The private life of Franz Joseph

The Austrian emperor and Hungarian king grew into an almost legendary figure in Hungary as well. Perhaps he was the historical figure who traveled the greatest path in the souls of the Hungarian people. At the beginning of the story, the teenaged young man entered the public consciousness as the defeater and avenger of the Hungarian freedom struggle. Sixty-eight years later, he ended his life as a respected ruler loved by the majority of the Hungarian population. From the author's work, we learn what happened to him (and to us) during those nearly seventy years. This period also brought a rise for the Hungarians. József Ferenc was, on the one hand, a jovial man, and on the other, a frighteningly harsh bureaucrat. But our author now presents the private man, using new sources, old diaries, and reminiscences that have come to light in recent years. From these, the image of an adulterous, comfortable, but sometimes recklessly in love man emerges.