Is The Empress based on a true story? Real-life inspiration explained

Netflix’s hit period drama, The Empressit presented an authentic portrayal of the Austrian royal family, which led to questions about whether the series was based on real people. The series follows Elisabeth von Wittelsback and her fairytale romance with Austria’s Emperor Franz Joseph I. When the series premiered on the streaming platform The Empress has become one of the best non-English language shows on Netflix.

Like many other period dramas, The Empress includes elements that are based in reality. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that everything included in the series is historically accurate. The show’s creators took creative freedom in bringing Franz and Elizabeth’s story to life. With The Empress With season 2 on the horizon, it will be interesting to see what historical events will be featured in the series.

The Empress was based on Empress Elisabeth of Austria

The Empress talks about Elizabeth’s life at the Viennese court

Devrim Lingnau’s character in The EmpressElisabeth von Wittelsbach, was based on Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Empress Elizabeth of Austria married Franz Joseph I in 1854, when she was just 16 years old. According to historical accounts, Elisabeth was strong-willed, stubborn and free-spiritedwhich is something portrayed in the Netflix miniseries. Elisabeth was loved by her people because of how she sympathized with the hardships they faced and her effort to make their lives better (via History).

After her marriage to Franz and her move to the Viennese court, Elisabeth began to feel suffocated by her life there. According to historical accounts, the empress’s relationship with her husband began to fall apart a few months after their marriage. Despite not having the fairytale love story portrayed in the series, Franz and Elisabeth ended up having four children before she was murdered in 1898.

Is The Empress historically accurate?

The Empress uses her own versions of historical events

The Empress is not an accurate portrayal of Elisabeth’s life, but is a mixture of history and fiction. Although the show took some creative liberties in telling Elisabeth’s story, there are certain things that are factual. For example, Franz choosing Elisabeth over Helene is true to the story. The show’s timeline also corresponds to how long it took for Franz and Elisabeth to get married after getting engaged.

That being said, there are several things that are included in the The Empress which are changed to fit the series’ narrative. A good example of this is how Elisabeth felt about Franz. In the series, It was shown that Elisabeth and Franz fell in love at first sight. However, historical accounts state that Elisabeth initially disliked Franz, but grew to love him after they spent more time together (via The Hadsburg World).

Sources: History, The Hadsburg World