The double monarchy

Made for a secret santa exchange at the APH rarepair exchange at tumblr using the pairing AustriaXHungary and the prompts flowers and history.

This pairing combined with history makes me think of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which in turn makes me think of Emporer Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi.

Franz Joseph von Habsburg became emporer of Austria in 1848, aged 18. In 1854 he married Elisabeth 'Sisi' Amalie Eugenie von Wittelsbach. It was planned that he would marry his cousin Helene 'Néné' Caroline Therese, but he chose her younger sister Sisi. Their mother Ludovika was the sister of Sophia, the mother of Franz Joseph.

He was the uncle of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne who was killed at the start of WW1. Franz Joseph's only son Rudolf Franz Karl Joseph died in 1889 at Mayerling, his hunting lodge. He comitted suicide together with his mistress.

The emporer always wore some kind of military uniform, the one Austria is wearing is the dress uniform of a field marshal. The dress Hungary is wearing is the dress the empress wore when she was crowned queen of Hungary. Sisi had a great love for the country, language and culture.

It was during his reign of the Austrian Empire that the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 came to be. Hungary regained part ot its sovereignty as a kingdom and was no longer a subject of Austria. And the Empire became a double monarchy.

The flowers are the Edelweiss, Austria's national flower and the Tulip, Hungary's national flower. I used purple as a symbol of royalty and added a yellow one, because there are a bunch of negative meanings to that one and their marriage was anything but a happy one.


Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya