Katrin Unterreiner Books

WHAT WAS THE EMPEROR LIKE in his private life? Katrin Unterreiner meticulously explores this question. She breathes life into the historic sources, tells of the emperor’s childhood and his relationship with his mother, Archduchess Sophie, his great and lifelong love for Empress Elizabeth, and of his troubled relationship with his only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, who took his own life at the age of 33. From 1848 to his death in 1916, Francis Joseph I ruled an empire of 56 million people. During this long reign he left an indelible mark on the capital city of Vienna and held together the multinational empire as a sacrosanct symbolic figure. The official image of the emperor is one of a conscientious and spartan ruler who remained true to his ideals. In contrast, this book shows the unknown sides of the emperor: as an imaginative child, as family man and father, humorous monarch, passionate lover and as a ruler who suffered many blows of fate – all described here in great detail and illustrated with pictures from his personal collection.

On 10th September 1898, Europe was shocked by the news: Empress Elisabeth of Austria assassinated! Elisabeth's tragic death was the end of an emotional, troubled and often misunderstood life of a remarkable person. It was a contributing factor in the creation of a myth which Elisabeth had cultivated during her lifetime by her unconventional lifestyle. Bearing little resemblance to the historical Elisabeth, just how did this "Sisi myth" arise? The book sets out in search of the true historical persona aloof of legend and cliché. From the assassination, which plays a crucial role in the creation of the Elisabeth icon, Elisabeth's life is examined in detail: Her supposed love marriage to emperor Franz Joseph, her role as empress of Austria, her revolt against court life, running away from herself manifesting itself in a beauty cult, slimming fanaticism, high-performance sports and lyrical poetry. For the first time, results of latest research and previously unknown resources on Elisabeth are introduced which reveal a picture of the egocentric empress of which little was previously known. (Text taken from the book.)