A young high society woman was travelling in Austria many years ago. She had a young daughter, just two or three years old, whom she loved dearly. One evening, she arrived at an inn that was part of an old landowner’s domain. The walls were extremely thick and the doors and windows were low and…
After the death of Louis II, Elisabeth felt irresistibly drawn to the place where the tragedy had taken place, as if called by Louis II. She indeed believed in the survival of the soul, in communication with the afterlife. For her, her beloved cousin was not quite dead. And so, at the first opportunity, she…
Erupted the final crisis. The situation had become unbearable, ministers and courtesans decided to render the king incapable of causing harm. They went to find his uncle, the prince Leopold. They persuaded him that, were his nephew not deposed, and were he not to accept the regency, monarchy would collapse. Leopold agreed. Not due to…
“It was not a dream. No, in truth, it was not. I had gone to bed and could not find sleep, even though darkness engulfed my room, even though everything in the garden outside was calm and silent… “And so I remained laying during those solitary hours, overcome by thoughts, images and memories. And suddenly,…
Emperor Franz Joseph leaving his train. Mary Vetsera, beloved of the Archduke Rudolf, who died with him at Mayerling. Archduke Rudolf with his wife, Stephanie of Belgium. Archduke Rudolf of Austria, who would die tragically at Mayerling. The Austrian imperial dynasty. From left to right: Emperor Franz Joseph, his brother-in-law Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, his…
Our dear friend, Tatiana told us that, newly wed in Austria, she had meticulously interrogated the descendants of the people linked to the Mayerling case. She had mostly collected testimonies concerning the archduchess that had replaced the empress during her absences. Who at the time held the position of mistress of the house? Was it…
King Rudolf II, an odd fellow and a master of the occult, governed his kingdoms from a magic castle in Prague. He had no legitimate heir. He had a ba stard son, however, Julio, whom he adored. He even gave him the vast Cesky Krumlov castle in Krumau as a home, but Julio proved to be not…
Many years ago, when I began attending the Salzburg music festival, I became well acquainted with my distant cousins, the Hohenberg princes. I was particularly fond of them. They were friendly, funny, and lively. They were also the grandchildren of one of most history’s most famous tragedies. At the end of the 19th century, Archduke…
Count Trauttmansdorff was presiding over a case of witchcraft, in the great hall of his fortress at Gleichenberg. We may imagine the scene: the Renaissance chairs, the rough medieval masonry, the rich tapestries hanging suspended from rings set in the walls, the narrow windows, the torchlight glimmering on dark wood. One corner of the room was…