Tragic Death of Prince Rudolf
The Mayerling Affair – Murder-Suicide of Rudolf and Mary Vetsera
Apr 20, 2009 William Silvester
Prince Rudolf was the only son of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and as such heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Born in August 1858, Rudolf had been raised by his paternal grandmother, Archduchess Sophie and developed very liberal views for the times. He married Princess Stephanie of Belgium in May 1881 and though they had a daughter, Archduchess Elizabeth, the couple drifted apart and Rudolf indulged himself with liquor and female companionship.
Emperor Franz Josef
In 1887 Rudolf bought an estate in Lower Austria and converted it into a hunting lodge called Mayerling. A year later he met Baronesss Mary Vetsera and began an affair with the love-smitten 17-year-old girl.
Official reports state that the Emperor Franz Josef was not pleased when he learned of the affair and ordered his son to break off the relationship. On January 30, 1889 the bodies of the couple were discovered at Mayerling. The devastated emperor ordered an official, but discreet, inquiry into the deaths and the mystery began.
Official Version
As the death of Rudolph changed the order of succession, the incident had to be handled very carefully and diplomatically. Karl Ludwig, Franz Joseph’s brother was now heir. The official explanation stated that Rudolf had died of a heart attack. Marie Vetsara’s name was not mentioned and her body was quietly spirited away and buried. The story did not hold up, however and was changed to admit that the Prince and his mistress had committed suicide. It soon became widely accepted that the pair had carried out a suicide pact. It appeared that Rudolf had shot Mary in the head and then sat by her body for several hours before killing himself. Special dispensation was received from the Vatican so that Rudolf was declared mentally imbalanced and therefore not responsible for his suicide and eligible to be buried in the hallowed area on the Imperial Crypt.
Lover’s Quarrel
Due to the length of time between the deaths of the pair, it has been postulated that Rudolf killed Mary in a fit of rage and then after sorrowing over the deed for a number of hours decided his only recourse was to take his own life as well. Or perhaps Mary had killed herself for some other reason and Rudolf found her dead body and after a time decided to end his own life as well. His final letter to his wife supports the suicide hypothesis as he mentions that only death can save his good name but he gives no good reason for suicide nor does he mention Baroness Mary.
Empress Zita’s Version
The Empress Zita, wife of Karl, the last ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, had a different story to tell. Before her death in 1989 she gave a series of interviews to the tabloid Kronen Zeitung in which she declared that Prince Rudolf and his mistress had been murdered. She claimed that either the Austrian security forces due to Rudolf anti-German feelings or French agents due to Rudolf’s refusal to depose his pro-German father had carried out the deed. Zita offered no proof nor has any evidence been discovered to support either allegation. The only shred of evidence was that an his funeral Rudolf was wearing gloves, supposedly to cover the defensive wounds on his hands.
Case Reopened
Official cover-ups, conflicting reports and numerous theories have combined to make it impossible to find the real truth about the Mayerling Affair. Fear of scandal hampered later inquiries and all of the people involved have since died. In December 1992 the tragedy became news again when Mary Vetsera’s remains were unaccountably stolen from the cemetery where she had been laid to rest. Her remains were recovered and a forensic scientist brought in to determine that the remains were indeed Mary’s before reinternment. The report came back stating that her skull showed no signs of a bullet wound as initially reported rather she appeared to have been beaten to death.
Bibliography
Emiol Franzel - Crown Prince Rudolph and the Mayerling Tragedy: Fact and Fiction – Vienna - 1974
Fritz Judtmann - Mayerling: The Facts Behind the Legend- London - 1971
Georg Markus - Crime at Mayerling: The Life and Death of Mary Vetsera: with New Expert Opinions Following the Desecration of Her Grave – California - 1995.
Crown Prince Rudolf
|
Baroness Mary Vetsera
|
What do you think about this article?
More in History
Latest Articles