The Empress, a 2022 drama series that debuted on Netflix on September 22, 2022, has captured the attention of everyone who enjoys the history and foundation of the Victorian Era and aristocracy ever since it was released. Produced by Jochen Laube and Fabian Maubach, the Drama television series was developed by Katharina Eyessen and Lena Stahl. The programme, which is also referred to in German as Die Kaiserin, is essentially a historical play.
Devrim Lingnau, Philip Froissant, Melika Foroutan, Johannes Nussbaum, Almila Bagriacik, and Svenja Yung are among the actors in the historical play. Six episodes make up the first season of the show, which follows the life of the empress Elisabeth of Austria as she navigates her beautiful life as an Empress, struggles in the quest of love, and makes important decisions as a monarch.
The programme does an excellent job of displaying the way of life through speech, clothes, and customs while maintaining the period’s soft backgrounds and accents. For someone who has always enjoyed historical and period dramas, this is a worthwhile viewing.
The Empress: A Brief Background
The story revolves around Elisabeth, a sixteen-year-old duchess (played by Lingnau). An lovely and stunning young woman named Elisabeth falls in love with Emperor Franz Joseph. Helene’s sister, Franz, was supposed to be Helene’s groom.
Elisabeth marries Franz later in the series, and she later finds herself entangled in a web of family politics and domination. In order to protect her interests from the cunning relatives of her husband, she must navigate the complexity of a strong royal family.
Additionally, we witness Franz and Maximillion’s power struggle over who is more deserving of ruling the kingdom. In order to keep the tumultuous conditions under control and preserve her status as empress, Elisabeth also deals with a sour disagreement with her mother-in-law Sophia.
The plot keeps us interested in learning more about the historical occurrences of the past, and the screenplay makes it more entertaining for us to watch.
Is The Empress Based On A True Event?
The Empress on Netflix is indeed based on a real historical occurrence. The early years of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria, are the subject of the television series. She was extremely young when she was born on December 24th, 1837, yet she was well recognised for her beauty and was even regarded as one of the most beautiful ladies of her day.
The Duchess’s early years are actually followed throughout the series as she makes her way through her personal problems. Since most of the series is based on actual events, watching it is considerably more engaging. In terms of cinematography, Franz and Elisabeth’s romance has been shown in a stronger, more romanticised light to give the programme a happier tone.
However, the show also depicts facts and, eventually, specifics of the happenings of the true events. The Empress is therefore based on a real occurrence and is mainly historically correct.
Who was Elisabeth Von Austria?
She was given the name Sisi or Sissi and was born into the royal House of Wittelsbach. At the age of sixteen, she wed Austria’s Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1854. She had four children—three girls and a son who grew up to be Austria’s crown prince. Sophie, her oldest child, died when she was just two years old.
She gained a reputation for having a problematic nature, tension, and mental disorders as the years went on and she was frequently the subject of rumours. She was introduced to anarchist ideals at a young age and was well known for compulsively preserving her youth and attractiveness.
Her wellbeing and her ailing health took a severe hit after the death of the crown prince Rudolfin in January 1898, from which she never fully recovered. A man by the name of Lucheni murdered her in Geneva, Switzerland, a few months prior in September.
With a 40-year reign, she was the Austrian Empress who held the position the longest. As the curtain opens, it becomes clear that one of the most stunning ladies of her era lived a terrible life.
