History cannot and should not be changed, even if Netflix thinks it's a good idea to completely warp it for ratings. The Austro Hungarian empire is so grossly misrepresented in this lavish but completely fictionalized account of the love between Franz-Josef and Elisabeth that it drfies any semblance of credibility whatsoever.
Maximilian, the younger brother of Franz-Josef was indeed popular, and there was a rift between the two, but the fictional romance between him and Elisabeth is absurd, as is his olotting to overthrow Franz-Josef who ruled from 1848 until 1916 and was a very strong monatch.
In reality, Maximilian was happily married to Charlotte of Belgium. He served as commander-in-chief of the Imperial Austrian Navy (1854-1861), thereafter as viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia until 1859, when Franz-Josef, angered by his brother's liberal policies, dismissed him. After a few years of comfortable early retirement in Trieste (now Italy), he accepted the crown of Mecico and ruled there as Emperor Maximilian I. Until his overthrow by Republican forces and subsequent court martial in 1867, after which he was summarily executed by firing squad Elisabeth, who was indeed a love match with Franz-Josef, did indeed suffer under the oppressive rules at the Hapsburg court and was very much at loggerheads with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, but did produce several offspring, most notably Crown Prince Rudolf (who died at his own hand with his mistress Mary Vetsera in a murder-suicide at his hunting lodge at Mayerling in 1889).
Elisabeth was not the utter failure depicted in this production, but rather was instrumental in bringing about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.
Elisabeth was was mortally wounded by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni while travelling in Geneva in 1898.
With a storyline as provided by history, why was it necessary for the writers and producers of The Empress to come up with this absolute codswallop?
I've given the rating of 3 stars mainly because of the superb acting and lavish production, but don't think rewriting history for whatever reason Netflix did is acceptable or necessary.
Maximilian, the younger brother of Franz-Josef was indeed popular, and there was a rift between the two, but the fictional romance between him and Elisabeth is absurd, as is his olotting to overthrow Franz-Josef who ruled from 1848 until 1916 and was a very strong monatch.
In reality, Maximilian was happily married to Charlotte of Belgium. He served as commander-in-chief of the Imperial Austrian Navy (1854-1861), thereafter as viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia until 1859, when Franz-Josef, angered by his brother's liberal policies, dismissed him. After a few years of comfortable early retirement in Trieste (now Italy), he accepted the crown of Mecico and ruled there as Emperor Maximilian I. Until his overthrow by Republican forces and subsequent court martial in 1867, after which he was summarily executed by firing squad Elisabeth, who was indeed a love match with Franz-Josef, did indeed suffer under the oppressive rules at the Hapsburg court and was very much at loggerheads with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, but did produce several offspring, most notably Crown Prince Rudolf (who died at his own hand with his mistress Mary Vetsera in a murder-suicide at his hunting lodge at Mayerling in 1889).
Elisabeth was not the utter failure depicted in this production, but rather was instrumental in bringing about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.
Elisabeth was was mortally wounded by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni while travelling in Geneva in 1898.
With a storyline as provided by history, why was it necessary for the writers and producers of The Empress to come up with this absolute codswallop?
I've given the rating of 3 stars mainly because of the superb acting and lavish production, but don't think rewriting history for whatever reason Netflix did is acceptable or necessary.