Her father, the Duke, made his way into the studiolo and found his daughter at her desk, busily engaged in writing a treatise. Being of a brutal and insensitive nature, as is often the case with men of little intelligence, he displayed no great tact, announcing to his daughter straight away that she had been…
When, in 1759, the child Isabelle of Parma, known as Isabellita, reached the age of eighteen she was, without any doubt, one of the most accomplished princesses in Europe. Tall, with a beautiful figure, an oval face adorned with big, brown eyes and long black hair and snow–white skin. All the men were attracted to…
A young high society woman was travelling in Austria many years ago. She had a young daughter, just two or three years old, whom she loved dearly. One evening, she arrived at an inn that was part of an old landowner’s domain. The walls were extremely thick and the doors and windows were low and…
After the death of Louis II, Elisabeth felt irresistibly drawn to the place where the tragedy had taken place, as if called by Louis II. She indeed believed in the survival of the soul, in communication with the afterlife. For her, her beloved cousin was not quite dead. And so, at the first opportunity, she…
Erupted the final crisis. The situation had become unbearable, ministers and courtesans decided to render the king incapable of causing harm. They went to find his uncle, the prince Leopold. They persuaded him that, were his nephew not deposed, and were he not to accept the regency, monarchy would collapse. Leopold agreed. Not due to…
“It was not a dream. No, in truth, it was not. I had gone to bed and could not find sleep, even though darkness engulfed my room, even though everything in the garden outside was calm and silent… “And so I remained laying during those solitary hours, overcome by thoughts, images and memories. And suddenly,…
Emperor Franz Joseph leaving his train. Mary Vetsera, beloved of the Archduke Rudolf, who died with him at Mayerling. Archduke Rudolf with his wife, Stephanie of Belgium. Archduke Rudolf of Austria, who would die tragically at Mayerling. The Austrian imperial dynasty. From left to right: Emperor Franz Joseph, his brother-in-law Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, his…
Our dear friend, Tatiana told us that, newly wed in Austria, she had meticulously interrogated the descendants of the people linked to the Mayerling case. She had mostly collected testimonies concerning the archduchess that had replaced the empress during her absences. Who at the time held the position of mistress of the house? Was it…
King Rudolf II, an odd fellow and a master of the occult, governed his kingdoms from a magic castle in Prague. He had no legitimate heir. He had a ba stard son, however, Julio, whom he adored. He even gave him the vast Cesky Krumlov castle in Krumau as a home, but Julio proved to be not…
Since times immemorial, one room upstairs seemed to host particularly impressive apparitions. It had remained locked for centuries and no one dared venture there. However, one night, the cries and rattles had reached such violence that the Lord Strathmore of the time had decided to see for himself. He had gone up to the threshold…