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preface
The quirks of the Wittensbach family have taken on a new development in Sissi. Although willful behavior is usually attractive and challenging because of her beauty, she flirts with handsome and skilled knights without allowing her courtiers to marry or leave her, nor is she immune from jealousy and resentment. In particular, sweet words didn't ease her inner tension, and she spent hours a day on gym equipment, meticulously trying to look younger, and then hours of grooming.
Maverick: Sissi living in a dream
The years have not spared, and the intense activities of galloping have gradually made Sissi feel strained, and Franz Joseph hopes that she can reduce the number of trips and settle down like an ordinary woman. After Rudolf's marriage, Sisi was relieved to transfer some of the Empress's tasks to Stephanie, who was very interested in it, and the Emperor planned to build her a small house near Vienna to enjoy the secluded tranquility. Sissi was fascinated by the idea, and in a life that was actually boring on the outside, she indulged in reading Greek mythology and Shakespeare.
Especially "A Midsummer Night's Dream", she likes to indulge her imagination, imagining herself as a fairy in the work, wandering around as she pleases in the moonlight. The quiet and beautiful house that belonged to her was named Villa Hermes, where deer and wild boars were domesticated, and Makaert was commissioned to design the frescoes in the bedroom, based on A Midsummer Night's Dream, in a gloomy and bleak environment filled with sinister, treacherous mythological figures, and the gym was also in this style. It took four or five years to design and build the villa, and Sissi's love turned to other aspects like a gust of wind.
She was still keen to go hunting in England, but her first episode of sciatica forced her to reduce her time on horseback. Not only did it not settle her down, but it spurred her to spend her time working harder. Her morning practice was supplemented by fencing lessons, and soon she began a long walk, a 22-mile walk in the summer of 1883, seven hours in the scorching sun along an unsheltered military road. Stephanie remembers that Sissi barely stopped to eat a bite during the seven- or eight-hour trip, at most sitting in a chair for a while to rest and drink a glass of milk or orange juice.
While becoming scrawny, friendly relations were restored between Sisi and her cousin, King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Sisi liked Ludwig as a child, but she was very indignant at his outrageous behavior after he ascended the throne, especially when he obeyed the artist he admired, Wagner, and did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to build a luxurious Bailuitt for him, but allowed Bavaria's finances to be stretched.
At this time, Ludwig was immersed in the mourning of the death of the idol Wagner, and the result of Sissi's long conversation with him was to believe that he, like her, was a poetic soul rooted in the beauty of the imaginary world. Ludwig declared himself an eagle with a crown on his head and perched high on a cliff, while Sisi began to see herself as a seagull, flying freely over the rough sea.
Anna Nahoski
It can be imagined that when Sissi was immersed in the world of imagination, Franz Joseph tried to cater to it on the one hand, and had to pass the time alone on the other hand. But is it uncomplaining dedication, or compensation for wrongdoing? In the summer of 1875, while Sisi traveled non-stop from Bavaria to Greece, from Paris and London to Ireland, Franz Joseph returned from Dalmatia to Vienna to continue his hectic life in Hofburg. One day, while he was doing his usual morning exercise, a twenty-eight-year-old blonde appeared in front of him - Anna Nahosky.
The new wife of a railway clerk stood alone at 6 o'clock in the morning in the empty and uninhabited area around Hofburg, and was the place where the lonely old emperor had to pass through, and her intentions could be imagined. She is young and plump, longing for a more glorious life, but has to conform to the arrangements of life; Although he was less than 50 years old, he was already one of the longest-reigning emperors in Europe and was honored as the "Old Emperor" by his Austrian subjects. After many wars, crises and social upheavals, he naturally tempered the sharpness of his youth.
Life was full of hope and glory when it unfolded in front of that 18-year-old man, but what Anna met was a middle-aged man who was in the twilight and it had become customary to carry the responsibilities assigned by his position, but his wife and children had nothing to do with him. Life has reached the halfway point, and there are too many irreparable things, which will inevitably lead to a little more desolation. Years ago, the sentimental Sissi, unable to find solace from him, turned to a doomed process of self-exile. While the vicissitudes of the years polished away the dreams of a teenager, Franz Joseph saw his wife less and less.
It was precisely in Vienna, in the Hofburg, the center of imperial power, that as the Ninety-Five, he felt the most loneliness. It's hard to say what real passion Anna would have for this lonely, isolated middle-aged man, and the generous gift from Hofburg is what keeps the relationship alive. In her diary, Anna carefully records all the interactions over the past 13 years, not so much as emotional journeys as bills of monetary transactions. But both sides seemed satisfied, with Anna's family buying land and property, and Franz Joseph at least some sexual solace.
Some may be curious about the railway clerk's sudden good fortune, but no one has linked his beautiful wife to the lonely old man in Hofburg, a secret that has been carefully concealed for more than a century. As time went on, the 29-year-old difference between the two became more and more pronounced. Young Anna knew what she wanted and pursued it bravely, offering herself to Franz Joseph, but not knowing what the other person really needed. In 1883, Franz Joseph met a woman who could bring him comfort and understanding.
Katerina Shurat
The daughter of a grocer in Baden, Katerina Schulat had previously become popular in the Vienna theaters. In 1873, when Franz Joseph celebrated the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne, he had watched her starring "The Taming of the Shrew" with Sissi, but the 20-year-old stage star apparently did not make much impression on the emperor. Six years later, Katerina married a Hungarian nobleman with great pomp , but her husband soon fled in debt, leaving his wife and young son to face a life that suddenly became grim. The theater in Vienna refused to allow Katerina to return to the stage, so she had to leave her son to her parents and go on her own.
It wasn't until a former aristocratic friend found her at an army garrison in Bukovina that she was helped to return to Vienna. After the ordeal, Katerina's strong will and natural and fresh appearance made her shine on stage. This time, Franz Joseph's favor brought Katerina good luck, and the emperor, who had never been close to the theater, gradually became a regular audience, and it was soon discovered that he always came when Katerina performed, and the emperor's preference helped her to become the star of the court theater again.
Perhaps with the experience of dating Anna, Franz Joseph allowed his emotions to flow soothingly. It was not until early 1885 that the two reached a tacit agreement, and Katerina went to the royal summer resort in the Alps, where she signed a contract with the theater for the summer. On August 17, the emperor, accompanied by his son, daughter-in-law, daughter, and son-in-law, went to see a musical starring Katerina as an event to celebrate his birthday. A few days later, she appeared again at the entertainment of the Austro-Russian Summit in Kremze.
After the performance, at the insistence of Tsar Alexander III, Katerina and the other two main actors also received the honor of having dinner with the emperor and empress. The emperor's preference for an actress caused Sisi to have mixed feelings. She had become accustomed to Franz Joseph's pampering and infatuation with her, though his clumsiness often made his pandering to the point. She knew he needed her company, but she couldn't stay quietly in the almost suffocating Hofburg, growing old with her husband, and her mind belonged to the sky of freedom.
Therefore, although she will reflect from time to time that she has neglected her husband's feelings and emotional needs, the kind of energetic and empathetic companionship that her husband needs can never be done, or it is no longer possible. Her idol Heine had a platonic spiritual love affair, and perhaps Sisi was inspired by this, determined to encourage Franz Joseph to associate with Katerina. She asked one of the emperor's favorite painters to paint a portrait of Katerina, thanking Franz Josef for giving her the Villa Hermes, a silent acquiescence.
In her studio, Katerina also "bumped into" the queen and emperor who came to visit the progress, which surprised her. Sissi stepped aside to admire the painter's work, and specially asked the emperor to chat with Katerina. Two days later, three days before the full completion of the Villa Hermes, Katerina received her first letter signed "Your Loyal Admirer", and over the next 30 years, the emperor sent Katerina more than 500 letters. In addition to the heavy state activities, the unfettered communication with Katerina became an important channel for Franz Joseph's tension to relieve tension, and may be the only channel other than hunting and horseback.
In between solving the new crisis in the Balkans, Franz Joseph spent a calm summer with Katerina in Salzkammergut. Katerina rented a house near the royal villa, and the carriage walked along the sparkling lake, and in just an hour, she took Franz Joseph to the elaborate dining table of the amiable hostess. Such a breakfast meeting can be once or twice a week, regardless of the wind and moon, not about love, but let Franz Joseph experience the feeling of intimacy that has been strange for a long time. The ice in her heart secretly melted in the pleasant conversation like a spring breeze, and Katerina's dining table became a stage for her performance. She made Franz Joseph discover the pleasure of mortal trivia, so much so that the intimacy of the flesh would reduce the value of such feelings.
Resources:
History of World Empires, p. 812.
History of the World Empire, p. 815.
History of World Empires, p. 819.