This article, “who is Empress Elisabeth,” contains spoilers regarding the Netflix original series The Empress season 1.

The Empress is a period drama based on the life of Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria, who later became Austria’s empress. Elisabeth, or “Sisi” for short, is one of the titular characters of the German streaming series. Played by Devrim Lingnau (Carmilla), the 24-year-old actor has had a successful career in a short period in German film and television. Her role as Elisabeth is multilayered. The character is fiercely independent. However, she lives in a world that expects her to be obedient and stay in the box built for her.

So, that begs the question:

**Who is Empress Elisabeth in The Empress, season 1?**

Elisabeth is the Bavarian Princess who became the empress of Austria at the tender age of 16-years old.

What does Elisabeth do?

Originally, Sisi’s sister was going to marry Emperor Franz Joseph. However, after a chance encounter where he jumps off his stallion, shirt unbuttoned, he comes across the 16-year-old walking around with a bird in her hand. He is immediately smitten with her. Why? Because she is different than the parade of young women, his mother, Sophia, trots out for her. At the same time, Elisabeth’s mother tries to marry her off weekly to every middle-aged, balding Duke who needs to find a wife. Sisi wants to choose her path in life. So, when Franz calls for her that night to drink champagne with him on his birthday, they both realize, perhaps rebellious, that their attraction offers the opportunity to control their own fate.

The issue is while Franz praises her independent style, he is short-sighted on how it would work because of the responsibilities of being an empress to her husband and her country. For instance, Elisabeth is used to treating people equally, but she is not allowed to do anything for herself. She often hears how the royal court talks about the “people” and is shocked when they won’t listen to their needs. When she objects to a religious ceremony verifying her virtue, she voices her displeasure at a party and is deemed tired and throwing a “hissy fit,” so she must rest.

A point is highlighted when she makes a public appearance outside the gates when visiting a factory. Sisi sees the treacherous conditions they are forced to endure, including giving up their wages for the war effort and making children work there. When she gives a child her shoes, a royal guard picks her up against her will, because her bare feet are not allowed to touch the ground, causing a riot. Why? Because she looks like a spoiled woman will not subject her skin to the dirt the common folk roll around in. The empress is also blamed for not giving the emperor an heir immediately. Her penchant for riding horses and staying out late is the reason for her lack of fertility.

Even her plan, which Franz goes along with, blows up in her face when she suggests her husband take the Russian Tsar’s son out for boar hunting. The man misses the wild and angry animal twice while charging them. At the last moment, Elisabeth shoots and kills the beast, embarrassing the Russian. Everyone at the party laughs, causing a rift and putting the countries on the verge of war.

By the end of the season, Elisabeth is pregnant but does not tell the royal court. Her partying becomes excessive, Franz is tired of his wife, running to his brother when things don’t go her way, and Sophia gives her a choice of returning to Bavaria or being a practical prisoner in the palace. The empress chooses to leave but is stopped at the gates by a large crowd blocking the entrances. She climbs out and shows extraordinary empathy that they have never been shown before.

The empress announces she is pregnant, to the surprise of Sophia, and garners favor with the Austrian citizens.