The Empress Season 2 Ends, Announced: Is Franz Dead?

The second season of Netflix’s German historical drama series ‘Empress‘ takes us back into Elisabeth’s life and reign as things in her empire become more unstable by the minute. As the pressure to give birth to an heir increases, Elisabeth is forced to grapple with the problems in her marriage with Franz, who is trying to keep the country together in every way possible. The duo, who go through many ups and downs throughout six episodes, are on the verge of losing each other after a heartbreaking tragedy. They eventually find their way back to each other, but by then things have declined so dramatically that they are forced to brace themselves for more tragedy. SPOILERS FIRST

Will Franz Win the War?

Managing an empire with different cultures and people is a challenge in itself, and Franz felt the weight of it the moment he ascended the throne. The problem with the rebels has been dogging him since Season 1, but things get exponentially worse in Season 2, which picks up a few years after the failed coup and the revelation of Elisabeth’s first pregnancy. At the end of Season 2, the couple loses their first daughter, and her death separates them. In the last episode, there is another time jump and they have a third child and it turns out that this child is a boy. Meanwhile, Napoleon’s plan to cause trouble in the Lombardy region comes to fruition, and Franz has no choice but to go with the rebels supported by France.

If there were only rebels, Franz could hope to win the war. But with the support of France, led by Napoleon, the Austrian Emperor knows he has bitten off more than he can chew. Napoleon’s plan had been in the works for a long time, and Franz blamed himself for not seeing it sooner. What’s worse is that no one in his cabinet sees this. While Franz was dealing with his personal problems, especially the loss of his daughter and the problems in his marriage, his ministers were busy filling their own coffers rather than thinking about what was best for the empire. Because of their selfishness and narrow-mindedness, no one was able to establish the connection between Lombardy and Napoleon, and now they have no choice but to confront this problem.

As expected, Franz’s army cannot resist Napoleon. With so many casualties, Franz began to consider the idea of ​​taking to the battlefield himself. Until now, as emperor, he had only been working behind the scenes. However, he feels that it is unfair for him to stay safe while the men of his country are giving their lives for him and the soldiers are shedding their blood. Although Elisabeth and her mother try to dissuade him, he decides to join them on the battlefield. Still, he made his choice.

What makes the idea of ​​Franz going to the battlefield so bad is that he is a novice. He had never fought in a war before and had no experience fighting in a war. And he opposes Napoleon, who came to power thanks to his military acumen. He fought and won too many battles to lose to Franz anymore. He has a huge army as well as a strong battle strategy and this is another thing that works in his favor. Considering all this, it makes sense that when Franz decided to go to war, his family thought he would probably not return. They hope so, but it wouldn’t be a surprise for Franz to die there if so many soldiers died in a war that already seemed lost.

Fortunately, Franz did not die in the war. History shows that he came back, though he did not prevail. He lost the war and the rebels gained the independence they had fought for. As Napoleon says in the final episode of the show, the war is the beginning of the end for the Austrian empire, and rightly so. It is not possible for Franz to keep the various regions together for long. Although he manages to salvage something from this collapse, the sun is setting on the empire under his rule. The good thing is that he didn’t die in the war. He actually lived to be 86 years old and died of disease rather than being killed on the battlefield.

What will happen to Leontine?

In addition to the turmoil within the empire and the palace, trouble is about to happen to Leontine, whose real name is Ava. A rebel himself, he killed Countess Leontine with the intention of killing Franz and took over. However, he changed his mind after he became friends with Elisabeth. Still, that didn’t change the fact that he was a fraud and Amalia found out. At the end of Season 1, Leontine killed Amalia by throwing her off the first floor balcony. The action was witnessed by Charlotte, who immediately put distance between herself and the Empress.

Meanwhile, Leontine had a sexual relationship with Alexander von Bach, who repeatedly expressed his desire to marry her. The only reason she rejected him was because she knew their marriage talk would bring the truth to light and he would be hanged for it. Things become even more complicated when Leontine learns that she is pregnant with Alexander’s child. Because of his situation, he cannot marry her, but in court he cannot take the child and raise her as his own. He plans to leave the child with the nuns in the orphanage’s home, but before he can plan further, Alexander discovers the truth when the real Leontine’s father comes to court and shows Alexander his daughter’s picture.

Horrified by this discovery, Alexander tells Leontine to pack her things and leave immediately. He doesn’t give her away because he knows that would mean death that she can’t bear. But he can’t let him continue his trick. Thus, he leaves the palace without telling anyone where he is going. Leontine’s sudden disappearance also distresses Elisabeth, who is going through such a difficult time, especially due to the death of her daughter and her crumbling marriage. In the end, things went well for her and she even gave birth to her son. That’s when she receives a letter from Leontine, but there is no sender’s address, meaning Elisabeth cannot track down her friend.

When Charlotte tells Elisabeth about Leontine’s pregnancy, the Empress understands why her friend and confidant has left. He still doesn’t know the truth about his identity, but he knows Alexander is the only one who can bring him back. She tells him the truth, but does not understand why Alexander let her go in the first place. When Alexander learns that Leontine is pregnant while leaving the palace, he decides to find her and correct his mistake. Even though she’s still wrong about deceiving him and everyone else in the palace, she’s still the mother of his child and she loves him.

Since nothing is known about the time since Leontine left the palace, it cannot be known for certain what has happened to her since then. Since almost a year has passed, she must have already given birth to her child and settled somewhere far enough away that the Empress cannot easily find her, but not so far away that she is outside the borders of the empire. This isn’t the first time he’s left a life and a name behind and started over, so it makes sense that he’s become more adept at staying hidden. Moreover, the Empress still doesn’t seem to know the truth about her identity, presenting another obstacle to finding her.

Alexander, on the other hand, knows a little more than the Empress. He is also more motivated, indicating that he may be the one to finally find Leontine and her child. However, it seems unlikely that she will return to court with him. The first reason is its secret. Even if he accepts her and marries her, he will not bring her back to the palace because he would put himself at risk when the truth comes out. Another reason preventing his return may have been Franz’s loss of the war and a significant change in the dynamics of the empire. Alexander prefers to stay away from this and live a quieter life with his new family. He already proved his loyalty to them by submitting his resignation during wartime. So this might be the last we see of Leontine and Alexander.

What will happen to Maximillian and Charlotte?

Franz leaves his brother behind again when he goes to war. Due to trouble with Lombardy, Franz forces Maximillian to resign as Governor-General of Lombardy-Venice. Maximillian understands this move. However, he does his best to turn the situation in his brother’s favor. Timing was not in his favor, especially with Franz dealing with his own problems and Maximillian neglecting his duties while hanging on by a thread. When Franz decides to go to the battlefield himself, Maximillian believes that his brother will take charge in his absence. Although Franz now has an heir, the child is too young to do anything. If something were to happen to Franz, his son would need someone to guide him. Someone else would have to act as head of state and run affairs in his place.

Since men have been placed in positions of power so far, Maximillian thinks the role of chief deputy will fall to him. However, his brother reveals that he trusts his wife and mother more in such matters. Moreover, he doesn’t even bother to give Maximillian any responsibility. This leaves the younger brother completely disillusioned with his role in the Austrian empire. All he wanted was for his brother to take care of him and draw him into his inner circle. However, Franz always kept him at a distance, which caused Maximillian to exhibit worse behavior. Having been stripped of the Viceroyalty and having no significant role to play in Austria, Maximillian decides to say goodbye completely.

When Maximillian met with Napolean, the French emperor told him about the developments in South America. With all ties with Austria cut, moving to South America seems like a natural fit for Maximillian. History indicates that Maximillian went to Mexico and went through a tumultuous period there that culminated in a tragedy from which he could not recover. When he finally returned to Vienna he was in the coffin. Considering all this, the heartbroken Maximillian’s departure from the palace suggests that he is finally ready to move on and make his own path outside the shadow of his family and brother. If he continues his story next season, we will find him in Mexico.

Read more: The Empress: Is Countess Leontine von Apafi Based on a Real Person?