ArkaEvren

TV SERIES · 2022–2026 · GERMANY

The Empress

Episodes
18
Original title
Die Kaiserin

10 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

Netflix's The Empress (2022) follows Empress Elisabeth of Austria. These notes cover details from the series.

10 Interesting Facts About The Empress

Interesting Facts (6)

  1. #001

    The actor who plays Franz Joseph is taller than the actress who plays Elisabeth. In reality it was the reverse: Elisabeth stood 172 centimetres (5'7), while Franz Joseph measured just 168 centimetres (5'5).

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  2. #002

    The music for the dance after the wedding is Dvorak's Serenade for Strings, composed in 1875, although the royal wedding itself took place in 1854.

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  3. #003

    The real Empress Elisabeth smoked, had a tattoo and was rebellious, traits the series draws on in its portrayal of her.

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  4. #004

    Devrim Lingnau said she found it especially exciting to develop her own vision of Elisabeth instead of following the myths and legends surrounding the empress.

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  5. #005

    Philip Froissant said fan enthusiasm and viewers' messages helped him relax and act more freely after the first season.

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  6. #006

    Executive producer Robert Eyssen said politics plays a much bigger role in Season 2 than in Season 1, because as emperor and empress, Franz and Elisabeth had a huge sphere of influence.

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Behind the Scenes (2)

  1. #007

    During filming in the Czech Republic, the crew changed the appearance of a statue of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, which caused controversy.

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  2. #008

    Season 1 of The Empress was filmed at original locations in Germany, and only at the end did production move to Studio Babelsberg, where three rooms of Schönbrunn Palace were built.

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Characters & Cast (1)

  1. #009

    More than 1,400 women and girls sent in video auditions for the role of Elisabeth.

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Life & Family (1)

  1. #010
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Season one departs from history in several ways: Elisabeth (Sisi) had brown eyes, and her first meeting with Franz Joseph at Bad Ischl took place not outdoors but over tea, with more family members present than the show depicts. The series suggests Sisi and Franz fell in love with each other. In reality, Franz was more in love with Sisi than she was with him, and Sisi was just as shocked by his proposal. Franz did not propose in public; he had Archduchess Sophie ask Ludovika for permission. Franz Joseph's second younger brother, Karl Ludwig, was in love with Elisabeth, not Maximilian as shown; as children, Karl Ludwig and Elisabeth exchanged letters and gifts. Sophie was reluctant about the marriage of Franz and Elisabeth and strict about Elisabeth's conduct at court, but there is no evidence that she actually hated Sisi; in fact, Sophie's letters and diaries describe her daughter-in-law positively. Nor is there any evidence that Maximilian tried to overthrow Franz Joseph as emperor.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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