This year, as it’s a Christmas tradition, it was possible to watch the old Sisi movies with Romy Schneider, but also season 2 of the German Sisi version with Dominique Devenport (Sisi) and Jannik Schümann (Franz Joseph). Did you watch it? I did and as with season 1, it’s not bad but it’s not great either. They put the emphasis on certain historical facts and twisted it so much that there are no longer accurate. Let me try to put some things right.

Marie

At the end of season 1, Sisi’s maid Fanny was hanged for treason. We see in season 2 that Sisi is taking care of her daughter, Marie, portrayed by Romy Schroeder. This Marie did not exist. I believe the Marie they based this character from may be Marie Larisch, the illegitimate daughter of actress Henriette Mendel, Baroness von Wallersee with Sisi’s brother Ludwig. Sisi took Marie under her wings when the girl was a teenager. Marie played an unfortunate role around Rudolf’s death.She helped her cousin meet Mary Vetsera in secret which ended tragically in Mayerling.

Left: Romy Schroeder as Marie – Right: Marie Larisch with Marie Valerie (Sisi’s daugher)

Count Andrássy

In season 2, it’s obvious that a romance is growing between Sisi and Count Andrássy. But did that happen?
Count Gyula did actually exist and played an important part in politics resulting to the crowning of Franz Josef and Sisi as King and Queen of Hungary in 1867. This dream he shared with Sisi as she was often in Hungary. There were rumours about an affair but never evidence. Some said that Sisi’s fourth child, Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria, had been fathered by Andrassy, but the later physical resemblance to her father Franz Josef contradicts this.

Also the attack taking place during her stay at Andrássy’s house never took place.

Giovanni Funiati as Count Andrássy and on the right the real Count Andrássy.

Reading tip:
If you want to read a fictional novel on their romance, I can recommend Sisi: Empress on her own by Allison Pataki.

Queen of Hungary

At the end of season 2, Franz and Sisi are crowned in Budapest. Did this really happen?
Yes, in the Matthias Church in Budapest, on 8 June 1867. This was her only and last act in politics.

Empress Eugenie

At one point Franz Jozef and Sisi meet with Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Eugenie. Did they really meet and were they friends?

Probably on some level. They must have met a couple of times, because of the political meetings both Emperors Napoloen III and Franz Jozef had about Prussia and when Franz Jozef’s brother Maximilian and his wife Charlotte were send to Mexico. It was supposed that there was a beauty rivalry between both women. Later in life, both women did meet occasionally in the South of France.

Helena

At the end of season 2, Franz Jozef visits Possenhofen and meets with Sisi’s sister Helena with her new husband Maximilian, hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis. The dates in the series are a bit mixed-up as the whole Hungary affair took place in the mid-1860’s and Helena was married to Maximilian already in 1858. But it was indeed her husband.

Duchess Helena with her husband and 2 of their children