The second season of Netflix’s German historical drama series, ‘The Empress‘, takes us back to the life and reign of Elizabeth as things become more unstable by the minute in her empire. With increasing pressure to give birth to an heir, Elisabeth must also deal with the problems of her marriage to Franz, who, in turn, tries to keep the country together by any means possible. Over the course of six episodes, the duo goes through many ups and downs and is even on the verge of losing each other following a heartbreaking drama. Eventually they get together, but by then things have regressed so much that they have to prepare for more tragedies. SPOILERS AHEAD

Will Franz win the war?

Leading an empire with diverse cultures and people is a challenge in itself, and Franz felt the weight of it as soon as he ascended the throne. The problem with the rebels has been nagging him since Season 1, but things get exponentially worse in Season 2, which begins several years after the failed coup and the revelation of Elisabeth’s first pregnancy. At the end of season 2, the couple lost their first daughter, whose death tears them apart. The final episode takes another time jump and they have a third child who turns out to be a boy. Meanwhile, Napoleon’s plan to sow trouble in the Lombardy region comes to fruition and Franz has no choice but to join the rebels, supported by France.

If it had been just the rebels, Franz might have hoped to win the war. But with the support of France, led by Napoleon, the Emperor of Austria knew that his eyes were bigger than his stomach. Napoleon’s plan had been in the works for a long time and Franz blamed himself for not having seen it before. The worst part is that no one in his office saw it either. When Franz was dealing with his personal problems, particularly the loss of his daughter and the problems in his marriage, his ministers were too busy filling their own coffers rather than thinking about what was best for the empire . It is because of their selfishness and short-sightedness that no one has made the connection between Lombardy and Napoleon, and now they have no choice but to face trouble.

As expected, Franz’s army was unable to counter Napoleon. With so many losses, Franz is led to consider the idea of ​​going to the battlefield himself. Until now, as emperor, he had simply worked behind the scenes. But while the men of his country give their lives for him, he considers it unfair that he remains safe while the soldiers shed their blood. He decides to join them on the battlefield, even though Elisabeth and her mother try to dissuade him. However, he made his choice.

What makes the idea of ​​Franz going to the battlefield so bad is that he’s a novice. He has never fought in a battle before and he has no experience in war. And he faces Napoleon, who came to power thanks to his military sense. He has fought and won too many wars to lose them to Franz. Besides a solid combat strategy, he also has a huge army, which is another advantage in his favor. Given all of this, it makes sense that when Franz decides to leave for war, his family thinks he probably won’t come back. They hope it will, but with so many soldiers dead in a war that already seems lost, it wouldn’t be surprising if Franz died there.

Fortunately, Franz does not die during the war. History reveals that he returns, but not victorious. He lost the war and the rebels gained the independence they were fighting for. As Napoleon says in the last episode of the series, war is the beginning of the end for the Austrian Empire, and he is right. Franz cannot keep the different regions together for long. Although he manages to salvage something from this collapse, the sun sets on the empire under his rule. The only good thing is that he doesn’t die in the war. In fact, he continued to live to the age of 86 and died of illness rather than being killed on a battlefield.

What happens to Léontine?

In addition to the troubles within the empire and at court, trouble is also brewing for Léontine, whose real name is Ava. A rebel herself, she killed and took the role of Countess Léontine with the intention of killing Franz. But after befriending Elisabeth, she changed her mind. Still, that didn’t change the fact that she was an imposter, and Amalia found out. At the end of season 1, Léontine killed Amalia by throwing her from a first-floor balcony. The act was witnessed by Charlotte, who quickly put distance between herself and the empress.

During this time, Leontine had a sexual relationship with Alexander von Bach, who repeatedly expressed his desire to marry her. The only reason she refused him was because she knew that talk of marriage would bring the truth to light and she would be hanged for it. Things become complicated when Léontine discovers that she is pregnant with Alexandre’s child. She can’t marry him because of her situation, but she also can’t keep the child and raise him as her own in court. She plans to leave the child with the nuns in a home for orphans, but before she can plan further, Alexander discovers the truth when the real Leontine’s father comes to court and shows Alexander his daughter’s photo.

Horrified by this discovery, Alexandre tells Léontine to pack her things and leave immediately. He doesn’t betray her because he knows it would mean her death, which he can’t bear. But he can’t let her continue her ruse either. So she leaves the palace without telling anyone where she is going. Léontine’s sudden disappearance also upsets Elisabeth, especially after she is going through such a difficult time with the death of her daughter and her marriage in ruins. In the end, everything went well for her and she even gave birth to her son. It was then that she received a letter from Léontine, but there was no return address, which did not allow Elisabeth to find her friend.

It is when Charlotte tells Elisabeth about Léontine’s pregnancy that the Empress understands why her friend and confidante left. She still doesn’t know the truth about her identity, but she knows that Alexander is the only one who can bring her back. She tells him the truth, even though she doesn’t realize why Alexander let her go in the first place. When Alexandre discovers that Léontine is with a child when she leaves the palace, he decides to find her and rectify his mistake. Even though she is still wrong for cheating on him and everyone else in the palace, she is still the mother of his child and he loves her.

As nothing is known about Léontine’s time since leaving the palace, we cannot know with certainty what has happened to her since. Because it has been almost a year, she must have already given birth to her child and would have settled somewhere far enough away that the Empress cannot easily find her but not so far away that she is outside the boundaries of the ’empire. This isn’t the first time she’s left a life and a name behind and started again, so it makes sense that she’s better suited to staying hidden. Additionally, the Empress still doesn’t seem to know the truth about her identity, which poses another obstacle to finding her.

Alexander, on the other hand, knows a little more than the Empress. He is also more motivated, which suggests that he could eventually be the one to find Léontine and her child. But it remains unlikely that he will return to court with her. The first reason is its secrecy. Even if he accepts her and marries her, he will not bring her back to the palace because that would also put him in danger if and when the truth comes out. Another reason to prevent his return would be Franz’s loss of the war and a significant change in the dynamics of the empire. Alexander would prefer to stay away and live a quieter life with his new family. He has already proven his devotion to them by submitting his resignation during wartime. So, this could very well be the last time we see Léontine and Alexandre.

What happens to Maximillian and Charlotte?

As Franz goes off to war, he once again leaves his brother behind. Due to the problems with Lombardy, Franz forced Maximillian to resign as viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia. Maximillian understands this approach. However, he also does his best to turn the tide in favor of his brother. The timing just wasn’t in his favor, especially since Franz was going through his own problems and neglecting his duties while Maximillian was hanging by a thread. When Franz decides to go to the battlefield himself, Maximillian believes that his brother will put him in charge in his absence. Even though Franz now has an heir, the child is too young to do anything. If something happened to Franz, his son would need someone to guide him. Someone else should act in his place as head of state and run things.

Because men have been placed in positions of power thus far, Maximillian believes the role of interim leader would fall to him. However, his brother reveals that he trusts his wife and mother more with these kinds of things. Plus, he doesn’t even bother to give Maximillian any responsibilities. This leaves the younger brother completely disillusioned with his role in the Austrian Empire. All he ever wanted was for his brother to pay attention to him and include him in his inner circle. But Franz still kept him at arm’s length, leading Maximillian to act worse. With the Viceroy out of his hands and no powerful role to play in Austria, Maximillian decides to take his leave for good.

When Maximillian met Napoleon, the French emperor spoke to him about the developing situation in South America. With all ties cut with Austria, a move to South America seems to be the natural order of things for Maximillian. History suggests that Maximillian traveled to Mexico, where he endured another turbulent period that ended in tragedy from which he was unable to recover. When he finally returned to Vienna, he was in a coffin. Given all of this, Maximillian’s heartbroken departure from the palace suggests that he is finally ready to move on and forge his own path outside the shadow of his family and brother. If the next season continues with his story, we will find him in Mexico.

Learn more: The Empress: Is Countess Léontine von Apafi based on a real person?