn't even get the dignity of an era named after him!!!

girldad (better not ask about his son)

loved the great god Mars, even though Mars did not love him back, wore uniform all the fucking time, but his actually military record was. well. gotta love a boyfailure.

conservative in principle, but smart enough to know when to fold 'dem (which is why the former monarchy didn't end up like Russia)

from anon:

Anti-Franz Joseph Propaganda: Yes, the sideburns are iconic, but when you are a reigning emperor for 68 years and your signature facial hair is colloquially named after a minor U.S. Civil War general instead, you fumbled the bag.

anti Franz Joseph propaganda: he was an older sibling (derogatory)

from @master-of-the-opera-house:

MARRIED HIS FIRST COUSIN WHEN THEY WERE BEGINNING TO FIGURE OUT THIS HABSBURG INCEST SHIT DON'T WORK

EVEN THO THE POPE SAID NO

Sissi was a babe tho i get him BUT THEN

THEN HE GAVE HER AN STD AND TOOK A MISTRESS

Didn't drink his respect cousin-wife juice apparently

CAUSED CROWN PRINCE RUDOLF TO COMMIT

CLASSIST PIECE OF SHIT didn't allow franz ferdinand to marry sophie chotek

And then literally said "thank God" when he died

Somehow still had the people's support as a poor old man who lost everyone close to him when he either indirectly caused that or just didn't give a shit

a Leo ♌🤢

They wasted such a pretty face and such a snatched waist on such a cunt

Had he stayed alive any longer and he would've been at the negotiating table at the hall of mirrors in 1918 *shivers*

THOROUGHLY UNFUNNY """""desk bound monarch"""""" stringent for protocol """last of the old school monarchs"""" and didn't even cause any nonsense catastrophes that usually accompanies this stick up the arse

68 long monotonous years on the throne then couldn't even make 69 for the joke

Fredrick III, Holy Roman Emperor, reigned 1452-1493

Kicked off the whole tradition of being Holy Roman Emperors

[royalty-nobility]

Elisabeth of Austria

Artist: Franz Xaver Winterhalter  (German, 1805–1873) 

Title: Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Courtly Gala Dress with Diamond Stars

Genre: Portrait

Depicted People: Empress Elisabeth of Austria 

Date: 1865

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum

In Winterhalter’s 1865 portrait, Empress Elizabeth of Austria (known as Sissi) wears a white satin evening dress covered with thousands of silver foil stars shimmering under the layer of tulle. The dress, thought to be designed by Worth, follows fashionable trends of the era, but also has singular touches, like the stars, befitting her status as Empress.

Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898.

Elisabeth was born into the Ducal royal branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach but enjoyed an informal upbringing before marrying her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, at 16. The marriage thrust her into the much more formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and which she found suffocating. Early in the marriage, she was at odds with her mother-in-law, who was also her maternal aunt, Archduchess Sophie, who took over the rearing of Elisabeth's daughters, one of whom, Sophie, died in infancy. The birth of a son, Crown Prince Rudolf, improved Elisabeth's standing at court, but her health suffered under the strain. As a result, she would often visit Hungary for its more relaxed environment. She came to develop a deep kinship with Hungary and helped to bring about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.

The death of Elisabeth's only son and his mistress Mary Vetsera in a murder–suicide at his hunting lodge at Mayerling in 1889 was a blow from which the Empress never recovered. She withdrew from court duties and travelled widely, unaccompanied by her family. In 1890, she had the palace Achilleion built on the Greek island of Corfu. The palace featured an elaborate mythological motif and served as a refuge, which Elisabeth visited often. She was obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty, developing a restrictive diet and wearing extremely tightlaced corsets to keep her waist looking very small.

While travelling in Geneva in 1898, Elisabeth was fatally stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni. Her tenure of 44 years was the longest of any Austrian empress.

[roehenstart]

Crown Prince Archduke Rudolf of Austria, Prince of Hungary dressed in the Imperial Regalia as the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf I of Habsburg.

[witekspicsoldpostcards]

Closter / Jagdschloss / hunting castle MAYERLING - near ALLAND, AUSTRIA >>> to know more about this place read about: The Mayerling incident => the series of events surrounding the apparent murder–suicide pact of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and his lover, baroness Mary Vetsera. They were found dead on 30 January 1889 in an imperial hunting lodge in Mayerling. Rudolf, who was married to Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, was the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, and was heir apparent to the throne of Austria-Hungary. This incident was a theme for few movies.

[adini-nikolaevna]

Allegory commemorating the engagement of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and Princess Stephanie of Belgium by Gorlich.

[evangelineartemiasamos]

I watched a documentary about Empress Elisabeth of Austria and I was astounded how much her story relates to Coriane’s.

[sisionscreen]

Arian Wegener, Jannik Schümann and Dominique Devenport as Crown Prince Rudolf, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth in new stills from the third season of Sisi (2021).

[minetteskvareninova]

If Maria Larisch von Wallersee has a milion haters, I am one of them.

If Maria Larisch von Wallersee has five haters, I am one of them.

If Maria Larisch von Wallersee has one hater, that one is me.

If Maria Larisch von Wallersee has no haters, I am no longer alive.

If the whole world supports Maria Larich von Wallersee, I am against the world.

Till my last breath, I'll hate Maria Larisch von Wallersee.

[dramatic-dolphin]

do you ever watch some period piece and feel like in your previous life you were a young austro-hungarian noble with revolutionary inclinations, struggling to live up to your family name and dying tragically young in the end, or is that just me?

[fitzrove]

Fun facts about crown prince rudolf 🥰💖

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria was this super tragic figure whose super tragic life was always tragic and very sad. Also he was an irredeemably evil sexist jerkface and if you like him you're a pick me girl who wants WOMEN TO DIE,, anyway here are some fun facts about him!

He died in 1889 from suicide :( Or he may have been murdered by French agents sent by his friend Clemenceau,, listen I know they were friends who were aligned politically, but Empress Zita said this ~40 years after Rudolf's death, and because she's distantly related to him through marriage it must 100% be true!

He shot himself in the mouth, I don't know why all of these adaptations change it to be the temple lol

He infected his wife with syphilis >:o

According to his writings (mostly Eine Orientreise where he frequently admires the fresh manliness of his Arab hunting companions) he was heteroromantic polysexual <3 representation

He used to keep this creepy sex register where he used different colors of pens to mark what kind of woman he slept with (virgin, of noble birth, etc...). No trust me bro it's legit even though nobody has ever presented proof of this register existing anywhere or even a credible primary source citation to point to someone contemporary describing it

During his travels in Egypt and Palestine Rudolf acquired many cultural and historical artifacts for museums in Vienna as well as for his personal collections<3 Explorer king. Wait what do you mean imperialism, graverobbing and arson?? Noo I wouldn't describe it as such haha...

He was really sexist and that's not ok tbh :/ How can anyone be interested in him when he was horrible to women :( I mean it's kinda hard to find 19th century european men who would not have been and a lot of our still-revered statesmen had comparable attitudes that people let slide, but actually when it's someone that was also mentally ill in a Scary Violent Way it's ok to center his negative traits and ignore everything else about him haha. Also women are only allowed to enjoy researching and discussing historical figures who are unproblematic and good representation<3 ALSO women are not allowed to make arguments about historical figures being interesting or sympathetic based on their political views/positions if those figures were awful people in their personal lives, it's like the rules of feminism or something! ~~

He was involved in this crazy conspiracy to crown himself as king of Hungary. Also he was really hyped about hungarian nationalism and independence and totally wasn't an imperialist first and foremost who would've seen the ideology as ultimately destructive regardless of any personal fondness for Hungary

The italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni actually really wanted to fuck him and this was a motivating factor for Lucheni's assassination of empress Elisabeth in 1898 😳

[THIS POST IS SATIRE (inspired by) and the "facts" are purposeful misinformation kfkfkfkf. If anyone can provide actual proof of that sex register thing that does NOT come from greg king and penny wilson (derogatory) I will graciously not duel them in the hofburg parking lot xD I hate that this disclaimer needs to be included because it ruins the joke, but a lot of these are such common takes that I can't not]

[archduchessofnowhere]

1883. 2 September, Schönbrunn. So Stephanie has a little daughter.

Early breakfast in Mama's salon with the four of us: Mama, the Queen [Marie Henriette of the Belgians], Rudolf and me. There was talk of Stephanie all the time, she was said to have suffered a great deal and was also in danger for a moment. Rudolf slept a little on the floor next to her, and Stephanie said to Hofrat Braun: "I must not cry, lest I wake the Archduke"… Finally she called out: "Rudolf! You won't be angry with me if it's a girl?". So 5 minutes before 7 o'clock the little girl was born. Stephanie is said to have cried, and Rudolf said: "It doesn't matter - a daughter is much sweeter".

Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (1998), Das Tagebuch der Lieblingstochter von Kaiserin Elisabeth (1878-1899) (Translation done by DeepL. Please keep in mind that in a machine translation a lot of nuance may/will be lost)

It was a blazing day in late summer. The sun shone through the open window, as if to greet the new arrival with its radiance—to greet Princess Elizabeth, born on Sunday, September 2nd, 1883, at seven o'clock in the morning.

The labour had been long and difficult, lasting twenty-six hours, but the child was vigorous and well-developed.

Immediately after her birth, a salute of twenty-one guns announced to the Monarchy that the child was a girl.

The Crown Prince was absolutely stricken, for he had set his heart upon an heir to the throne!

My dear mother, who had comforted me through the long hours of suffering, immediately grasped the distressing nature of the situation and skilfully averted any reproaches. She herself handed me my daughter, with the words:

“God bless your child, as I myself, wholeheartedly, bless you both!”

The baby was lovely. From the bottom of my soul I thanked God for the treasure he had bestowed upon me, and took my little one into my arms.

Three days later came the christening, in the presence of the Emperor, the Empress, and the whole Imperial family.

My child was given the name of my sainted ancestress of the house of Arpad, Elizabeth, which was also my mother-in-law’s name. I entrusted my baby to the protection of this saint, whose touching story is an ornament to German and Hungarian history.

Princess Stephanie of Belgium (1937). I was to be empress

ON THIS DAY, IN 1883, ARCHDUCHESS ELISABETH MARIE OF AUSTRIA WAS BORN. She was the only child of Crown Prince Rudolf and his wife Princess Stephanie of Belgium. After her father's death in 1889 she remained in the custody of her grandfather Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria. Because of Austria's semi-salic law (women could only inherit the throne in the case of the total extintion of the legitimate Habsburg male line) she didn't inherit her father's claim to throne of Austria, and neither to Hungary's although the country had no such law, because her grandfather did not want to divide the empire.

In 1902 she married Prince Otto of Windish-Graetz and they had four children. The marriage was unhappy and they separated after the fall of the Austrian monarchy. In 1948 she finally divorced him and married Leopold Petznek, an Austrian socialist politician whom had been her partner for the past twenty-seven years. Until her death in 1963 she was simply known as "Elisabeth Petznek".