After more than two years of waiting, fans of The empress were finally able to discover the continuation of this historic series, which was ranked in 88 countries around the world on Netflix. Season 2, made up of six episodes, depicts certain dramatic moments in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, including the death of her eldest daughter, Sophie. For his part, Franz must face the emerging tensions in Lombardy-Venetia and the manipulations of Napoleon III. In the last episode, we discover that Elisabeth gave birth to a son several years later. Franz declared war on Piedmont and therefore on Napoleon, but nothing happened as he had planned. He therefore decides to join the front, on the journey of his life. What will happen next, if a season 3 of The empress sees the light of day on Netflix? Tele-Leisure looked at historical facts to provide you with some answers.
1. Will Franz die in the sequel? The empress ?
The fate of Franz (Philip Froissant) is left unresolved at the end of the second season of The empress, since the emperor decided to put his life in danger to join his men. Rest assured, the character will not die in possible season 3, still unconfirmed by Netflix (find the list of series renewed and canceled by the platform here). Franz Joseph I, his full name, died in 1916 at the age of 67. It was in April 1859 that he made the decision to join the Austrian army in Verona. He then took command of the armies and the war did not have the outcome he hoped for (we will tell you about this a little further on).
2. Will Elisabeth and Franz have other children?
This season 2 of The empress did not fail to make us cry, especially in the heartbreaking episode 4, on the death of Fifi, the couple's eldest daughter. At the start of the second season, we also discover the birth of little Gisèle then, in the last episode, the arrival of the heir to the throne, Rodolphe. This is the only son to whom Elisabeth gave birth. However, he will never inherit the title of emperor since Rodolphe died in 1889 at the age of 30 in mysterious circumstances. Franz and Elisabeth had a fourth child, Marie-Valérie, born in 1868.
3. How did the war against Italy and France end?
The war declared by Franz did not have a positive outcome for the Emperor of Austria. After the failure at Magenta, Austrian troops faced another major defeat at Solferino. On July 8, 1859, Franz Joseph met with Napoleon III to negotiate an armistice. The Peace of Zurich was signed on November 10 and 11 of the same year. This agreement causes the loss of Lombardy, which returns to France. The Emperor of Austria retains control of Veneto.
4. Will Maximilien and Marie Charlotte have children?
We thought that Maximilien would be entitled to a little happiness, but no. In this second salvo, he marries Marie Charlotte of Belgium, but discovers that he may be sterile after contracting syphilis. The real Maximilien and Marie Charlotte never had biological children during their marriage. It is obviously impossible to know whether the reason given in the series fits with historical facts. Despite the war between his brother Franz and Napoleon III, Maximilian of Austria became, in 1864, emperor of Mexico at the request of the French emperor. A decision that would ultimately cost him his life: he was shot and killed in 1867.
5. What will happen to Mimi, Elisabeth's sister?
It is not by chance that The empress included in season 2 the story of Marie-Sophie in Bavaria, nicknamed Mimi, Elisabeth's younger sister. Less known than Sissi, the latter has also left her mark on History. Married to Francis, Duke of Calabria, she becomes queen of the two Sicilies but will not remain so for long since the kingdom is invaded by Garibaldi, who wishes to unite the peoples of Italy. During these clashes, Marie-Sophie takes control of the troops, facing her husband's disinterest. François and Marie-Sophie then found refuge in Rome and the young woman subsequently collected lovers. At the beginning of the 20th century, she settled in France, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. She died in 1925.
