The young couple has barely overcome the first crisis after their wedding, when dark clouds gather over Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. The love between Empress Elisabeth (Devrim Lingnau) and Emperor Franz (Philip Froissant) is put to the test. Franz faces not only rebellious movements against Habsburg, especially from Sardinia-Piedmont and Lombardy, but also Napoleon III, his most powerful adversary in Europe. Elisabeth, on the other hand, comes under great pressure to give birth to a male heir to the throne to secure the future of the Habsburg Empire. But Elisabeth feels the urge to become politically active and to stand up for what she believes in.
The international Emmy award-winning drama series The Empress, which premiered on Netflix in September 2022 (read our article about Season 1, The Empress Who Fought Demons), has taken audiences by storm. It is the most successful German Netflix series that has ever been launched. Moreover, in 2023, The Empress won an International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series.
In Season 2, which premiered on Netflix on 22 November 2024, the future of the Habsburg Empire depends on Elisabeth. She has given birth to two girls, Sophie Friederike (1855), which she calls Fienchen, and Gisela (1856). But the hopes of the people and Empress Mother Sophie (Melika Foroutan) in particular are left unfulfilled. A male heir would have ensured political stability and the continuation of the empire. The pressure on Elisabeth increases.
In Season 2, Empress Elisabeth continues to fight for the right to play a political role and to stand up for the oppressed and marginalized throughout the empire. She says: “There are other things I want to do for the empire – not just have children.”
Elisabeth is played by Devrim Lingnau, a 26-year-old German actress from Mannheim. Devrims mother is German, her father Turkish. That’s the reason why she was given a Turkish name (Devrim means renewal, revolution). She had a leading role in Carmilla and played in Borgia and various German TV series.
“So many myths and legends surround Empress Elisabeth: how she lived, what she must have been like, what she looked like. I find it particularly exciting to discover my own vision of this inspiring woman,” says Devrim.
Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, has stepped out of his mother Sophie’s shadow and, thanks to Elisabeth’s love, he has found greater self-confidence and a clearer political outlook. Nevertheless, he is challenged like never before. He fights to preserve the Habsburg Empire. Austria is an immense, multi-ethnic state that is falling apart. Franz is not an imperialist, nor does he think only in conservative terms. Defending the empire by force goes against his peaceful instincts; at the same time, he feels it is his duty and his responsibility.
Franz is played by Philip Froissant (30), a German actor who holds a university degree in science. His father is French. Philip started his acting career with a leading role in the Netflix drama Black Island (2021).
Lead actor Philip Froissant won the German Television Award for his performance as sensitive Emperor Franz Joseph. “What motivates me the most is the fans’ enthusiasm, the many messages and comments from viewers,” he says. “They helped me relax a little. I’ve become freer in my acting now that we’ve moved beyond the first season, which so many people related to.”
Season 1 was filmed at the original locations in Germany. Only at the end did the production move to Studio Babelsberg, where three rooms from Schönbrunn Palace were created. Season 2 was shot in the Czech Republic and the famous Barrandov Studios in Prague. “There are many castles, palaces and manors of all kinds there,” explains Robert Eyssen. “The Czech Republic is a cradle of the baroque style, and Prague was once the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia.”
After the high treason and the failed plot against his elder brother Franz, Archduke Maximilian (Johannes Nussbaum) was banished from the court. Maximilian, who always wanted nothing more than recognition from his family, is suffering in exile. When Franz finds himself in a diplomatic quandary, he decides to give Maximilian another chance. He sends his brother to Paris to talk to Napoleon III.
On his trip to Paris, Maximilian meets Princess Marie Charlotte of Belgium, his future wife. She is ambitious and intelligent, a woman who knows what she wants: to be more than a wife. She gives Maximilian the validation that his family denies him. Marie (Josephine Thiesen) loves Maximilian, but she also goads him in order to achieve her own dreams, which is not always healthy.
Politics plays a much more important role this time than in Season 1. “As emperor and empress, Franz and Elisabeth had a huge sphere of influence,” says executive producer Robert Eyssen. “You can’t avoid foreign policy issues.”
The crown territories of Lombardy and Veneto, combined into the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, have been part of the Habsburg Empire for around 150 years. The official languages are Italian and German. The ruler is the Emperor of Austria, represented by a viceroy until 1848 and then by a governor general.
The Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont wants to unite all Italian-speaking territories, including Sicily, Parma, Tuscany, etc., into a single nation state. The driving force behind these efforts is Italian statesman Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, who is elected to the Sardinian parliament in 1848. The same year, Sardinia-Piedmont declares war on Austria and invades Lombardy but is defeated by the Austrian troops led by Field Marshal Josef Wenzel Radetzky von Radetz. The revolutions in Lombardy, Veneto and Milan are crushed, but Italian liberalism and nationalism remain alive.
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