Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of Netflix’s German historical drama series, ‘The Empress,’ takes us back to the life and reign of Elisabeth as things become more unstable by the minute in her empire. With the increasing pressure of birthing an heir, Elisabeth also has to grapple with the problems in her marriage with Franz, who, in turn, is trying to keep the country together by any means possible. Over the course of six episodes, the duo goes through many ups and downs and even comes to the brink of losing each other following a heartbreaking tragedy. Eventually, they find their way back to each other, but by then, things have regressed so dramatically that they have to prepare themselves for more tragedies. SPOILERS AHEAD
Will Franz Win the War?
Leading an empire with diverse cultures and people is a challenge in itself, and Franz felt its weight the moment he ascended the throne. The problem with the rebels had hounded him since Season 1, but things get exponentially worse in Season 2, which begins several years after the failed coup and the revelation of Elisabeth’s first pregnancy. By the end of Season 2, the couple has lost their first daughter, whose death tears them apart. The final episode takes another time jump, and they have a third child who turns out to be a boy. Meanwhile, Napoleon’s plan of stirring trouble in the Lombardy region comes to fruition, and Franz has no option but to go with the rebels, backed by France.
Had it just been the rebels, Franz could have hoped to win the war. But with France, led by Napoleon, in their support, the Emperor of Austria knows that he has bitten off more than he could chew. Napoleon’s plan had been in the works for a long time, and Franz blamed himself for not having seen it before. What’s worse is that no one in his cabinet saw it either. When Franz was dealing with his personal issues, especially the loss of his daughter and the problems in his marriage, his ministers were too occupied with filling their own coffers rather than thinking about what was best for the empire. It was because of their selfishness and short-sightedness that no one made the connection between Lombardy and Napoleon, and now, they have no choice but to face the trouble.
As expected, Franz’s army is not able to counter Napoleon. With so many losses, Franz is moved to consider the idea of going on the battlefield himself. So far, as the emperor, he had simply been working from behind the scenes. But with the men of his country giving their lives for him, he feels it unjust for him to stay in safety while the soldiers shed their blood. He decides to join them on the battlefield, even though Elisabeth and his mother try to dissuade him. Still, he has made his choice.
What makes the idea of Franz going on the battlefield so bad is he is a novice. He has never fought in a battle before, and he has no experience fighting in a war. And he is up against Napoleon, who came to power because of his military acumen. He has fought and won too many wars now to lose to Franz. Apart from a strong battle strategy, he also has a huge army, and that is another thing in his favor. Considering all this, it makes sense that when Franz decides to leave for war, his family thinks that he will most likely not come back. They hope he does, but with so many soldiers dying in a war that seems already lost, it wouldn’t be a surprise for Franz to die there.
Fortunately, Franz doesn’t die in the war. History reveals that he does come back, though not victorious. He lost the war, and the rebels won the independence they’d been fighting for. As Napoleon says in the last episode of the show, the war is the beginning of the end for the empire of Austria, and he is right. Franz is not able to keep the various regions together for long. Though he does manage to salvage something out of this breakdown, the sun does set on the empire under his reign. The only thing on the bright side is that he doesn’t die in the war. In fact, he goes on to live till the ripe old age of 86 and dies of an illness rather than being killed on a battlefield.
What Happens to Leontine?
Apart from the turmoil within the empire and in court, trouble also brews for Leontine, whose real name is Ava. A rebel herself, she killed and took over as Countess Leontine with the intent of killing Franz. But after becoming friends with Elisabeth, she had a change of heart. Still, that didn’t change the fact that she was an impostor, and Amalia found out about it. At the end of Season 1, Leontine killed Amalia by throwing her off the first-floor balcony. The act was witnessed by Charlotte, who promptly put a distance between her and the Empress.
Meanwhile, Leontine had a sexual relationship with Alexander von Bach, who expressed his desire to marry her repeatedly. The only reason she refused him was because she knew the talks of marriage would bring the truth to light, and she would be hanged for it. Things get trickier when Leontine discovers that she is pregnant with Alexander’s child. She can’t marry him because of her situation, but she cannot keep the child and raise it as her own in court, either. She plans to leave the child with the nuns at a home for orphans, but before she can plan further, Alexander discovers the truth when the real Leontine’s father comes to court and shows his daughter’s picture to Alexander.
Horrified by the discovery, Alexander tells Leontine to pack her stuff and leave immediately. He does not give her away because he knows it would mean her death, which he cannot bear. But he cannot let her continue her ruse either. So, she leaves the palace without telling anyone about where she is going. Leontine’s sudden disappearance causes distress to Elisabeth as well, especially after she goes through such a tough time with her daughter’s death and her crumbling marriage. Eventually, things turned out fine for her, and she even gave birth to her son. It is then that she receives a letter from Leontine, though there is no return address, which means Elisabeth cannot trace her friend.
It is when Charlotte tells Elisabeth about Leontine’s pregnancy that the Empress realizes why her friend and confidant left. She still doesn’t know the truth about her identity, but she knows that Alexander is the only one who can bring her back. She tells him the truth, though she doesn’t realize why Alexander let her go in the first place. When Alexander discovers that Leontine is with a child when she leaves the palace, he decides to find her and rectify his mistake. While she is still wrong about duping him and everyone else at the palace, she’s still the mother of his child, and he loves her.
Since nothing is known about Leontine’s time since her departure from the palace, one cannot know for sure what has happened to her since then. Because it has been almost a year, she must have already given birth to her child and would have settled somewhere far enough that the Empress cannot find her easily but not so far that she is outside of the confines of the empire. This is not the first time that she has left behind a life and name and started anew, so it makes sense that she is better adept at staying hidden. Moreover, the Empress still doesn’t seem to know the truth about her identity, which proves another hurdle in finding her.
Alexander, on the other hand, knows a bit more than the Empress. He is also more motivated, which suggests that he might eventually be the one to find Leontine and his child. Though it remains unlikely that he would return to court with her. The first reason is her secret. Even if he accepts and marries her, he won’t bring her back to the palace as it would put him at risk as well if, and when, the truth came out. Another reason to inhibit his return would be Franz losing the war and a significant change in the dynamics of the empire. Alexander would prefer to stay away from that and live a more quiet life with his new family. He has already proven his dedication to them by tendering his resignation during the time of war. Thus, this could very well be the last time we have seen Leontine and Alexander.
What Happens to Maximillian and Charlotte?
While Franz rides off to war, he leaves behind his brother yet again. Due to the trouble with Lombardy, Franz forces Maximillian to resign as the Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia. Maximillian understands this move. However, he also tries his best to turn the tide in his brother’s favor. The timing was simply not on his side, especially with Franz going through his own problems and neglecting his duties when Maximillian was hanging on by a thread. When Franz decides to go to the battlefield himself, Maximillian believes that his brother will put him in charge in his absence. Even though Franz has an heir now, the child is too young to do anything. If something were to happen to Franz, his son would need someone to guide him. Someone else would have to act in his stead as the head of state and run things.
Because men have been put in positions of power so far, Maximillian thinks that the role of acting head would fall on him. However, his brother reveals that he trusts his wife and mother more with this sort of stuff. Moreover, he doesn’t even bother to give Maximillian any responsibilities. This leaves the younger brother completely disillusioned with his role in the Austrian empire. All he’d ever wanted was for his brother to pay attention to him and bring him into his inner circle. But Franz always kept him at a distance, which led Maximillian to act out in worse ways. With the Viceroyship out of his hands and no potent role to play in Austria, Maximillian decides to take his leave for good.
When Maximillian met with Napolean, the French emperor told him about the developments in South America. With all ties cut from Austria, a move to South America seems like the natural order of things for Maximillian. History suggests that Maximillian went to Mexico, where he went through another turbulent time that ended in a tragedy that he couldn’t recover from. When he eventually came back to Vienna, it was in a coffin. Considering all this, a heartbroken Maximillian’s departure from the palace suggests that he is finally ready to move on and carve his own path outside of his family and brother’s shadow. If the next season continues with his story, we will find him in Mexico.
Read More: The Empress: Is Countess Leontine von Apafi Based on a Real Person?
