Mistresses and illegetimate children of Emperor Franz Josef

[Angie_H]

Does anyone have any big pics of Archduchess Gisela with her sister Marie Valerie or do you know of any books that I can find some? I would love to color one of them together, but I can not find any in a good size.
Thanks!  
Angie

[Kaiserin_Sissi]

Does anybody have pictures or informations about the mistresses of Franz Josef.
I know he had Comtess Potocka, Anna Nahowski and Katharina Schratt. I haven't nopictures of these women.
Did he have Another Mistress(es) during his mariage with Sissi ?

[Sissi]

these women are the only ones I know, besides the "Higienic Countess", hismother used to have some balls in which he would choose a young woman he liked and would spent the night with her.

[MarieCharlotte]

In 1844 Franz Joseph fell in love for the first time with Berta von Marwitz, a lady-in-waiting of his aunt Queen Elise of Prussia.

Then he loved Elisabeth Ungarte when he was 18. But Elisabeth has already been married for four years.

Another mistress was Katharina Abel, an opera singer.

And in 1850, Franz Joseph is said to have had a love affaire with Helene Baltazzi, Mary Vetsera's mother.

[MarieCharlotte]

Anna Nahowski

[MarieCharlotte]

Helene Berg, née Nahowski - Franz Joseph's daughter by Anna Nahowski.

[Kaiserin_Sissi]

Are we sure that she is the daughter of Franz Josef ? Me I.'m not

[MarieCharlotte]

Are we sure that she is the daughter of Franz Josef ? Me I.'m not

There's no doubt about it. But I'm not sure about Anna's son Franz Joseph ... He is said to be FJ's Sohn, too, but there are a few authors who do not believe in this story.

[Mischa]

I remember seeing the pictures of two illegetimate children (a boy and a girl) of Franz Joseph in a book I read many years ago. I don’t recall their names (or their mother's name), but the boy resembled the emperor very, very closely. Is somebody here, who can tell me the names?

Thank you in advance

M.

[Yseult]

Hi, Mischa

I just have read about one supposed illegitimate daughter of Franz Joseph: Helena Nahowski Berg.

Anna Heuduk Nowak was married, aged fifteen, to the railway man Franz Nahowski, so she became Anna Nahowski. It seems that the husband was a drunkard who often beat her. Later, she got a legal separation, but not a divorce, from this husband.
As far as I know, Franz Josef met Anna Nahowski and they had a pure sexual affair. She was his mistress during thirteen or fourteen years. Supposedly, the daughter of Anna, Helena Nahowski, was fathered by the emperor. When Helena was a young girl, she caught the eye of the well-known composer Alban Berg and they got married.

[MarieCharlotte]

There is a good book about the relationship between Franz Joseph and Anna Nahowski that also mentions Anna's children Helene and Franz Joseph. Its title is Als der Adler noch zwei Köpfe hatte by Erich Alban Berg.

The Emperor met Anna for the first time at the park of Schloss Schönbrunnin in 1875. He bought a house in Hietzing next to Schönbrunn where he visited    her almost every morning.
Helene Nahowski was born in 1885 and her brother Franz Joseph in 1889. Anna's son Franz Joseph was mentally ill and spent some time in different sanatoriums. On August 18th 1930, 100th birthay anniversary of the Emperor, he cut off his finger to bring it so the tomb of Emperor Franz Joseph. Quite strange.

Helene married Alban Berg in 1911. They were laid to rest in the cemetary of Hietzing.

Erich Alban Berg is convinced that Helene was Franz Joseph's daughter. As the Emperor seperated from Anna in 1888 and Franz Joseph was born one year later, it is unlikely that he was the Emperor's son. I guess that the author of the book I've mentioned had the possibility to have a look into Anna Nahowski's diaries which were owned by Helene.
Anyway, Franz Joseph never cared about this daughter / his children.

There are also rumours that Franz Joseph had (another) illegitimate son who lived near Vienna. This man had many documents that confirmed his claim.

[britt.25]

Thats very interesting. I would be interested in further infos, if you have. So Helene is likely the emperors daughter? Again, I did not know about that! you said  Anna´s son Franz Joseph was unlikely the son of the emperor, is there any other possible father known? And why did she call him Franz Joseph, when he had another father? Do you know, when they separated in 1888, can it not be that he was fathered - for example- lately in the year 1888 and was born at the beginning of the new year?  only a question. It´s really strange, that he behaved so strange and was mentally ill. Maybe he had problems not to know , who he exactly is?
I think, it must be a stange situation. Is there anything known, who Anna told her children, who they were?  Did she say openly that the emperor were the father? Or was it in her diaries? Concerning the daughter, had her mother any other (known) lovers at the time, when she was together with Franz Joseph and bore her daughter in 1885?
And concerning the other claimant, who lived near Vienna. Who was he exactly? Did he claim openly hat he was Franz Joseph´s son, and did he want any money?
Sorry for these many questions, but stories like that always interest me.

[britt.25]

Has anybody got a pic from the official father of Helene, Franz Nahrowski? Only to compare..

[MarieCharlotte]

Dear Britt,

I'm afraid, but I don't have any further information about Anna's children. I only read that Franz Joseph sent Anna's husband far away from Vienna when he got to know her.

Concerning the other man who claimed to be Franz Joseph's son, I can't tell you much more either. I got this information from Lars R. Friedrich who has the biggest private Mayerling collection. He also has a website: http://www.mayerling-archiv.de. He met this man, so maybe he could tell you more.

[CFH_Mexico]

I find the subject interesting for a film, a comedy and for general gossip. Emperor Franz Joseph was one of the most conservative men of his times. We must remember that the "Victorian code of ethics" was in its strongest moment. There is absolutely no proof that the emperor had any illegitimate son or daughter.

It is true that the Emperor was a lonely man, most of the time abandoned by his wife Elisabeth, that he loved opera, theatre and music. He was surrounded by artists and beautiful women but there is absolutely no proof that he had any relationship with any one of them.

His profound catholic faith and strong moral values, which he also imposed to the court, did not permit him to have extra marital relationships.