Twilight of Empire

September 15, 2017
A study of the many mysteries surrounding the death of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and his mistress.The conventional story holds that the couple was at Mayerling, Rudolf's hunting lodge, where he shot her, then sat with her body for hours before shooting himself. A story of love denied and lovers united forever in death? Maybe not. King and Wilson (co-authors: Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age, 2015, etc.) first establish the miserable life of Rudolf. His father, Emperor Franz Joseph, treated him like a military cadet with no power or influence. His mother, Empress Elisabeth, escaped her vicious, controlling mother-in-law by ignoring her only son. The only time his mother stepped up was when she demanded that Rudolf's governor, appointed by Franz Joseph, be replaced. A cruel, abusive man, he drove his young child to a nervous breakdown. His new governor fed Rudolf's intelligence, although he may have overdone it, with dozens of different instructors giving lessons. Rudolf was smart and talented, and he was inclined toward modern thought, intellectuals, and the idea of a prosperous middle class. He was also volatile and often threatened suicide, waving his gun around and begging others to commit suicide with him. His many affairs left him with a venereal disease, which he passed to his wife, causing sterility and leaving no hope of a royal heir. His affair with Baroness Mary Vetsera was arranged by her mother, wealthy social climber Helene Baltazzi, and Rudolf's cousin, Marie Larisch. Helene's motives for prostituting her daughter were to gain access to the right places and people. Marie's motives were strictly mercenary. Helene gave her money and clothes while Mary and Rudolf were victims of her blackmail. There are many theories of why and how the two died, even that Rudolf was quite finished with Mary, who may have been pregnant. Rumor upon rumor abounded, and the authors lay out a variety of theories for readers to ponder. Recommended for fans of imperial histories, royal scandals, or tragic romances.

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September 25, 2017
Belle epoque Vienna, a dizzy whirl of “sugary pastries” and “cheerful gaiety,” forms the setting for this lurid tale of lust and death in the waning days of the Hapsburg Empire. In 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary was found dead in his hunting lodge at Mayerling; beside him was the body of his 17-year-old mistress, Mary Vetsera. Was this a suicide pact, a royal dalliance gone wrong, or a portent of the ruin that lay in store for the crumbling empire? Royal historians King and Wilson (Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age) use archival research to effectively debunk the rumors that still swirl around Mayerling, revealing the tragic personal histories of its key figures while providing an evocative look at Viennese high society. The story of Rudolf and Vetsera’s doomed love lacks the intrigue of other well-known royal mysteries, and despite the authors’ best efforts to tie the couple’s fate to the end of the Hapsburg Empire, the book’s characters—even Rudolf’s father, Emperor Franz Josef—appear as bit players in the drama that later convulsed Europe. Narrated with equal parts flair and prurience, the book is diverting but hollow, much like the courtly world it describes. Agent: Dorie Simmonds, Dorie Simmonds Agency.

October 15, 2017
As with many real-life historical mysteries, the apparent murder-suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his young mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera, in 1889 at the imperial Habsburg hunting lodge at Mayerling, Austria, will probably never be completely solved. What King and Wilson have achieved, however, is a fascinating reconstruction of the complex historical, political, and personal framework that preceded the tragedy. Most shocking of all are the often-sordid details of both Rudolf's and Mary's family lives. Scandal, intrigue, and personal betrayal plagued both the major players in this drama. Prostituted by her own mother, Mary was only 17 when she died. Rudolf, married and more than a decade older, carried his own baggage, including often cruelly indifferent parents, a string of infidelities, and a walloping case of venereal disease. This fine example of historical detective work by the always-entertaining and -enlightening King-and-Wilson duo (Lusitania, 2015) is all the more compelling because this unfortunate event had a resounding ripple effect that contributed to both the demise of the Habsburg Empire and the onset of WWI.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)