The Empress – another version of Sisi’s life
This weekend I watched the new historical series on Netflix, The Empress. I'm curious, am I the only one not to have liked it? Or do I know too much about her that many things bothered me. Please share your thoughts with me.
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Bax of Things
This weekend I watched the new historical series on Netflix, The Empress. I’m curious, am I the only one not to have liked it? Or do I know too much about her that many things bothered me? Please share your thoughts with me.

Netflix

As I mentioned in a previous blog Sisi, the new remake of a farytale, Netflix recently released its newest historical drama series on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria starring Devrim Lingnau in the title role along with Philip Froissant as Emperor Franz Joseph.

I must admit, the locations, the clothings, the acting is nice, but as a history lover, this series is hard to watch. It looks like Netflix is trying to fill the gap between the Crown and Bridgerton with this series and dramatizing too much a life that was traumatized enough…

I believe Sisi was ahead of her time. But this depiction goes too far. At the age of 16, Sisi knew her mind, but was not adult or bold enough to act on it. This came later in life.

Who was Elisabeth?

Elisabeth was born on December 24th, 1837, in Munich. She met her future husband, the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph, in 1853. He was supposed to marry her older sister Helena. But in the end he chose her. They married in Vienna in 1854. You can read more about her in the blog The real Sisi.

Facts – historically correct

Franz Joseph chose Sisi over Helena, more about her in Sisi’s sisters

Franz Joseph’s mother Sophie and Sisi didn’t get along

Archduchess Sophie did have a little girl called Maria Anna who died at the age of four

Facts – historical mistakes

Franz Joseph’s brother Maximilian was not interested in Sisi. He later married Charlotte of Belgium and became Emperor of Mexico and was executed in 1867

Franz Joseph had 3 brothers: Maximilian, Karl Ludwig and Ludwig Viktor. The young boy in the series is supposed to be Ludwig Viktor, but he was 12 years old at the time of their wedding. The third brother seems to be not existing.

Sisi never received an ultimatum by Sophie to leave court. She left later in life: first because of illness (she then went to Madeira) and after because she wanted to travel more.

At the beginning of her marriage, Sisi was not partying all night with Maximilian.

Do you want to know more about Sisi’s family tree? Have a look here.

Please leave your thoughts about this series in the comments.

Do you want to see more pictures of the real Sisi? Have a look at my Pinterest Board: