The Reluctant Empress

The real-life tale behind Netflix's Empress Sisi and the Anarchist, whose assassination in 1898 shocked the world. Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known to her family as 'Sisi', belongs to a famous love story of European royalty. In 1853 the Emperor Franz Josef, the most eligible bachelor in Europe, fell in love with her at first sight when she was 15. They were married the next year. On the surface, it was a fairy-tale marriage, all the more poignant, with hindsight, because her tragic death augured the twilight years of the Habsburg Empire. First published in 1988, Brigitte Hamann's definitive biography tells Elisabeth's story from her birth into Bavarian nobility to her assassination at the hands of an Italian anarchist. In her lifetime she was idolised solely for her grace and beauty; but Hamann shows us a stronger character, bitter at her marriage, seeking independence, and struggling against the powerful influence of her mother-in-law, the Archduchess Sophie.

Extremely interesting biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the beautifland mysterious Queen who was the Romantic idol of 19th-century Europe and wasassassinated in 1898.

*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Discover the “captivating, absorbing, and beautifully told” (Kathleen Grissom) love story of Sisi, the Austro-Hungarian empress and wife of Emperor Franz Joseph—perfect for fans of the Netflix series The Empress! The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead. Thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world. With Pataki’s rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters, The Accidental Empress offers “another absolutely compelling story” (Mary Higgins Clark) with this glimpse into one of history’s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved “Fairy Queen.”

Ninallia is young, young and desperate. She decides to sell the only thing she owns to save her family: her body. Believing family stories that she descends from royal blood, she agrees to become a surrogate for an infertile couple. The lucrative agreement will provide for her family for several years. Ninallia's world is turned upside down when the Emperor and Empress are assassinated, and she discovers that the child she is carrying is the heir. Her life and that of her unborn child are in grave danger. Disguised as a boy, Ninallia flees. If she is to survive the power hungry lord hunting for her, she has to seek help. She finds two allies, a League Soldier and a Sister of the Order. Together they must keep Ninallia alive until her son is born and his blood tested to prove that he is the Imperial Heir. With everyone searching for them, can they live long enough?

Ninallia is young, young and desperate. She decides to sell the only thing she owns to save her family: her body. Believing family stories that she descends from royal blood, she agrees to become a surrogate for an infertile couple. The lucrative agreement will provide for her family for several years. Ninallia’s world is turned upside down when the Emperor and Empress are assassinated, and she discovers that the child she is carrying is the heir. Her life and that of her unborn child are in grave danger. Disguised as a boy, Ninallia flees. If she is to survive the power hungry lord hunting for her, she has to seek help. She finds two allies, a League Soldier and a Sister of the Order. Together they must keep Ninallia alive until her son is born and his blood tested to prove that he is the Imperial Heir. With everyone searching for them, will they live long enough?

Consort to Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, Elizabeth of Bavaria was a modern woman who fled the confines of Habsburg to roam free--she fancied dangerous riding, sailing, and poetry--but her life ended with her assassination in 1896. "Makes us feel the impact of her beauty as well as the fatal egotism which led to unhappiness, restlessness, and futility."--"Elizabeth Harvey." "Well documented and illustrated...a grand and fascinating tale."--"Brian Aldiss"

She fell in love with a man - and married an Empire. The beautiful and tragic Elisabeth of Austria - wife of Emperor Franz Josef - has often been likened to Princess Diana. A reluctant Empress, she was adored by her people; championing the cause of the afflicted and influencing her husband to institute social and political reforms and improvements in hospitals. A superb horsewoman, she hunted with the Spencers at Althorp. Men everywhere fell under her spell. Yet beneath the beauty lay a mercurial personality. Obsessed with dieting and exercise, haunted by tragedy and the hereditary insanity of her Wittelsbach heritage, she took to constant travelling; searching for a happiness which always eluded her.