This article contains spoilers for The Empress season 2.The Empress season 2 had a dramatic ending that saw Emperor Franz Joseph I going off to war. The second season, which is based on Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s life, is set a few years after the events of season 1. While The Empress season 1 was about Elisabeth and Franz’s marriage and her trials at the Viennese Court, the sophomore season focused on her motherhood journey and the rising tension between Austria and the Italian-language speaking territories.
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After only giving birth to girls, Elisabeth was under a lot of pressure to produce an heir. But when she nearly died in childbirth, she decided she didn’t want to become pregnant again. Despite how she felt, Austria needed an heir to succeed Franz, more so because the empire was facing another revolution. The second season of The Empress also sees Franz’s struggle with losing his daughter and his inability to resolve the conflict in the Lombardy-Venetia territory, which ultimately led to war.

Why Franz Joined His Army On The Battlefield

Franz Felt That It Was His Duty To Help His Soldiers Fight

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After months of rebelling against Austrian rule, Franz was left with no choice but to declare war on the Kingdom of Piedmont in order to stop the violence and slaughtering of his people. While The Empress season 2 had been building up to that outcome since its first episode, Franz deciding to join his soldiers on the battlefield was a surprise. When he declared war on the Kingdom of Piedmont, he had no idea that Napoleon III was the reason they were confident enough to challenge him.

Franz, who had always preferred peace and did his best to avoid war, was despondent over the number of people who had lost their lives.

The Austrian army lost thousands of its soldiers and had many with serious injuries. Franz, who had always preferred peace and did his best to avoid war, was despondent over the number of people who had lost their lives. This led him to the decision to join the army and lead his soldiers on the battlefield instead of waiting patiently while more people died. Although Franz sometimes felt overwhelmed by his responsibilities and would have preferred a much simpler life where he was just a husband and father, it is his empathy that ultimately drove him to the war front.

Why Napoleon Wanted To Wage War On Austria, Explained

Napoleon III Was On The Front lines In The Second Italian War Of Independence

Napoleon III played a huge role in the Second Italian War of Independence. Early in the series, Maximilian had gone to France to ask for Napoleon’s help in quieting down the dissent that was growing in the Italian-language speaking territories. Napoleon, who had plans of his own, couldn’t agree to help the Austrians, but instead said he would think about supporting them. At the time, Austria was the biggest kingdom in the region and Napoleon wanted to defeat the Austrians so they could lose some of their territories in order for France to take the top spot.

However, he couldn’t outright declare war on Austria, which meant that he had to find a way of getting involved without raising suspicion. In order for the Kingdom of Piedmont to be victorious against the Austrians, they needed help from the French. Napoleon, who knew this, agreed he would help Cavour on one condition. If the Austrians attacked the Kingdom of Piedmont first, then he would send French troops to the border. The French, who had a bigger army and more weapons, won the war, thereby cementing Napoleon’s position in Europe.

What Happened To Maximilian At The End Of The Empress Season 2?

Maximilian Was Unhappy With How Franz Handled The Austrian And Kingdom Of Piedmont Conflict

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In The Empress season 1, Maximilian tried to stage a coup that would make him emperor, but he failed. Instead of sentencing him to death, Franz exiled his brother, which is where the second season of the series finds him. While in exile, Maximilian grew restless and depressed, until Franz summoned him to the Viennese Court so he could be sent as an envoy to Napoleon. During his trip to France, Maximilian met the Princess of Belgium, Marie, and fell in love with her. However, he needed Franz’s permission for them to get married.

Franz gave Maximilian his blessing and made him the Austrian Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia, with the hope that he would help make the relationship between Austria and Lombardy better. Maximilian excelled in his new position, but everything that he had done to win the people of Lombardy over was jeopardized when Franz granted General Gyulai complete power.

While Max wanted to make up with Franz, he realized that his brother would never trust him with a position in his government again, so he and Marie left the palace.

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After seeing the effects that losing his funding had, Max decided to travel to Austria to talk to his brother, but he was too late as they were already on the brink of war. In order for Franz to show the Lombardians that the Austrian royalty knew they had failed them, he stripped Max of his position as the Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia. While Max wanted to make up with Franz, he realized that his brother would never trust him with a position in his government again, so he and Marie left the palace.

What Happened To Countess Apafi In The Empress Season 2

Countess Apafi Was No Longer In Elisabeth’s Court

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Countess Leontine Apafi, one of the most intriguing characters in The Empress, managed to hide the fact that she was an impostor from Elisabeth in the show’s first season. In season 2, Leontine fell in love with Alexander von Bach, who wanted to marry her, but she refused his proposal because she didn’t want him to discover that she wasn’t who she said she was. On top of lying to Alexander, Leontine’s life got even more complicated when she got pregnant with his child. Knowing that she couldn’t keep the child, she decided to leave her child with the nuns.

Alexander didn’t understand why Leontine couldn’t marry him, especially because he knew she loved him. So he took it upon himself to invite the real Countess Apafi’s father in order to ask for his blessing. Alexander was in for a rude awakening when the countess’s father showed him a picture of his daughter, and thus revealed that Leontine was an impostor. When he found out who she really was, Alexander sent Leontine away, and she left the castle in the dead of night without telling anyone where she was going.