'The Empress', Season 2, airs this week! The Austrian royal, likened to Princess Diana, has an incredible story (and BTS visited her one-time Vienna home)

Schonbrunn Palace, residence of the Habspburgs and Sisi. Her story starts up again this week on Netflix

Do you know the history of Empress Elisabeth, married to Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria from 1848 to 1916? She was a beautiful Bavarian Duchess who wed her cousin at the age of 17, struggled with both depression and her in-laws and suffered a tragic death by assassination at the age of 60.

If that bit of history is unfamiliar - though sounding not too unlike another recent royal princess - we confess, it was new to us as well, until our visit to the Schönbrunn Palace in 2021. As part of a Blue Danube Cruise, we spent a few days in Vienna, and, along with indulging in the hometown culinary delights of Sacher tortes and Vienna sausages, we also immersed ourselves in a bit of Austrian royal history, spending a day at Schönbrunn Palace, summer home of the Habsburg Dynasty -including Empress Elisabeth, nicknamed, "Sisi". 

The Empress, Season 1, began in September, 2022. Season 2 begins this week.

Our first introduction to the wife of the penultimate Austrian emperor, was, in, of all palace places, the Schönbrunn gift shop. While securing Vienna tea and souvenir books, we encountered a plethora of "Sisi" merchandise. Asking our tour guide who this referenced and why so many shelves were devoted to "Sisi" items, she explained that Elisabeth was a very pretty empress who, in her time, was a favorite of the Austrian people. The tour guide added, "much like England's Princess Diana".

Vienna trip include Hotel Sacher (and torte)

. . . as well as sausages and ale.

Like Princess Di, Sisi, had a dramatic life filled with privilege, glamour, family feuds and crippling sadness. Popular with the commoners, both princesses rebelled again their respective "firms".  And, sadly, both royals died tragically.

But, Sisi's entre into the Habsburg dynasty would be prime material for today's reality shows. The Austrian ruler, a young bachelor needing a suitable match, had yet to find a bachelorette worthy of receiving a single rose. Franz Joseph's mother, Sophia, a domineering, take-charge match-maker (the show's "producer"), summoned her sister to bring her eldest daughter to town for an introduction to the Emperor. Sophia's sister complied with the request, but included her youngest daughter, Sisi, in the journey.

Franz Joseph a bachelor yet to bestow a rose.

Scheming relatives produce a match.

And, that's what caused our leading man to go off script. Franz Joseph was attracted to the lovely Sisi and insisted she's the one he'll marry.

Sisi's story captivated us immediately.  After our Schönbrunn visit, we did a deep dive into the Habsburg history as well as reading all our palace souvenir books and brochures. Imagine how excited we were, when Netflix aired "The Empress", the story of Sisi, on September 29, 2022 - the one year anniversary of the start of our Blue Danube trip.

Vienna souvenirs, teas, brochures and Habsburg books. 

We watched all six episodes, enjoyed them, and hoped a Season 2 would eventually follow - and this week, it is happening! It's great viewing, and even better, it's real "reality history".

The Empress, Sesson Two, begins Friday, November 22nd on Netflix. For more details, click on this site:  What's on Netflex.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

For more on this topic via BTS, check out the following links below:

BTS blog: Schonbrunn Palace. . .Discovering all the connections to Versailles (or the "real HouseQueens of Austria)  November 20, 2021

 Barbs Tea Service Podcast 11: Vienna, Empress Sisi, Pink House and Clotted Cream Controversy

BTS podcasters, Chris &Barb, along the Danube

Soaking in regional food & history