Die Freundin des Kaisers: Franz Joseph von Österreich und die Schauspielerin Katharina Schratt

by Joan Haslip, Ulla H. de Herrera (Translator)

Biographie

Genres: History, Biography, Royalty, 19th Century

399 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1982

About the author

Joan Haslip was an author of historical books, often focusing on European royalty. She was born in London and educated in London, Paris and Florence. Her first book, Out of Focus, appeared in 1931; among her other notable publications are Lady Hester Stanhope (1934) and Parnell (1937). She also wrote for the London Mercury, the Daily Mail and Evening News, and the Illustrated London News.
She also worked for the Italian section of the BBC from 1940 to 1944. Her books were generally regarded as accurate and fairly complete although at times falling prey to "outdated interpretations".

Reviews

[Yooperprof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and interesting. Haslip portrays the long sad but endearing story of the romantic friendship between Emperor Franz Josef and Katharina Schratt, a leading actress in the most prestigious theatre company in Vienna.

There were several aspects of this somewhat familiar story that were "new" to me. I had not been aware that the beautiful (and doomed) Empress Elizabeth was tremendously supportive of her husband's infatuation for Miss Schratt - and that the two women formed a friendship based upon their relationship with the Austro-Hungarian Emperor. It's as if the Empress appreciated Katharina for providing some feminine quality of suppleness and passivity to the Emperor that the she - Sisi - did not possess.

I also had not been aware that Katharine Schratt was a correspondent and close friend of the Bulgarian ruler "Foxy Ferdinand," to the point where Franz Joseph was occasionally jealous of Katharina's flirtatious behavior with the Balkan ruler. Ferdinand seems to have been genuinenly fond of the theatrical diva, and was also willing and able to use her as a conduit to influence Austro-Hungarian policy in southeastern Europe. (Stephen Constant's biography of Ferdinand does not include any mention of Schratt, so I'm not sure how well-known Schratt's role is to Balkan historians.)

[Anastasia Miliadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was rich with historical detail and offered a compelling look at life inside the imperial court. It was especially interesting to see how carefully the relationship between the Emperor and the actress was framed as a “friendship” rather than a love affair. But personally, I have doubts about that label.

Sisi was an exceptionally intelligent and strategic woman. It’s hard to believe she would have chosen someone so close to her husband—someone meant to be a kind of emotional companion—without considering whether that person could also meet his physical needs. That decision alone makes it difficult to accept the idea that the relationship was purely platonic.

What stood out most was the dynamic between the three of them, and also how similar the two women in his life were. Both were artistic, independent, and ultimately pulled away from him. Both also dealt with serious mental health struggles—Sisi with what appears to be anorexia, and the actress with a gambling addiction. It’s telling that both ended up needing distance from him, despite the closeness they once shared.

It made me wonder why he was drawn to women with such similar traits. Was it coincidence—or was there something deeper in his personality or upbringing, possibly his relationship with his mother, that led him to seek out women who reflected the same emotional patterns?

This book doesn’t just present a historical narrative—it raises real psychological questions and offers a glimpse into the emotional lives behind the public personas. A very engaging and rewarding read.

[Mike Kanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much more interesting than I thought it would be.

Churchill mentioned the relationship and its influences in his history of World War 1. I looked for more information and found Haslip's book on the two of them.

Haslip does the best job that a historian can do. By placing their relationship in the context of the events at the time, she gives depth to what could just be a recounting of events. She is also careful to focus on the unique friendship rather than transforming it into a scandal. She hints that the relationship might have had some sexual elements; however, by pointing out that the Empress considered Schratt a mutual friend, it is clear that whatever place that had it was minor.

Katharina Schratt is evidently a remarkable woman. This is a book that begs to be transformed into a television series.
(For disclosure, I have not seen THE EMPRESS (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13720112...), which is about Franz Josef and Elizabeth, but Schratt is not listed as a role on IMDB, so I do not think it is included in that series.)

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Katharina Schratt was an interesting woman and it's nice to hear more directly about Emperor Franz Josef instead of his much better known wife, Elisabeth, the bias is strong in this one.

If you are looking for a fair biography this is not it. It is also somewhat dated in terms of research and opinions particularly about Crown Prince Rudolf and Marie Vetsera.

[Erin Lambert]

Good

[Maria Franziska · Rating 5 out of 5]

tremendously fascinating

[Doria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dignified and detailed biography of a rather interesting woman, who led a long life and knew many powerful people. Katharina Schratt had a flourishing career as an actress well before she met Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Empress Elizabeth. For many decades she carried on an intimate friendship with the emperor, benevolently overseen and possibly orchestrated by the empress, and was thus a person of interest to foreign diplomats (and kings) as well as ordinary citizens. She outlived her imperial admirers, and was forced to endure the Nazi takeover of Austria, to which she responded by drawing the blinds down in a huff. Impeccably loyal, she undoubtedly took some interesting secrets with her to the grave.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bonehead borderline boring.