Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria (1858–1889), the only son and heir of Emperor Francis Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, is best known for the tragedy of his death at Meyerling. He was a reluctant heir, who was distant from his parents and disagreed with his conservative father about how best to rule Austria. He had a miserable marriage, and had many affairs, most famously with Baroness Marie Vetsera. They were both found dead at Meyerling in a tragedy that cost the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty its heir and has fueled conspiracy theories, controversy, and imaginative retellings ever since.
The Childhood of Crown Prince Rudolf
Crown Prince Rudolf had a difficult childhood that helped turned him into an awkward, alienated adult. When he was born, his grandmother Sophie took him away from his mother, Empress Elisabeth, to raise. Although he was well educated, he was lonely and anxious, and largely ignored throughout his childhood. He was thoughtful and curious, but although he took after his mother in interests he was estranged from her because she was often away traveling. He was also intimidated by his father, and their relationship was distant and uncomfortable.
The Liberal Ideals of Crown Prince Rudolf
As well as being distant from Emperor Francis Joseph, Crown Prince Rudolf also disagreed with his father on how to run the empire. Rudolf was a liberal and clashed with his conservative father. He disapproved of the frivolous lives of the young Austrian noblemen, and hated the idleness that was expected of him as imperial heir.
Instead, Rudolf wrote anonymously for the liberal press, advancing ideas that challenged his father’s regime. Because of his radical views, Rudolf grew paranoid and worried that he was being watched, suspecting that right-wing extremists wanted to attack him.
The Marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf and Princess Stephanie of Belgium
Crown Prince Rudolf’s main duty in life was to serve the imperial family, which meant marrying and having heirs to continue the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty. In 1881, he was forced to marry the very young Princess Stephanie of Belgium. Although she vainly called herself the “Rose of Brabant,” she was plain, boring, cold, and rather self-centered.
The couple barely knew each other and had little in common. They were able to have one child, a daughter Elisabeth, but after that Stephanie was barren, probably caused by an STD she caught from her philandering husband. They had an extremely unhappy marriage and grew estranged. It is even possible that Rudolf asked the pope for an annulment, but was refused because the couple had a child.
The Affair of Crown Prince Rudolf and Baroness Marie Vetsera
Crown Prince Rudolf had many affairs, but none was more famous than his liaison with Baroness Marie Vetsera. When he met her in 1888, she was the daughter of a widowed baroness and much of Vienna thought the Vetseras to be social climbers. They were introduced by Rudolf’s cousin, Countess Marie Larisch, possibly because Larisch was infatuated with Rudolf and wanted to break up his marriage out of spite.
The Tragedy at Meyerling
Their affair culminated in tragedy in a hunting lodge in Mayerling, Austria. In January of 1889, Rudolf and Marie Vetsera were both found dead of gunshot wounds. Initially, the public were told that the crown prince died from a heart attack, and Marie’s presence was hushed up. Furthermore, Rudolf left behind what could be interpreted as a suicide note, which made it difficult for him to get buried in consecrated ground in a Catholic Church.
There is still controversy over how exactly the couple died. Many believe that Rudolf killed his mistress and then committed suicide, possibly out of despair that they couldn’t be together or because he hated his imperial life. But there was much secrecy and censorship surrounding the reporting of the incident, which led to conspiracy theories. Some believe that it was not a murder-suicide, but rather that they were both murdered by a third party for political reasons, to get the liberal Rudolf out of the way.
Whatever happened, the events at Meyerling are popularly understood as the tragedy of a reluctant heir and a romance between two star-crossed lovers. The tragedy has been dramatized many times, in such films as the 1968 Meyerling, starring Omar Sharif and Catherine Deneuve, and in the Frank Wildhorn musical Rudolf.
Sources
- McGuigan, Dorothy Gies. Habsburgs. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1966.
- Wandruszka, Adam. House of Habsburg: Six Hundred Years of a European Dynasty. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1964.
- Wheatcroft, Andrew. Habsburgs: Embodying Empire. London: Viking, 1995.
Emily Chauviere - Emily Chauviere earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and theology and a concentration in International Studies from the University ...
