Character Biography
[series]: Elisabeth: The Rondo of Love and Death (Takarazuka version)
[character]: Emperor Franz Joseph
[character history / background]: From as early as he can remember, Franz Joseph was groomed for the throne. His mother knew that he’d one day end up as Emperor of the Austrian Empire, since the then-Emperor had no heirs and her own husband wasn’t fit to rule, so she took special care that young Franz received the best education possible to make him an ideal leader. Franz seemed to take to his education well, and by the time he was twenty-one, he was viewed as a capable ruler by his people.
During the summer of his twenty-first year, he went with his mother Sophie to the Imperial Resort at Bad Ischl to meet with his cousin and intended, Helene. However, it was Helene’s little sister Sisi, Elisabeth, that caught his eye. From the moment he saw the girl, he was completely smitten. He shocked everyone present by proposing to Elisabeth, and was completely overjoyed when she accepted his proposal. The two were married the following April, in an evening ceremony.
Franz, however, was not one to be idle from work long, and was up and back to his duties the morning after the wedding. This proved to be the first mistake he made in his marriage, as it left his wife vulnerable to his mother’s vicious tongue. Franz was unaware of exactly what Sophie was saying to his bride, but tried to console Elisabeth when she was upset, explaining that Mother was only trying to help. This was his second mistake. His wife seemed to not understand or appreciate his explanation, and dismissed him.
During the first few years of their marriage, Franz found he had little time for his new bride. Affairs of state were weighing heavily on him, and the Hungarians were threatening rebellion. He tried to serve his people as best he could, while still devoting what time he could to his wife. A year into their marriage, Elisabeth gave birth to a baby girl. Franz was overjoyed, although he worried for his wife’s health. Fortunately, his mother was able to take charge of the baby, letting his wife recover from childbirth in peace. Another girl was born a year later, which his mother also offered to mind. While Franz was perfectly content to let Sophie take charge of the children, Elisabeth insisted on caring for them herself. In order to secure her presence on a visit to Hungary, Franz acquiesced.
The trip to Hungary proved most fortuitous. Elisabeth’s presence charmed the citizenry, and, between his political savvy and her grace and beauty, they were able to calm the rebellious populus. They returned to Austria, where Elisabeth gave birth to their only son not long after their return. Franz couldn’t be happier. He at last had an heir. Of course, his mother insisted on looking after the boy, and in Franz’s opinion, this was the best thing that could happen. After all, his mother had raised him to be a wise and productive ruler. He had no doubt that Rudolf too would grow into a fine young man under her careful watch.
This decision, however, did not sit well with his wife. Elisabeth grew distant from him again, refusing him entry into her chambers. The pressures of ruling an empire and trying to appease his family were taking a toll on Franz, and were brought to a head when his darling Sisi gave him an ultimatum: choose between her and his own mother. Such a decision could not be made spur of the moment; he had to determine exactly what Elisabeth meant, and consider her demands carefully. His mother had always given him sound advice, but his wife wanted to be able to manage her own household, as his mother had done when he was young. Devotion to his wife eventually won out, and Franz declared to Elisabeth that he would give her whatever she wanted, as long as she was by his side.
By this time, tensions in Hungary had risen again to the point that unless drastic measures were taken, Franz might have a civil war on his hands. Between his wife and his advisors, he came up with a daring plan - grant Hungary status as an independent country within the empire, but with Franz as King and Elisabeth as Queen. The people seemed delighted with this plan, praising Elisabeth as their new queen. And so, the Austrian Empire became the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Franz was satisfied that the crisis had been averted.
However, not everyone in the court was pleased with Elisabeth’s newfound influence over the Emperor. Unbeknownst to Franz, his mother and her loyal coterie of aging advisers plotted to separate the emperor from his wife. Archbishop Rauscher surprised Franz one night at dinner with a “special delivery” of one Madame Wolf and her collection of ladies. Franz was at first appalled by the display of scantily-clad young women, but as they fell to fawning on him, acting so attentive to his every need in ways that his wife had not in years, he found himself warming to their charms. He left the dining hall in the company of not one, but three of the young ladies, oblivious to the flash of a photographer’s camera as he departed.
Not long after this, Franz was told by his wife that she was leaving the palace with her retinue, and did not know when she would return. When he pressed the issue, she revealed that she knew of his dalliance and, as he had sinned against her, he had no more influence over her. Franz was stunned and crushed. He did not try to prevent her leaving, but made sure to keep tabs on her journeys, sending her letters often to implore her to forgive him and come home. He met any suggestion of taking up a mistress or visiting with ladies of questionable character with an icy stare and a resounding no. He also distanced himself from his children, trusting their tutors to ensure they would be well looked after; they reminded him too much of his absent wife for him to bear their company.
[character abilities]: ruler of Austro-Hungary
[character personality]: At heart, Franz is a very kind, warm man. He wants to be a good husband and good father, but duty gets in the way. He has been taught since he was young to put duty to his country and his subjects before his own personal interests, and as an emperor, he sees the wisdom in this way of life. He just has trouble reconciling that duty with his personal desires and private life.
Franz has spent his life surrounded by and heavily influenced by strong women. His mother ruled with an iron fist, and was referred to as “the only real man at court.” When his wishes and those of his mother came into conflict, his mother’s always won out. Especially in the early years of his reign, he deferred to her judgment in everything from choosing advisers to decisions of clemency - even whether or not to go to war. His mother made the decision it was time for him to marry, and, although it surprised him, he bowed to her wisdom and experience in such matters.
Franz’s one true act of rebellion against his mother was in choosing Elisabeth as his bride. His mother and aunt Ludovika had planned the marriage of Franz and Helene for years prior to their meeting at Bad Ischl. But Franz was drawn to Elisabeth’s independent spirit and joie de vivre. And once he’d made up his mind to marry his younger cousin, he would not be swayed. He was entirely devoted to his Sisi, and deeply in love with her.
Once Elisabeth started to assert her own power as his wife, insisting upon taking charge of her children’s education and well-being, Franz found himself torn. He was not used to defying his mother; he loved and respected her greatly. But, his love for Sisi was stronger than filial piety, and he gave into that, and many other demands. Franz fell from following one woman’s advice to another’s. Even when his wife was cold to him, he would not hear a word against her, and held out the hope that things could go back to being happy again. He made the mistake of faltering in his devotion to her once, and it cost him her presence; he was resolute that he would not make that mistake again.
For all that Franz wants to be a happy family man in addition to being a kind and benevolent ruler, he has difficulty dealing with his children. He does not see the problem with allowing tutors to rule his children’s education, nor with corporal punishment for failed lessons - it’s customary. It’s how he was raised. So he does not understand the fuss when Sisi insists that the practice stop. He does not interact much with his children - he finds it difficult to relate with them, especially Rudolf.
Franz is not comfortable with a lot of innovation and change. He prefers the traditional, the tried-and-true, to the up-and-coming. His choice of clothing, military uniforms, displays this duty to tradition. His insistence that there is nothing wrong with tutors taking a rod to Rudolf is another example of this - it was done to him, so it must be fine. When taking the title of King of Hungary, Franz wore the traditional, ancestral robes of the office - 800 year old robes. All the changes that his wife institutes make him uncomfortable, but his devotion to her allows him to tolerate it…mostly.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: about a year after the events in “Maladie”, during Elisabeth’s constant travels