10 Things You Need to Remember Before Season 2

It’s been two years since The Empress the first season was released and There are several things to remember before Season 2 premieres on November 22, 2024. As one of the best non-English language shows on Netflix, The Empress the first season received rave reviews. The series follows Elisabeth, a young woman who marries the Emperor of Austria, and the struggles she faces in her new position. Six weeks later The Empress the first season was released, Netflix announced that the series would return for a second season.

The Empress Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger with Elisabeth announcing that she is pregnant, then the second season of the series will likely be about the events that happen afterwards. While the plot stops The Empress season 2 has not been revealed, there are several character arcs and mysteries that were not resolved in season 1 that set up season 2. Given the many details that The Empress including the first season, it’s worth recapping what happened and what it could mean for the future of the series’ characters.

10

Franz decided to marry Elisabeth instead of Helene

Franz and Elisabeth had a turbulent romance

When Franz Joseph I became emperor of Austria, there was a lot of discontent among his subjects because they didn’t like the monarch. To avoid a rebellion, Francis’ mother, Archduchess Sophia, suggested that he marry someone suitable and produce an heir, as her empire needed good news. Her mother chose Helene as her bridea quiet young woman who spent her entire life preparing to become Empress of Austria.

Franz, however, wanted to have a wife who could challenge him. So when he met Helene’s sister, Elisabeth, and shared a deep bond with her, he decided he would marry her. To everyone’s surprise, Elisabeth accepted Franz’s proposal despite not being ready take on the role that being his wife would entail. Although Franz and Elisabeth initially had a turbulent romance, her free spirit and stubbornness ended up being something that almost destroyed their marriage.

9

Maximilian was in love with Elisabeth

Elisabeth wasn’t interested in being with Max

From the first day Max interacted with Elisabeth, he believed they were soulmates. However, Elisabeth saw Max for who he was and was not interested in being with him. Max tried everything to destroy Franz and Elisabeth’s marriageincluding inviting Franz’s old girlfriend to the palace with the hope that she would cause a rift between them. When Franz and Elisabeth were having problems, Max took advantage of the situation and tried to get closer to her.

Eventually, he grew tired of seeing his brother be with the woman he loved and asked Elisabeth to run away with him and start a new life. Elisabeth refused his proposal because Franz was the one she loved. Max’s failure to win her heart and his belief that he would be a better husband for Elisabeth than her brother led him to stage a coup.

8

Elisabeth and Franz’s marriage caused a rift between Elisabeth and her family

Elisabeth chose Franz over her family

Before Elisabeth met Franz, she had a close relationship with Helene. Helene was seen as a good sister and always defended Elisabeth when her mother was harsh with her. However, all that changed when Elisabeth accepted Franz’s proposal. Not only did Helene lose the love of her life, but she also had to watch her sister live the life that was destined for her..

Instead of Elisabeth letting Helene start over in a different place where she wouldn’t have to see the man she loved with her sister, Elisabeth asked her to remain at court without considering how she felt. Franz and Elisabeth’s marriage didn’t just cause a disagreement between her and Helene.

Elisabeth’s parents were equally disappointed by the pain she caused her sister. Elisabeth believed she had made the right choiceso she sent her family away to focus on her life with Franz. As Elisabeth’s relationship with her sister was important to her, it will be interesting to see if Helene returns to court in The Empress Season 2 and where the two sisters are after Elisabeth basically forced her into exile.

7

There was political instability during Franz’s reign

Franz’s advisors didn’t believe him

When Francis became emperor of Austria, he inherited a kingdom rife with poverty. Austria’s neighboring countries, France and Russia, were on the brink of war and Franz’s empire was in the middle of it. His advisors wanted him to choose a nation to support, but he did not want to participate in something he did not believe would benefit his people.

Franz’s non-alliance policy and his belief that de-escalation was the best solution to what was happening between Russia and France caused his advisors to lose faith in his ability to govern. Instead of participating in an unnecessary war, Franz wanted to build a railway that could connect Austria to other states and thus promote trade, which would reduce rising levels of poverty. It’s only fair that the Netflix miniseries portrayed the geopolitics that were happening at the time when Franz was Emperor of Austria, given that the show is based in reality.

6

Elisabeth and Archduchess Sophie didn’t get along

Elisabeth and Sophie had different ideas about what the role of an empress was

One of the most interesting things about the Netflix period drama is the contentious relationship between Elisabeth and her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie. The Archduchess chose Helene to be Franz’s wifeand she was not happy when her son went against her wishes and decided to marry Elisabeth.

While they were at court, their dislike for each other continued to grow, as Isabel wanted to do as she pleased rather than what was expected of her. As Franz fell more and more in love with Elisabeth, he began to follow her advice over that of his Sophie, which caused more disagreements between Elisabeth and Archduchess Sophie.

The Archduchess’s dislike of Elisabeth was justified. Most of the time, Elisabeth’s free spirit and childishness became a hindrance and benefited no one. Sophie also blamed Elisabeth for Franz’s distraction. Because Elisabeth was prone to bad moods and tantrums, Franz had to rescue her instead of focusing on being a leader for his people.

5

Isabel was pregnant

Elisabeth decided to stay in Austria

When Elisabeth arrived in Austria and married Franz, she didn’t really understand what she was doing there. She believed that her fairytale romance with Franz would continue, but was soon dissuaded from this idea. Her main duty as empress was to produce an heirbut she hated being seen as nothing more than that.

After several months of trying, Elisabeth finally became pregnant. After she found out, she was filled with joy and wanted to share the news with her husband, but their relationship was hanging by a thread.

Despite being pregnant with Franz’s child, Elisabeth decided to leave Austria and return to his family because his marriage was falling apart. But when she reached the palace gates, she could not leave because of the large crowd that was gathered there. It was then that she decided to share the news of her pregnancy with her subjects, who saw the unborn heir as a beacon of hope.

4

Austria’s citizens were dissatisfied with the ruling class

Leontine and Egon were planning a revolt

After experiencing a poor harvest, the people of Austria suffered from high levels of poverty and were unhappy with how the ruling class was well off while they had to endure hardship. As a solution to your discontent, they decided to organize a revolt that would remove Francis as emperor of Austria. Leontine and Egon, the leaders of the revolutionaries, planned to infiltrate the court and kill Franz.

However, Leontine changed her mind and betrayed Egon at the last minute. Since Elisabeth’s pregnancy was revealed, and she interacted with her people at the end of The Empress In the first season, it remains to be seen whether his subjects will change their view of their leaders. However, if poverty in Austria continues to increase The Empress Season 2, so it’s possible their discontent will be something Elisabeth and Franz will have to deal with next season.

3

Elisabeth decided to leave the court

Elisabeth didn’t like her life in Austria

Court politics were a big part of Elisabeth’s life when she became empress, and she struggled to fit in. As empress, her daily activities were mapped out for her, from what she wore to what were considered activities appropriate for a lady. Seeing as she was naturally rebellious, it didn’t take long for her to find her new life suffocating.

After she tried to do things her way and it backfired, Archduchess Sofia gave her two options: she could try to be the empress who supported Francis, or she could leave Austria and her husband would marry someone else. suited to court life. Although she initially refused to give up Elisabeth came to the conclusion that she would never love a life where she was expected to keep her opinions to herself.so she decided it would be better if she left.

2

Elisabeth and Franz were having problems

Franz and Elisabeth were very different

After a few months of marriage, Elisabeth and Franz began to have problems. After spending more time in each other’s company, it became clear to them that they were very different. Franz was sensible, but Elisabeth was impulsive and the difference in temperament ended up generating discord between them. Instead of resolving her issues with Franz, Elisabeth began acting out and would spend more time with Max than her husband.

Franz, rightly so, was not happy about Elisabeth spending time with her brother because she didn’t trust Max. Although Franz and Elisabeth loved each other, they had different opinions about the right way to treat the Austrian people. The emperor fell in love with Elisabeth because of her ability to say whatever was on her mind. However, the lack of filter was something that Franz began to dislike about her.

1

Maximilian tried to stage a coup

Maximilian believed he would be a better emperor than Francis

Maximilian believed he would be a better emperor than his older brotherwhom he considered too weak to rule Austria, so he began to organize a mutiny against him. Max took every opportunity he had to undermine Franz and thwart his plans for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between France and Russia.

When Franz attempted to have a diplomatic meeting with Alexander, Max manipulated Alexander into believing that Franz did not have his best interests at heart. However, Max needed approval from the church, the military, and his mother to usurp the throne,

He couldn’t become emperor just because he wanted to. He got the army and church on his side, but his mother refused to support him because she did not believe he was better suited to rule than his father or brother. Ultimately, his plan failed, but he considered his initial failure a minor setback and will likely attempt a coup again in The Empress 2nd season.