Twilight of empire The tragedy at Mayerling and the end of the Habsburgs

Greg King, 1964-

Book - 2017

On a snowy January morning in 1889, a worried servant hacked open a locked door at the remote hunting lodge deep in the Vienna Woods. Inside, he found two bodies sprawled on an ornate bed, blood oozing from their mouths. Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary appeared to have shot his seventeen-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera as she slept, sat with the corpse for hours and, when dawn broke, turned the pistol on himself. A century has transformed this bloody scene into romantic tragedy: star-crossed lovers who preferred death together than to be parted by a cold, unfeeling Viennese Court. But Mayerling is also the story of family secrets: incestuous relationships and mental instability; blackmail, venereal disease, and political trea...son; and a disillusioned, morphine-addicted Crown Prince and a naïve schoolgirl caught up in a dangerous and deadly waltz inside a decaying empire. What happened in that lockedroom remains one of history's most evocative mysteries: What led Rudolf and mistress to this desperate act? Was it really a suicide pact? Or did something far more disturbing take place at that remote hunting lodge and result in murder?

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Subjects
Genres
Biographies
Published
New York : St. Martin's Press 2017.
Language
English
Main Author
Greg King, 1964- (author)
Other Authors
Penny Wilson, 1966- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
xvii, 331 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-318) and index.
ISBN
9781250083029
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

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 of 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.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review

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. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.