It’s been two years since The Empress season 1 was released, and there are several things to remember before season 2 premieres on November 22, 2024. As one of the best non-English language shows on Netflix, The Empress season 1 received raving reviews. The series sees Elisabeth, a young woman who marries the emperor of Austria, and the struggles she faces in her new position. Six weeks after The Empress season 1 was released, Netflix announced that the series would be returning for a second season.

The Empress season 1 ended on a cliffhanger with Elisabeth announcing that she’s pregnant, so season 2 of the series is likely going to be about the events that happen after. While the storyline for The Empress season 2 hasn’t been revealed, there are several character arcs and mysteries that were not resolved in season 1 that set up the sophomore season. Given the many details that The Empress season 1 included, it’s worth recapping what happened and what it might mean for the future of the characters in the series.

10Franz Decided To Marry Elisabeth Instead Of Helene

Franz And Elisabeth Had A Whirlwind Romance

When Franz Joseph I became the emperor of Austria, there was a lot of discontent among his subjects because they didn’t like the monarch. To stave off a rebellion, Franz’s mother, Archduchess Sophie, suggested that he should marry someone suitable and produce an heir, as their empire was in need of some good news. His mother had chosen Helene as his bride, a quiet young woman who had spent her entire life preparing to be the empress of Austria.

To everyone’s shock, Elisabeth accepted Franz’s proposal despite not being ready to take on the role that being his wife would entail.

Franz, however, wanted to have a wife who could challenge him. So when he met Helene’s sister, Elisabeth, and shared a deep connection with her, he decided that he would marry her instead. To everyone’s shock, Elisabeth accepted Franz’s proposal despite not being ready to take on the role that being his wife would entail. Although Franz and Elisabeth initially had a whirlwind romance, her free spirit and stubbornness ended up being something that nearly destroyed their marriage.

9Maximilian Was In Love With Elisabeth

Elisabeth Wasn’t Interested In Being With Max

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From the first day Max interacted with Elisabeth, he believed that they were kindred spirits. However, Elisabeth saw Max for who he was and wasn’t interested in being with him. Max tried everything to destroy Franz and Elisabeth’s marriage, including inviting Franz’s old girlfriend to the palace with the hope that she would cause a rift between them. When Franz and Elisabeth were having problems, Max took advantage of their situation and tried to get close to her.

Eventually, he grew tired of watching his brother be with the woman he loved and asked Elisabeth to run away with him and start a new life. Elisabeth refused his proposal because Franz was the one she loved. Max’s failure to win her heart and his belief that he would be a better husband to Elisabeth than his brother led him to stage a coup.

8Elisabeth And Franz’s Marriage Caused A Rift Between Elisabeth And Her Family

Elisabeth Chose Franz Over Her Family

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Before Elisabeth met Franz, she had a close relationship with Helene. Helene was seen as the good sister and always came to Elisabeth’s defense when their mother was being hard on her. However, all that changed when Elisabeth accepted Franz’s proposal. Helene not only lost the love of her life, but she had to watch her sister live the life that had been meant for her.

Instead of Elisabeth letting Helene start afresh in a different place where she wouldn’t have to see the man she loved with her sister, Elisabeth asked her to stay at court without considering how she felt. Franz and Elisabeth’s marriage didn’t only cause a rift between her and Helene.

Elisabeth’s parents were equally disappointed by the heartache she had caused her sister. Elisabeth believed that she had made the right choice, so she sent her family away to focus on her life with Franz. Since Elisabeth’s relationship with her sister was important to her, it will be interesting to see if Helene will return to court in The Empress season 2 and where the two sisters stand after Elisabeth basically forced her into exile.

7There Was Political Instability During Franz’s Reign

Franz’s Advisors Didn’t Believe In Him

When Franz became the emperor of Austria, he inherited a kingdom that was rife with poverty. Austria’s neighboring countries, France and Russia, were at the brink of war and Franz’s empire was in the middle of it. His advisors wanted him to choose a nation to support, but he didn’t want to take part in something he didn’t believe would benefit his people.

Franz’s non-alliance policy and his belief that de-escalation was the best solution to what was going on between Russia and France caused his advisors to lose faith in his ability to rule. Instead of taking part in a needless war, Franz wanted to build a railroad that could connect Austria to other states and thereby promote trade, which would reduce the rising levels of poverty. It is fitting that the Netflix miniseries depicted the geopolitics that were happening during the time that Franz was the emperor of Austria, seeing as the show has its basis in reality.

6Elisabeth And Archduchess Sophie Did Not Get Along

Elisabeth And Sophie Had Different Ideas About What An Empress’s Role Was

One of the most interesting things in the Netflix period drama is the contentious relationship between Elisabeth and her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie. The archduchess had selected Helene to be Franz’s wife, and she wasn’t happy when her son went against her wishes and chose to marry Elisabeth.

While at court, their dislike for each other continued to grow as Elisabeth wanted to do as she saw fit instead of what was expected of her. As Franz fell deeper in love with Elisabeth, he began to take her counsel over his Sophie’s, which caused a further rift between Elisabeth and Archduchess Sophie.

The archduchess’ dislike for Elisabeth was warranted. More often than not, Elisabeth’s free spirit and childishness became a hindrance and didn’t benefit anyone. Sophie also blamed Elisabeth for how distracted Franz was. Because Elisabeth was prone to dark moods and tantrums, Franz had to come to her rescue instead of focusing on being a leader to his people.

5Elisabeth Was Pregnant

Elisabeth Decided To Stay In Austria

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When Elisabeth arrived in Austria and married Franz, she didn’t really understand what she was there to do. She believed that her fairytale romance with Franz would continue but was soon dissuaded from that notion. Her main duty as empress was to produce an heir, but she hated being perceived as nothing more than that.

After several months of trying, Elisabeth finally got pregnant. After she found out, she was overwhelmed with joy and wanted to share the news with her husband, but their relationship was hanging on a loose thread.

Despite being pregnant with Franz’s child, Elisabeth decided to leave Austria and go back to her family because her marriage was falling apart. But when she arrived at the palace gates, she couldn’t leave due to the large crowd that was gathered there. It was then that she decided to share the news of her pregnancy with her subjects, who viewed the unborn heir as a beacon of hope.

4The Citizens Of Austria Were Unhappy With The Ruling Class

Leontine And Egon Were Planning An Uprising

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After experiencing a poor harvest, the people of Austria were experiencing high levels of poverty and were unhappy with how the ruling class were well off while they had to endure hardship. As a solution to their discontent, they decided to stage an uprising that would remove Franz as the emperor of Austria. Leontine and Egon, the leaders of the revolutionaries, planned to infiltrate the court and kill Franz.

However, Leontine had a change of heart and betrayed Egon at the last minute. Since Elisabeth’s pregnancy was revealed, and she interacted with her people at the end of The Empress season 1, it remains to be seen if her subjects will change the view they have of their leaders. However, if the poverty in Austria continues to rise in The Empress season 2, then it’s possible that their discontent is something that Elisabeth and Franz will have to deal with in the upcoming season.

3Elisabeth Decided To Leave Court

Elisabeth Didn’t Like Her Life In Austria

Court politics were a huge part of Elisabeth’s life when she became empress, and she struggled to fit in. As empress, her daily activities were mapped out for her, from what she wore to what was considered proper activities for a lady. Seeing that she was naturally rebellious, it didn’t take long for her to find her new life stifling.

After she tried to do things her own way, and it backfired, Archduchess Sophie gave her two options: she could try to be the empress that supported Franz, or she could leave Austria and her husband would marry someone more suitable to court life. Although she initially refused to quit, Elisabeth came to the conclusion that she would never love a life where she was expected to keep her opinions to herself, so she decided it would be better if she left.

2Elisabeth And Franz Were Having Problems

Franz And Elisabeth Were Too Different

A few months into their marriage, Elisabeth and Franz began having problems. After spending more time in each other’s company, it became clear to them that they were very different. Franz was level-headed, but Elisabeth was impulsive and the difference in their temperaments ended up causing contention between them. Instead of solving her issues with Franz, Elisabeth started acting out and would spend more time with Max than she did with her husband.

After spending more time in each other’s company, it became clear to them that they were very different.

Franz was justifiably not happy with Elisabeth spending time with his brother because he didn’t trust Max. Although Franz and Elisabeth loved each other, they had different opinions about the right way of treating the Austrian people. The emperor had fallen in love with Elisabeth because of her ability to say whatever was on her mind. However, her lack of a filter was something Franz began to dislike about her.

1Maximilian Tried To Stage A Coup

Maximilian Believed He Would Be A Better Emperor Than Franz

Maximilian believed that he would be a better emperor than his older brother, who he considered too weak to rule Austria, so he began to stage a mutiny against him. Max used every opportunity he got to undermine Franz and foil his plans for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between France and Russia.

When Franz tried to have a diplomatic meeting with Alexander, Max manipulated Alexander into believing that Franz didn’t have his best interests at heart. However, Max needed approval from the church, the military, and his mother in order to usurp the throne,

IMDB’s Highest Rated Episodes of The Empress

Episode Number
Title
IMDB Score

S1.E6
The God Who Us Has Freedom Sent
8.4

S1.E5
The Shoes
8.0

S1.E1
One’s Place in the World
7.7

He couldn’t become the emperor just because he wanted to. He managed to get the army and the church on his side, but his mother refused to support him because she didn’t believe he was any more suitable to rule than his father or brother. Ultimately, his plan fell apart, but he considered his initial failure a minor setback and will likely try to stage a coup again in The Empress season 2.