Emperor Franz Joseph and his son Rudolf
Austria's Crown Prince Rudolf, born in 1858, was the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth.
Rudolf was married to Princess Stephanie of Belgium in 1881.
Reportedly, it was a loveless marriage.
Reportedly, on 30 January 1889, at the hunting lodge called Mayerling, Rudolf, and his 17 year old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, were found dead.
Rudolph and Stephanie
The official report on the deaths claimed that Rudolph shot Vetsera in the head before shooting himself with his own gun.
In 1992 the 'remains of Baroness Vetsera' were examined.
The skull contained no evidence of a bullet hole.
(Article about "Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria".)
A report on 'Rudolph's body', made at the time of his death, showed evidence of a violent struggle.
The report noted that the gun, said to be involved in the death of Rudolph, did not belong to Rudolph.
Mayerling
There have been claims that Rudolph was murdered, possibly on orders from his father, the Emperor.
Some suspect that Rudolph was assassinated by the Austrian secret police because he was seen as being too liberal.
Reportedly, Crown Prince Rudolph was associated with 'political Jews'. (Cached )
Empress Zita, the widow of the last Austrian Emperor Karl (1916-1918) claimed that Rudolph had been murdered after he had refused to take part in a French plot to depose his pro-German conservative father.
Marie Larisch
Rudolph had been inroduced to his mistress Mary Vetsera by Countess Marie Louise Larisch von Moennich, niece of the Empress Elisabeth.
Marie Louise Larisch was the illegitimate daughter of Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke of Bavaria (1831-1920) and actress Henriette Mendel (1833-1891). Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marie is said to have been given a great deal of "hush money" not to publish her memoirs.
Reportedly, she exiled herself to the United StatesUnited States in exchange for an annual pension.
But she did published her memoirs.
She claimed Rudolph had been shot by one of the Emperor's servants.
Eventually Archduke Franz-Ferdinand, who was assassinated in 1914, became the Emperor's heir.
Justo Armas
Justo Armas appeared in El Salvador in the late 19th century.
(Justo Armas)
He mixed with the top people.
He had upper-class European manners, spoke educated German and had a detailed knowledge of upper class European society and court affairs, including those of Austria.
There is a theory that Crown Prince Rudolf was not murdered but was allowed to go into exile.
And that Vetsera entered a convent.
Reportedly, Rudolf sailed from Hamburg to Argentina in a ship owned by his cousin, Archduke Johann Salvator.
Reportedly, Rudolf lived in Argentina for nearly ten years.
Reportedly, he moved to El Salvador in 1898 and died there in 1936.
Reportedly, Rudolph was Justo Armas.
Who really killed Franz Ferdinand?
And which Crown Prince is this?
2 comments:
I would say that's the future Edward VIII of England.
H.R.H. Prince Leopold, Eldest Son of the King of the Belgians.
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