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FRANCIS JOSEPH AND HIS COURT FROM THE MEMOIRS OF COUNT ROGER DE RESSEGTJIER SON or FRANCIS JOSEPHS COURT CHAMBEBI AIN BY HERBERT VIVIAN, M. A, KNIGHT OJT THE BOTAt SERVIAN ORDER OF TOKOTO OJ 1 THB ROYAL MONTBNBQRrNr ORDER OAKILO AND AUTHOR OV SBRVIA, THU POOR MANB PABADISB, XHJI SBBVIAH TRAOBDT, BTO. ILLUSTBATED NEW YORK JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMXVII Photograph. Paul Thompson. THE LATE FKANCIS JOSEPH CONTENTS CHAPTBB PAGE I MEMORIES 11 II FROM MIRAMAB TO MEYERLING ... 28 HI THE TRUTH OF THE TRAGEDY OF MEYER LING 43 IV THE PECULIARITIES AND VIRTUES OF THE EMPRESS ELISABETH 67 V THE ADVENTURES OF LOUISE OF COBURG 90 VI ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND AND His BROTHER OTHO 106 VII INTERMEZZO WILLIAM I. AND His UNSUS PECTED LOVE 126 VHI THE THREE AUSTRO-BELGIAN PRINCESSES CHARLOTTE, STEPHANIE AND LOUISE . 146 IX FRANCIS JOSEPH, PATERFAMILIAS . . . 164 X THE RAPACIOUS HAPSBURGS .... 180 XI FRANCIS JOSEPH, MAN OF THE WORLD . 199 5 ILLUSTRATIONS THE LATE FRANCIS JOSEPH .... Frontispiece FACING PAGE FRANCIS JOSEPH 1849 30 PRINCESS STEPHANIE OF BELGIUM .... 54 NICHOLAS II., EX-TSAR OF RUSSIA .... 88 ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND AND His WIFE, THE COUNTESS SOPHIA CHOTEK .... 106 FRANCIS JOSEPH AT THE WEDDING OF CHARLES FRANCIS JOSEPH, THE NEW EMPEROR OF AUS TRIA 110 EMPEROR CHARLES FRANCIS JOSEPH AND EM PRESS ZITA OF AUSTRIA 114 ARCHDUCHESS MARXA-JOSEPHA 118 ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND AND His FAMILY 122 WILLIAM L, KING OF PRUSSIA 142 FRANCIS JOSEPH AND His FAMOUS THOROUGH BRED SADDLE HORSES 174 FRANCIS JOSEPH IN HUNTING COSTUME . . 7 8 Illustrations TACIXQ PAGH FRANCIS JOSEPH 1914 204 FRANCIS JOSEPH FROM A PAINTING BY JULIUS RITTER VON BLAAS FRANCIS JOSEPH IN TYROLEAN COSTUME . THREE GENERATIONS OF HAPSBURGS. . . 30 FRANCIS JOSEPH AND HIS COURT FRANCIS JOSEPH AND HIS COURT CHAPTER I MEMORIES LET me muster my memories. How far away they seem I see a castle, the Castle of Nisko. ISTisko lords and noble ladies are all gathered together in a spacious room, talking in hushed tones of the scan dalous loves of an Archduke. Mystery, Tragedy. Hush, how terrible I am quite a child, but I lis ten to the whispers, though I am more concerned with the fact that the endless plains outside are deep in snow. Then at Vienna, I am walking with my mother through avenues of limes, all very sweet after a shower. A tall, beautiful well, rather beautiful princess takes me on her knee. Her eyes are strange and sad. 11 12 Francis Joseph and His Court Who is it, mamma Stephanie, the wife of the Emperors heir. Later on my mother tells me more. She tells stories about nobles, fit only for nobles ears, stories that the vulgar must not know. I can still hear her voice. My mind is still full of those days, of our palace at Vienna, of the famous guests who came there, of the old Austrian and German castles, where we were entertained. More recent times. My family has been scat tered, but I still meet old acquaintances in various parts of Europe, venerable ladies, retired officials, and they always have something to relate. Even the newspapers now chatter in undertones. But only those who know can reconstruct the whole drama, the whole comedy. There are certain sub tle fibres linking facts across the years, and they can only be known to those who have passed their lives in this atmosphere. They link remoter his tory with recent times Maybe you know part of my narrative already, but you know it with too many gaps, with asavour of mystery all too complicated or too simple. The connecting thread travels from mouth to mouth in the noble, ancient palaces of Austria and