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| Rudolf of Austria @Wikipedia |
Rudolf von Osterreich (1858-1889)
Crown Prince of Austria
The soldier-prince was a 'chick magnet'.
"The soldier-prince was often the target of rumors, particularly those that concerned love affairs. He went through puberty relatively late and wasn't taught the facts of life until he was in his mid-teens. Rudolf first evinced an interest in girls at the age of sixteen or seventeen, but after that, there was no stopping him, and it's possible that he became rather promiscuous in Prague. He had turned into a handsome and exceptionally charming, intelligent young man, with his mother's delicate features and an easy grace in company that would certainly have made him attractive to women. If those qualities didn't make him a chick magnet, his title surely would have done so." (Royal Pains: A Rogues' Gallery of Brats, Brutes, and Bad Seeds)
Madly in love with a Jewish girl in Prague.
"Rudolf's taste in paramours was as iconoclastic as his politics. He fell madly in love with a girl from Prague's old Jewish ghetto. Recognizing that no good would come of the affair, falling ill on the day of her arrival. She died without ever again laying eyes on her royal beloved and was buried in Prague's Jewish cemetery. Rudolf allegedly made regular visits to her grave, leaving a floral tribute on each occasion." (Royal Pains)
Crown prince's low opinion of women.
"Relations with fair sex now assumed high priority in the life of the young crown prince. Rudolf was one of the most desirable matches in the monarchy and had affairs with women from all different levels of society. Even after his marriage to Stephanie of Belgium he was alleged to have had numerous extramarital affairs. Over the years the once sensitive young man developed into a veritable Don Juan. Crown Princess Stephanie remarked in her memoirs that Rudolf, 'as a result of the many experiences that he had had with women from his youth onwards had a low opinion of women in general and did not regard them as being of equal worth." (Crown Prince Rudolf -- Traces of a Life)
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Stephanie of Belgium & Rudolf of Austria |
Husband of Stephanie of Belgium.
"In 1880, Rudolf became engaged to Princess Stephanie, the eldest daughter of the Belgian royal family. On May 10th took place in the Vienna Augustinerkirche the wedding is taking place. Between Rudolf and Stephanie first true love seemed to exist, only his mother Sissi was anything but enthusiastic about the "Belgian Trampeltier". However, Stephanie, with whom Rudolf lived for some time in Prague, could not share the interests and aspirations of her husband, and over the years the two became increasingly alienated. Even the birth of the daughter Elisabeth on 2 September 1883 in Laxenburg Castle brought no improvement in their relationship. Stephanie could not give birth to another child because Rudolf had probably infected her with a venereal disease. Rudolf became melancholy and increasingly frustrated, which weakened him mentally and physically more and more. He drank a lot, Consumed drugs and sought more often the pleasures of middle-class ladies. So he met Mizzi Caspar, a dubious lady, with whom he was together for a long time." (Planet Vienna).
Crown Prince Rudolf's lovers were:
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| Johanna Buska in 1880 @Wikipedia |
Johanna Buska (1848-1922).
Austrian actress & opera singer.
Lover in 1874-1880
Daughter of Johann Butzkow & Pawly Losch.
Wife of:
Daughter of Johann Butzkow & Pawly Losch.
Wife of:
1. Miklós Kázmér Török de Szendrő (1812-1884), Hungarian aristocrat, mar 1880.
2. Angelo Neumann (1838-1910), Czech director & singer, mar 1887.
" . . . The blonde Burgtheater actress Johanna Buska is alleged to have been the crown prince's first lover and was carefully selected in advance by the court. Contemporary reviews reveal that the actress was very popular with Viennese audiences. 'The tones of her voice bespeak that bright sunlight of happiness and joy; there is something of poetry embodied in Miss Buska." (Crown Prince Rudolf -- Traces of a Life)
" . . . An affair with the Viennese actress Johanna Buska is also said to have led to the birth of an illegitimate son in 1881. Rudolf apparently didn’t trouble himself over such developments: Indeed, his grandson Prince Franz Josef von Windisch-Grätz once claimed that his grandfather had more than thirty illegitimate children. Mothers were bribed into silence, their children soon forgotten." (The History Reader)
"Kinship ties resoundingly reinforced the aristocratic character of the corps. Among those diplomats who themselves did not belong to court society, an unusual number, especially in comparison with their counterparts in the central office, possessed immediate familial links with the aristocracy. The fathers of Counts Johann Forgach, Albert Nemes, Alexander Torok and Felix Bruselle-Schaubeck all moved in court circles, but their mesalliances with women of inferior standing prejudiced the social positions of their children. Torok's mother, the Burgtheater actress Johann Buska, allegedly initiated Crown Prince Rudolf into the mysteries of love. . . ." (Aristocratic Redoubt: 21)
Louise of Belgium.
Lover in late 1870s.
"Even the wives of Rudolf's best friends were considered fair game. In the late 1870s, it was whispered, he began a liaison with Princess Louise, wife of his friend and frequent hunting companion Prince Philipp of Coburg. . . ." (Twilight of Empire: 41)
Helene Vetsera.
Helene Vetsera.
Lover in 1877.
" . . . Rudolf's admirers included not only young single women but also a large number of married women from the upper echelons of society. One of these was Helene Vetsera, eleven years his senior and the mother of Mary Vetsera. Court gossip alleged that there was a brief affair between the crown prince and Helene Vetsera in 1877." (Crown Prince Rudolf -- Traces of a Life)
Maria Antonia of Tuscany (1858-1883).
Maria Antonia of Tuscany (1858-1883).
Lover in 1880?
"Some of these liaisons, however, were more serious than others. In 1880, the crown prince supposedly secretly married his distant Habsburg cousin Maria Antonia, daughter of Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany, when she became pregnant. As she was dying of consumption, it is said, the emperor had the marriage annulled; Maria Antonia died in 1883, after allegedly giving birth to Rudolf’s son in 1881. . . ." (The History Reader)
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Mizzi Kaspar (1864-1907)
Austrian actress & courtesan.
Lover in 1886-1889.
"'Rudolf was a virtual prisoner. He was kept under strict surveillance. No one could visit him unobserved. His correspondence was censored.' Thus Lonyay describes the situation after Rudolf and Stephanie returned to the old Imperial Castle. Under the circumstances, the Crown Prince turned more and more to the pursuit of women as a way to while away his ample free time. He even kept a diary in which each new conquest was given a rating as to standing and desirability. Although Rudolph's passing conquests were many, his one true friend in those days was Mizzi Kaspar, an actress, whom he saw even after he had met the Baroness Vetsera." (Famous Ghosts)
Rudolf's favourite mistress.
" . . . Mizzi . . . was Rudolf's favourite mistress for many years. (S)he was a courtesan originally though the sources don't always say this, but she didn't have any other lovers during the time she was with him. He had in fact asked her to die with him before he asked Mary Vetsera, but Mizzi was sensible enough not to do it. Rudolf apparently still kept seeing Mizzi during his affair with Mary, and spent with her the last night before he left for Mayerling to die with Mary. . . . " (Mizzi Caspar - a picture and thoughts)
The half-Greek who was the love of his life.
" . . . Rudolf consoled himself with alcohol, morphine, and alcohol, all of which heightened his distress. The venereal diseases were likely driving him mad. Of the many mistresses, the seventeen-year-old, half-Greek baroness Mary Vetsera was not his favorite. His favorite lover, probably the love of his life, was Mizzi Casper. Rudolf had given Mizzi a house in Vienna, where she lived and where a mutual friends ran a high-class bordello. He consoled himself with her in these sad days by going to wine bars and singing popular songs. Yet Mizzi laughed at Rudolf when he spoke his desire for a double suicide, and reported him to the police in the hope of stopping him. . . . " (The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke: 36)
" . . . Rudolf consoled himself with alcohol, morphine, and alcohol, all of which heightened his distress. The venereal diseases were likely driving him mad. Of the many mistresses, the seventeen-year-old, half-Greek baroness Mary Vetsera was not his favorite. His favorite lover, probably the love of his life, was Mizzi Casper. Rudolf had given Mizzi a house in Vienna, where she lived and where a mutual friends ran a high-class bordello. He consoled himself with her in these sad days by going to wine bars and singing popular songs. Yet Mizzi laughed at Rudolf when he spoke his desire for a double suicide, and reported him to the police in the hope of stopping him. . . . " (The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke: 36)
A woman with a lust for life.
" . . . A cheerful woman with a lust for life, she became the person to whom Rudolf felt closest. Months before his death he asked Mizzi to die with him in a suicide pact. Unlike Mary Vetsera she refused and reported Rudolf's weariness to Krauss, the police commissioner, who, however, failed to take any action." (Crown Prince Rudolf -- Traces of a Life)
Anna Pick (1855-?)
Actress.
Lover in 1887?
Wife of Reinhard von Leiningen-Westerburg (1863-1929), mar 1885.
"It was probably no accident that Rudolf bought Mayerling from Count Reinhard von Leiningen-Westerburg in 1887. The count lived in a villa on the estate with his beautiful wife, Anna---who just happened to be the former actress Anna Pick, who had shared the crown prince's bed and who had accompanied him to Brussels when he went to ask for Stephanie's hand. Having the new, sympathetic countess near at hand only added to Mayerling's attraction. . . ." (Twilight of Empire: The Tragedy at Mayerling and the End of the Habsburgs: 114)
"Towards the end of the 1870s, Crown Prince Rudolf began to look around for a wife. Since as a Habsburg he could only marry the daughter of a ruling Catholic dynasty of equal rank, his choice of potential consorts was very limited. Rudolf decided on the 15-year-old Stephanie of Belgium. In March 1880 the Austrian crown prince travelled to Brussels in order to betroth (sic) himself to the Belgian king's daughter. Among his entourage on this journey was his mistress, the actress Anna Pick. When the bride's mother, Queen Marie Henriette, was told of this, it triggered a scandal at the Belgian court. The image of the happy engaged couple was publicised in photographs." (Crown Prince Rudolf -- Traces of a Life)
Austrian aristocrat & imperial mistress.
Lover in 1888.
Daughter of: Baron Albin Vescera, Austrian diplomat, & Helene Baltazzi.
"Vescera, Baroness Marie Alexandrine – (1871 – 1889), Austrian Imperial mistress, Marie Vescera was born in Vienna, the daughter of Baron Albin Vescera and his wife Helene Baltazzi, and attended a convent school. Marie became a great beauty, and had such an interest in horse-racing that earned the nickname of ‘Turf angel.’ She met the crown prince Rudolph at the Hofburg Palace (Nov, 1888) and the two became infatuated with each other. The attachment caused great scandal, and, at length was brought to the attention of the Emperor Franz Joseph, who ordered the couple to separate. At the royal lodge at Mayerling, they were founded (sic) together, both shot dead (Jan 30, 1889). It seems that the couple, in order not to be forcibly separated, had decided upon a suicide pact, though the real truth of the affair remains shrouded in mystery, and there remains the possibility that she may have been murdered." (Women of History - V)
"In all that time Rudolf had a secret admirer. It was the young Baroness Marie-Alexandrine Vetsera, called Mary. She lived with her siblings and mother in a palace at the Salesianergasse. In order to finally get in touch with Rudolf, Mary turned in the fall of 1888 to Marie-Luise Countess Larisch-Wallersee, who was the niece of the Empress and at the same time a close friend of the house Vetsera. The Countess took Mary to the farm, where she met Rudolf, on the pretext of using her for shopping. The Crown Prince could not reciprocate her love-fire to the same extent, but was touched by her affection and found in her a potential companion for his thoughts of suicide slumbering in him for some time. From November 1888, Rudolf met with Mary more often. In the house Vetsera one should know nothing of it, because it always happened secretly. Only Mary's maid Jahoda knew about it and helped her in each case Secretly leave the house and climb on the Moroccan lane the carriage of Rudolf's bodyfiaker Josef Bratfisch. If one began to suspect something, Countess Larisch always knew how to settle it." (Planet Vienna)
Femme fatale in the truest sense of the word.
" . . . Mary Vetsera, on the other hand, was a femme fatale in the truest sense; she actuated Rudolf's fascination with death. On 30 January 1889, Franz Josef was given the awful news that his only son had been found dead at his hunting compound in Mayerling. The doctor who investigated fond both Rudolf and Vetsera shot through the head, with the gun near Rudolf's right hand." (The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke: 36)
"In 1887, Rudolf bought Mayerling and adapted it into a hunting lodge. In the autumn of 1888, the 30-year-old crown prince met the 17-year-old Baroness Marie Vetsera, known by the more fashionable Anglophile name Mary. From the start, Mary adored him, and was ready to do anything for him. It was almost certainly not the great romance of his life, but Rudolf did have feelings for her, and was touched by her limitless, almost fanatical, love for him." (Virtual Vienna Net)
Annie Frankfurter.
Lover in 1880s.
" . . . Annie Kuranda, nee Frankfurter, was the wife of the Jewish industrialist Emil Kuranda, who belonged to the crown prince's intimate circle of friends. Rudolf made fun of the allegation by his anti-Semitic opponents that he was having an affair with her; nonetheless, according to police files she was frequently to be seen at his side right up to the end of his life." (Crown Prince Rudolf -- Traces of a Life)
Marie Larisch von Moennich (1858-1940)
Daughter of Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke in Bavaria & actress Henriette Mendel, Baroness von Wallersee
Wife of:
1. Count Georg Larisch von Moenich, Baron of Ellgoth & Karwin (1855-1928), mar 1877, div 1896
2. Otto Brucks (1854-1919), opera singer & musician, mar 1897
3. William H. Meyers (1859-?), American naturopath, mar 1924.
" . . . Sixteen-year-old Marie endlessly flirted with her cousin Rudolf. Although the illegitimate daughter of a morganatic union, she seems to have taken the empress's favor as evidence that she would be an acceptable bride for the crown prince. Although she later claimed to dislike Rudolf, Marie apparently showed herself more than amenable to his attentions. With his relaxed approach to appropriate behavior, Rudolf is said to have reciprocated his cousin's affections---a dangerous situation that Empress Elisabeth finally ended in 1877 by arranging Marie's quick marriage to Count George von Larisch, a minor aristocratic army officer." (Twilight of Empire: 72)
" . . . Later Rudolf meets Countess Marie Larisch and her friend Baroness Helene Vetsera, who introduces her daughter Mary to him (Larisch is Rudolf's ex-mistress, who latterly has been acting as his procurer and go-between). After four Hungarian officers plead the cause of their country's separatist movement (to which Rudolf is sympathetic), Larisch makes clear her own sexual availability, should Rudolf wish to resurrect their relationship. The Emperor, however, interrupts the rendezvous and orders Rudolf to attend to his wife." (The Faber Pocket Guide to Ballet)
Marie's Personal & Family Background: She was the illegitimate first daughter of actress Henriette Mendel, a commoner, and Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke in Bavaria.
Marie's Spouses & Children: She married 1) divorced in 1896, she married Georg, Count Larisch von Moennich; 2) in 1897, divorced 1898, Otto Brucks, a Royal Bavarian Court singer; and 3) in 1924, William Meyers. [Marie, Countess Larisch
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria Gallery.
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| Rudolf of Austria |
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| Rudolf of Austria @Wikipedia |
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| Rudolf of Austria |
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| Rudolf of Austria |
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| Rudolf of Austria |
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Rudolf of Austria |
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