'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
All 6 episodes of the German historical drama series The Empress season 1 were released on Netflix on September 29, 2022. Soon after that, the series was renewed for a second season. The Empress season 2 will premiere on the streaming platform on November 22, 2024.
The period-series explores the personal and political careers of influential historical personalities. The titular empress is the 16-year-old Bavarian Duchess, Elisabeth "Sisi" von Wittelsbach, who falls in love with Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and marries him. The initial plot of the series is complicated by the fact that it was Helene, Elisabeth’s sister, whom Franz was supposed to marry.
After Elisabeth becomes the empress of Austria, she not only has to face personal trials and tribulations but also court politics and scheming. The Empress season 1 is the tale of how a free-spirited young woman plays a vital role in scripting one of the most important chapters of world history.
Trending
The Empress season 1 starts with a surprising love marriage
As episode 1 of The Empress season 1 opens, Elisabeth is introduced as a nonconformer who has already rejected several marriage proposals because she believes that she can only marry someone if she falls in love with him. The fact that she belongs to an important political family makes it difficult for her mother to accept her decision.
Elsewhere, Sophia, Franz’s mother, suggests that he should marry Helene of Bavaria, as that would be an appropriate marriage of alliance. However, luck intervenes and upsets Sophia’s plan as Franz and Elisabeth fall in love with each other.
On the day he is supposed to choose Helene as his bride, Franz chooses Elisabeth. This causes an immediate rift between the two sisters, and the delicate political balancing act that was planned based on Helene’s marriage to Franz gets disturbed.
However, Elisabeth is eventually chosen as Franz’s bride-to-be. This is where the plot of The Empress season 1 picks up, as upon her arrival in Austria, Elizabeth has to grapple with constant court schemings.
The Empress season 1 is heavy on politics
A series exploring the lives and loves of rulers can hardly shy away from treading into political territories, and season 1 of The Empress highlights the historical geopolitical contexts of the age it is set in.
For instance, the war that is brewing between France and Russia is a leitmotif in the series. Caught between the skirmishes of the two great nations is Austria, and Franz wants to have nothing to do with the war.
Due to extreme cold, the harvest has been poor in Austria, and people have been starving to death. As a compassionate monarch, Franz understands that a war would only aggravate the populace’s misery.
Instead, he plans to improve the infrastructure in his kingdom by constructing a railway passage that would connect Austria better with the other states. He also chooses a policy of non-alliance, asking both the belligerent parties to go for negotiations.
For example, he invites Alexander Nikolayevich, Grand Duke of Russia, to discuss de-escalation with him. However, The Empress season 1 also shows that even though Franz prefers the pacifist way, he can retaliate when push comes to shove. For instance, he asks his troops to hit back at the Russians if they keep up their aggression in the Austrian border.
Court politics is at the heart of The Empress season 1
From the first episode of the series itself, court politics becomes a prominent theme in the show. Sophia, for example, dislikes Elisabeth for her seemingly uncouth ways. The latter is a maverick woman who does not mind interacting with the common people or following her instincts more than courtly decorum. The cold war between the two happens throughout season 1.
Then there is Franz’s treacherous brother Maximilian, who tries his best to usurp the throne for himself. He thinks his brother is too weak to manage such a vast empire. He manipulates the meeting with Alexander to nullify his brother’s diplomatic advances. Apart from that, he generally tries to stage a mutiny against him.
Public discontentment against the ruling class is one of the strongest themes in The Empress season 1. Due to rising levels of poverty and general hardship, the people of Austria are thinking of rising against the emperor. In fact, Leontine and Egon are revolutionaries who infiltrate the court. However, the former’s growing affection for Elisabeth makes her prevent Egon from causing any harm to Franz.
The Empress season 1 ends with a dramatic sequence. Elisabeth, having decided to leave the court due to its suffocating politics, walks into an agitated crowd and mingles with them as one of their own. However, it is revealed that she is pregnant. This paves the way for the next season of the show on Netflix.
