Diksha Sundriyal
The third season of Netflix’s ‘The Empress’ concludes the story of Elisabeth, aka Sisi, whose free-spirited nature attracted King Franz of Austria to her. The third season focuses on a particularly turbulent time for the country, which also impacts Elisabeth and Franz’s relationship. Before things can get better, they seem to get worse, and everyone around them feels the impact of these changes. Eventually, every character has to make choices that will change their lives, for better or worse. Elisabeth, too, is confronted with the decision of who she currently is and who she really wants to be. The answer is not so simple. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Empress Season 3 Recap
The war against Napoleon had turned out to be deadlier than expected. After losing many of his men, Franz decides to find common ground with his enemy. He cannot stand any more people dying because of him, and for once, it seems Napoleon understands that. Even then, he tries to get more control, but Franz refuses to give in so easily. While a truce is reached with the French, the Hungarian issue persists, and eventually Franz decides to pursue a similar solution. But before he reaches that point, he has to return home to his wife and children. While he dotes on his children, nothing shows Elisabeth that he is happy to be with her.
He detests her for not knowing what war really costs. Her efforts to support him are not well received, and this time he is the one who feels caged in by her. After a time, Elisabeth decides to stop trying to get through to him. When she is diagnosed with a lung disease, the doctor advises her to go to a warmer place, so she packs her bags and goes to Greece. Eventually, however, Franz misses her, and she starts to miss him and the children too. So, she heads back home, but on the way, she crosses paths with the enigmatic Count Andrássy. He wants to sway her to the Hungarian cause, but he ends up falling for her instead.
Meanwhile, Franz, too, finds temporary comfort in someone else’s arms, leading to an unintended consequence. Elsewhere, Max has found a new purpose in the form of Mexico. While Napoleon may have agreed to the truce, he is still looking to weaken Franz, so he targets his brother. He convinces Max that he must be the next king of Mexico. With seemingly nothing left for him in Franz’s court, Max sees this as the opportunity to finally become the king he was destined to be. But while it feels like the start of something new and good, it turns out to be a disaster, something his mother had vehemently warned him against. Meanwhile, his desire to have children also leads to a major, shocking decision relating to Marie.
Is Max Dead? Why Doesn’t Franz Send Troops to Help Him?
Being the firstborn, Franz gets the responsibility of the crown, something which he has to accept even if he doesn’t necessarily want it. Max, on the other hand, has always coveted that power, stooping to the point of planning a coup to overthrow his own brother. Despite never having ruled anything, he believes he is much better suited for the throne than Franz. But that veil of fantasy is removed as soon as he gets what he wants. When he is crowned the king of Mexico, Max finally has the chance to prove himself to everyone who doubted him, especially his mother and brother. In this attempt to please everyone, he makes some hasty decisions that don’t serve him well in the long run. Some rescind their support after realizing he is not as hard-hearted as they thought, while the majority reject him for being a foreign ruler.
With Benito Juárez’s cause gaining momentum, Max soon runs out of allies. He tries to make things work with Benito by inviting him to join his cabinet. But that offer is refused, and it isn’t until the end that Max realizes exactly why their collaboration couldn’t have worked. Mexico has been so ravaged by colonizers over the years that they are done being ruled by foreign kings who think they can just come in and claim the country as their own. Despite Max’s good intentions, he could never have been the king of Mexico. Even Napoleon, who helped crown him, knew that. As a different war takes their focus, the French forces are called back, leaving Max crippled without military support. No matter how much he wants Franz to send the Austrian forces to help him, he knows it is not going to happen.
Earlier in the season, when Max decides to leave for Mexico, his mother warns him that things won’t end well for him there. Even Franz doesn’t want him to go, but for the love of his brother, he keeps the door ajar for his return. With Austria embroiled in wars on different fronts, not a single man could be spared for Max’s aide. Moreover, Franz has been trying to end all wars because he doesn’t want any more of his men to die. So, sending his men to Mexico to fight another war doesn’t make any sense. When all avenues close, there is only one thing Max can do: run for his life. He decides to leave Mexico and go back home, where his wife has already reached safely. However, the rebels are not going to let him go so easily.
Benito isn’t pleased about killing Max, but it needs to be done. The rebels have to make an example out of their so-called king, so that no other foreign colonizer ever even thinks about trying to rule them. When put before the firing squad, Max tries to persuade his executors otherwise. In the end, however, he realizes how wrong he had been about himself. In his last moments, he thinks about his brother, who he concedes is much better at wearing the weight of the crown than he ever could. Before the guns fire, he takes a final look at the sun, believing that his death would mark a new beginning of Mexico’s future. He sees his brother before the guns are fired, and he dies in a foreign land far away from the only people he ever loved.
Why does Franz Give Hungary Self-Governance? What Does His Crowning Signify?
One of the major problems of Franz’s rule has been the unrest in Hungary. Being a major part of the Habsburg kingdom, keeping Hungary within their reign is extremely important. However, the Hungarians crave freedom, something they have been campaigning for and rebelling against for a very long time. Even Elisabeth is a supporter of their right to self-govern. But as right as this move might be for the Hungarians, Sophie believes it will be the end of the Habsburgs. Still, Franz has fought too many wars and tried to curb too many rebellions to know that this fight with Hungary is not sustainable. He won’t give them complete freedom, but he can make them equals. He holds back on this decision out of anger at Elisabeth for having an affair with Count Andrássy, but eventually, he decides to go through with his original decision.
In the end, Franz agrees to share the crown with Andrássy. As a gesture of goodwill and in support of the decision, the Hungarians bring out the crown they had buried long ago because they didn’t want it to sit on the head of an Austrian ruler. It was their way of showing their disapproval of the powers that be. However, things have changed now that Franz has given them what they want. He has extended an olive branch in the form of this compromise, and so, they, too, must extend a friendly hand. So, they dig up the buried crown and place it on Franz’s head, accepting him as their co-ruler with Andrássy. Unlike Sophie’s fears of the end, it feels more like the beginning of something better, at least for now.
Do Franz and Elisabeth Reconcile? Does She Leave Austria?
The turbulence in the country and the state of many wars is reflected in Franz and Elisabeth’s relationship throughout the third season. His time in the war flips his state of mind, making him unable to even look at his wife, let alone be with her. This crack deepens over time as Elisabeth spends time in Greece, then meets Andrássy and has an affair with him. At the end of the day, however, Franz is her husband, and she is the only one she truly loves. So, the husband and wife decide to set aside their differences and resume cordial terms. A reflection of that appears in the state of the country as well, as the wars seem to have stopped and a truce has been formed with the enemies who could have torn the country apart with their relentless attacks.
When Franz is crowned in Hungary, Elisabeth is there to support him. She and Andrássy share a look, which acknowledges what passed between them. However, it is clear that, despite her feelings for the count, Elisabeth chooses to be with her husband. It also turns out that she is pregnant with Franz’s child. The next day, she reveals this information to Franz. They are happy at the arrival of their next child. However, Elisabeth also reveals that she cannot always play the part of the Empress. Instead of chiding her for trying to run away from her role, Franz acknowledges her feelings and asks her who she wants to be instead.
Elisabeth reveals that she doesn’t know yet, and Franz assures her that she is free to find out. She is happy that her husband is not thinking about caging her again. She tells him that while she will go out and live the life that she wants, she isn’t going anywhere right now. With their baby on the way, that is their first and only priority at the moment. Eventually, however, Elisabeth decides to let go of some responsibilities and to start traveling more extensively. Over the years, she leaves home several times and travels extensively across Europe.
Being the king, Franz is not free to join her on her extended travels. However, the couple maintains contact through letters. Years later, Elisabeth is assassinated by an Italian anarchist. Meanwhile, Franz stays home, ruling the country for years to come. In his final days, his thoughts stay with his wife. He constantly thinks about her and asks to see her again. His daughters have to remind him that their mother died years ago. In the end, he asks them to read Elisabeth’s letters to him. In the end, he says his wife is calling him, and with that, he breathes his last, finally reuniting with Elisabeth in death.
Read More: Netflix’s The Empress: Is the TV Show Based on True Historical Events?
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