VVD0D95
Banned
This is true though wasn’t there a saying that franz was the thing keeping the empire togetther?
Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria marries Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal
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This is true though wasn’t there a saying that franz was the thing keeping the empire togetther?
I doubt a different bride would stop Rudolf from falling out of love with his wife and doing a suicide pact with his mistress.
Franz Joseph is just lucky to see his grandchildren grow and prosper. The name Rudolf becomes a taboo to use because of the crown prince.
When Austrian spies inform Emperor Franz Joseph of the young Tsarevich fragility, she is said to hold private mass in her private chapel.
Many of these marriages are done diplomatically to deal with tensions in the Balkan region and Eastern Europe.
VVD0D95
Banned
Interesting, I suppose as well with Rudolf, he'd probably suffer a depressive episode or three which prompts him into suicide.
@VVD0D95 @Jonathan: if Archduchess Maria Antonia is willing to convert a Russian wedding is possible. The only reason for which in OTL an Austro-Russian wedding happened only once (plus another proxy) was the religion or better the mandatory conversion for brides of the heirs (also conversion was greatly suggested for brides of junior members of both families). Maria Antonia will also need to change name after converting and marrying...
EDIT: A Rudolf with an happy family life would still suffer for his other troubles (mental and political), first of all the contrast about everything with his father so depression and suicide (if that was really a suicide) would still happen
EDIT: A Rudolf with an happy family life would still suffer for his other troubles (mental and political), first of all the contrast about everything with his father so depression and suicide (if that was really a suicide) would still happen
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VVD0D95
Banned
This is very true on both counts. I do wonder whether Rudolf would still take as many mistresses as he did otl, if he's got a happy family life though.
His contrasts with his father were mainly due to his unproper behaviour which was in turn tied to his unhappy marriage. So, a different, happier marriage can butterfly away his suicide . This is my hopinion.
VVD0D95
Banned
I'm tempted to agree with you, though I imagine his liberal leanings will still keep him out of government.
It may be. Or he could fool the courtieis enought to manage to convince them to second his father retirement project. Still it could be Austria-Hungary best chance.
There was an hunting incident in 1887 where FJ risked his life by his son hand. But I wouldn't suggest to start his reign with an involuntary parricide.
No it was not in his character to abdicate. Franz Joseph considered his role as monarch and head of the Habsburg dynasty as a sacred duty which no argument could be brook. Hence the problem between him and Rudolf is that Rudolf didn’t understand like Franz Ferdinand did, that he needed to play the waiting game.
He did consider that thought, telling itto one of his ministers in 1888.
A different, happier marriage might help him remain more stable.
I also think both Rudolph and Sissi might have been more stable if Rudolph's eldest sister hadn't died. So, when Sissi married FJ she was very young, inexperienced and not properly educated. Her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, pretty much controlled her life in the first years of her marriage, basically took the children away from her because she was "too young to care for them", etc. Sissi was pushing back when she travelled with her husband to Hungary and took her daughters too against Sophie's advice. The kids got sick and the older one died. Sissi was devastated, felt guilty, stopped fighting Sophie for control of the children, her previous anxiety and melancholy got a lot worse and soon started her constant travelling. She didn't have another child for ten years after producing the male heir. FJ and Sophie wanted to toughen up Rudolph who was a sensitive child and got him a military officer for a tutor whose methods basically made him a nervous wreck by the time he was 9. At this point Sissi finally put his foot down and intervened, got him new tutors, etc. Then after a year or so, Maria Valeria was born and she got all of Sissi's attention, so much that she was suffocated with it.
Maybe without the whole trauma of the child's death and the guilt, Sissi, remained more stable, maybe had a couple more kids, didn't let the tutor abuse Rudolph for 3 years and Rudolph remained more stable due to not being traumatised with childhood abuse...
I also think both Rudolph and Sissi might have been more stable if Rudolph's eldest sister hadn't died. So, when Sissi married FJ she was very young, inexperienced and not properly educated. Her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, pretty much controlled her life in the first years of her marriage, basically took the children away from her because she was "too young to care for them", etc. Sissi was pushing back when she travelled with her husband to Hungary and took her daughters too against Sophie's advice. The kids got sick and the older one died. Sissi was devastated, felt guilty, stopped fighting Sophie for control of the children, her previous anxiety and melancholy got a lot worse and soon started her constant travelling. She didn't have another child for ten years after producing the male heir. FJ and Sophie wanted to toughen up Rudolph who was a sensitive child and got him a military officer for a tutor whose methods basically made him a nervous wreck by the time he was 9. At this point Sissi finally put his foot down and intervened, got him new tutors, etc. Then after a year or so, Maria Valeria was born and she got all of Sissi's attention, so much that she was suffocated with it.
Maybe without the whole trauma of the child's death and the guilt, Sissi, remained more stable, maybe had a couple more kids, didn't let the tutor abuse Rudolph for 3 years and Rudolph remained more stable due to not being traumatised with childhood abuse...
He may have gave it a thought but Franz always sternly kept imperial authority close at hand. In fact he was notorious for it even till his death when it was obvious he should have been delegating authority over to Karl to give him experience and exposure, he only grudgingly did so and sparingly.
That was after all one of the main issues Rudolf had with his father was that he was never given much of anything that signified real power in the Empire and given his liberalism and more than low key sympathies for the Magyar magnates, it’s a not small wonder Franz that didn’t give him anything other than his patience. Which often than not was quite short.
VVD0D95
Banned
So if Franz dies in 1889, and rudolf becomes emperor how do you think the old boy would do?
I think he’d do alright, though it’s going to get messy with the idealism he has. In this scenario he already has a growing family to lean on for support so his mental stability should be better which is a plus.
At this time the liberals had merged into the various nationalist political groups due to a financial crisis a decade before which caused the liberal parties to lose steam. However with Rudolf as Emperor they could could rally around the royalist cause instead.
His ultimate idealistic liberal image was of a Habsburg empire united through pluralism. Which is probably not going to survive unscathed once he realizes how complicated it all really is (hard to have overt disdain against the aristocracy and oligarchs when they’re the only real reason Liberalism exists and thrives in places like Galicia, Hungary, etc). It’ll be hard to think that those liberal magnates are squeezing the small holder farmers and landless workers. Those people who ultimately see the monarchy as a illiberal protector against magyarization, polanization, etc.
Pretty impossible seeing things go differently here. Plus Sissi pretty much hated sex and pregnancy so she stopped to have children as soon she had the heir. The decision to have another child was both a sort of thank you to her husband for the Hungarian coronation AND in the hope to have another son who would become King of a fully independent Hungary...