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60-471: The Mayerling incident is the series of events surrounding the apparent murder–suicide pact of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria , and his lover, baroness Mary Vetsera . They were found dead on 30 January 1889 in an imperial hunting lodge in Mayerling . Rudolf, who was married to Princess Stéphanie of Belgium , was the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth , and was heir apparent to

120-642: A Dame of the Star Cross Order . Valerie was greatly affected by the suicide of her brother Rudolf on 30 January 1889, and the assassination of her mother Elisabeth in September 1898. She and her sister Gisela were a great support to their father in the aftermath of these tragedies. Together with Elisabeth's ladies-in-waiting Valerie also sorted out Elisabeth's literary legacy, her letters and correspondences. In her diary Valerie noted that her parents' relationship and alienation had only improved during

180-608: A chimney sweep if she so desired (in contrast to her other children, who both had to make dynastic marriages). Valerie chose Franz Salvator, a relatively minor prince from the Tuscan branch of the Austrian imperial family who had no great wealth to offer, and Elisabeth, as promised, supported her favorite daughter. This caused a deep rift between Valerie and her siblings for a time, but eventually Rudolf reconciled with her when Valerie and Franz became engaged on Christmas 1888. However,

240-521: A ball, but Valerie waited several years to be sure that her feelings toward Franz Salvator were strong enough for a successful marriage. It was hoped by many at court that she would marry someone like the Crown Prince of Saxony , the Prince Royal of Portugal or Prince Alfons of Bavaria as she courted with him. Nonetheless, Empress Elisabeth declared that Valerie would be allowed to marry even

300-553: A boy, she would have been named Stephen after Hungary's canonized King and patron saint . According to historian Brigitte Hamann , a boy born to the Queen of Hungary in the castle at Budapest would have raised the possibility of his someday becoming its king, separating Hungary from the Austrian empire. Due to this, there was universal relief at the Viennese court that Valerie was a girl. Malicious rumors began to spread that Valerie

360-467: A day's shooting at Mayerling hunting lodge early on the morning of the 30th, but when his valet Loschek went to call him, there was no answer. Joseph Hoyos, the Archduke's hunting companion, joined in, with no response. They tried to force the door, but it would not give. Finally, Loschek smashed in a door panel with a hammer so that he could put his hand through to open the door from the inside. He found

420-480: A double suicide to a prominent courtesan, Mizzi Kaspar . It was after she refused that Rudolf proposed the death pact with the more susceptible Vetsera. Hamann, in an interview, argued Rudolf "was a poetic young man and brooded a lot. He was ill with syphilis and felt guilty that he had infected his wife." This is the theory most widely accepted by historians. Another theory is the exacerbation of his mental health struggles from abuse during his childhood culminated in

480-567: A few days later in favour of his eldest son, Franz Ferdinand . After Franz Ferdinand's assassination in 1914 , Franz Ferdinand's nephew (and Karl Ludwig's grandson), Karl , became the heir-presumptive. Karl would ultimately succeed his great-uncle as Emperor Karl I in 1916. In July 2015, the Austrian National Library issued copies of Vetsera's letters of farewell to her mother and other family members. These letters, previously believed to be lost or destroyed, were found in

540-534: A letter, "I must add that I have seen Valerie - fully conscious, completely aware of her condition, and so devoutly accepting, even joyfully anticipating her impending departure, that I believe an unexpected recovery would actually disappoint her." She is buried in a crypt behind the high altar at the parish church in Sindelburg , Austria. Several thousand people followed her coffin to its resting place. On 28 April 1934, ten years after Valerie's death, Franz married

600-456: A patron of the Red Cross , for which she founded hospitals and raised considerable sums of money; she was also patron of seven other charities. During World War I she created a hospital barracks in the castle itself and helped care for the wounded. She was a devout Catholic who also spent much time supporting religious charities and was known to the people as the "Angel of Waldsee". She was also

660-645: A safe deposit box in an Austrian bank, where they had been deposited in 1926. The letters—written in Mayerling shortly before the deaths—state clearly and unambiguously that Vetsera was preparing to commit suicide alongside Rudolf: Dear Mother Please forgive me for what I've done I could not resist love In accordance with Him, I want to be buried next to Him in the Cemetery of Alland I am happier in death than life. Brigitte Hamann , in her book Rudolf, Crown Prince and Rebel , states Rudolf had first proposed

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720-609: A second time, to Freiin (a title corresponding to "Baroness") Melanie von Riesenfels. This was a morganatic marriage; the wedding took place in Vienna. The pair had met after Valerie's death at Melanie's home, Seisenegg Palace, where she lived with her sisters Maria Anna and Johanna. After their wedding, the couple lived at Seisenegg. Franz Salvator died on 20 April 1939 in Vienna . The Mária Valéria bridge joining Hungarian town Esztergom and Slovak town Štúrovo (then Parkány) across

780-647: A son by him, Franz Joseph, whom he acknowledged as his while Valerie was still alive. Valerie faced these blows stoically, confiding only in her journal. After the end of World War I, Valerie officially recognized the end of the Habsburg monarchy and signed documents renouncing all rights toward the same for herself and her descendants. The renunciation allowed her to keep her home and possessions. Valerie died in Schloss Wallsee on 6 September 1924 of lymphoma . Shortly before her death, her sister Gisela wrote in

840-464: A study specifically related to murder–suicide, Milton Rosenbaum (1990) discovered the murder–suicide perpetrators to be vastly different from perpetrators of homicide alone. Whereas murderer–suicides were found to be highly depressed and overwhelmingly men, other murderers were not generally depressed and more likely to include women in their ranks. In the U.S. the overwhelming number of cases are male-on-female. Around one-third of partner homicides end in

900-528: Is a much higher proportion of British male murder-suicides, in general, than female. Overwhelmingly the women committing murder-suicide tend to kill their children and then themselves. Men, on the other hand, tend to kill their spouses or partners and then themselves. According to psychiatrist Karl A. Menninger , murder and suicide are interchangeable acts – suicide sometimes forestalling murder, and vice versa. Following Freudian logic, severe repression of natural instincts due to early childhood abuse may lead

960-860: Is no national tracking system for murder–suicides in the United States, medical studies into the phenomenon estimate between 1,000 and 1,500 deaths per year in the US, with the majority occurring between spouses or intimate partners and the vast majority of the perpetrators being male. Depression, marital or/and financial problems, and other problems are generally motivators. Homicides which are later followed by suicide often make headline news; national statistics indicate 5% of all homicidal deaths are caused by murder–suicides. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control reports that an estimated 1 million adults reported attempting suicide in 2011, and there were over 38,000 completed suicides in

1020-646: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie by Gavrilo Princip , a Yugoslav nationalist and ethnic Serb, at Sarajevo in June 1914, and the July Crisis that led to the start of the First World War . By 1889, many people at the Imperial Court, including Rudolf's parents and his wife, Stéphanie , knew that Rudolf and Mary were having an affair. His marriage to Stéphanie

1080-506: The death instinct to emerge in a twisted form. The cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker , whose theories on the human notion of death are strongly influenced by Freud, views the fear of death as a universal phenomenon, a fear repressed in the unconscious and of which people are largely unaware. This fear can move individuals toward heroism , but also to scapegoating . Failed attempts to achieve heroism, according to this view, can lead to mental illness and/or antisocial behavior . In

1140-844: The Church's blessing for Rudolf's burial in the Imperial Crypt . This would have been impossible had the Crown Prince deliberately committed murder and suicide. The Vatican issued a special dispensation declaring that Rudolf had been in a state of "mental imbalance", and he now lies with 137 other Habsburgs in the Imperial Crypt at the Church of the Capuchins in Vienna. However, Rudolf had requested in his farewell note to his mother that he be buried next to Mary Vetsera in Alland. Elisabeth

1200-400: The Crown Prince interrupted the security inherent in the direct line of Habsburg dynastic succession. As Rudolf had no son, the succession passed to Franz Joseph's brother, Archduke Karl Ludwig , and his eldest son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand . This destabilisation endangered the growing reconciliation between the Austrian and Hungarian factions of the empire. Succeeding developments led to

1260-483: The Emperor, who said to Szechenyi: 'This is the first vexation my son has caused me.' I give you the news for what it is worth. General Loe heard from Austrian sources that the catastrophe was not premeditated for that day! but that the young lady had destroyed herself and, seeing that, Rudolf thought there was nothing else left to him, and that he had killed himself with a Förster Gewehr [hunting rifle] which he stood on

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1320-633: The Empress could break such catastrophic news to the Emperor. Baron Nopcsa, Controller of the Empress's Household, was summoned. He, in turn, sent for Ida Ferenczy , Empress Elisabeth's favourite Hungarian lady-in-waiting , to determine how Her Imperial Majesty should be informed. Elisabeth was at her Greek lesson and was impatient at the interruption. Her lips white, Ferenczy announced that Baron Nopcsa had urgent news. Elisabeth replied that Nopcsa must wait and come back later. Ferenczy insisted that Nopcsa must be received immediately, finally adding that there

1380-526: The Mayerling affair. Initial reports were that her bones were strewn around the churchyard for the authorities to retrieve. But Flatzelsteiner removed them at night for a private forensic examination at his expense, which finally took place in February 1993. Flatzelsteiner told the examiners that the remains were those of a relative killed some 100 years ago, who had possibly been shot in the head or stabbed. One expert thought this might be possible, but since

1440-676: The abbey €2000 for damages. The Mayerling affair has been dramatized in: Murder%E2%80%93suicide Note: Varies by jurisdiction Note: Varies by jurisdiction A murder–suicide is an act where an individual intentionally kills one or more people before killing themselves. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms: Suicide- lawful killing has three conceivable forms: Many spree killings have ended in suicide, such as in several school shootings . Some cases of religiously motivated suicides may also involve murder. All categorization amounts to forming somewhat arbitrary distinctions where relating to intention in

1500-422: The abortion theory (her pregnancy would not have been evident by the time of their deaths) [...]." Clemens M. Gruber, in a piece called The Fateful Days of Mayerling , argues Rudolf died in a drinking brawl. In Gruber's story, Vetsera's relatives forced their way into the lodge and Rudolf drew a revolver, accidentally shooting the baroness. He was then killed by one of her relatives. Freiin von Vetsera's body

1560-528: The area, accompanied by a member of the Vetsera family and specialists in funereal preservation, inspected her remains. Holler carefully examined the skull and other bones for traces of a bullet hole but stated that he found no such evidence. Intrigued, Holler claimed he petitioned the Vatican to inspect their 1889 archives of the affair, where the papal nuncio 's investigation had concluded that only one bullet

1620-412: The baroness in a suicide pact and sat by her body for several hours before shooting himself. Rudolf and the Emperor were known to have recently had a violent argument, with Franz Joseph demanding that his son end the liaison with his teenage mistress. The police closed their investigations with surprising haste, in apparent response to the Emperor's wishes. Franz Joseph did everything in his power to get

1680-461: The body of Mary Freiin von Vetsera; rigor mortis had already set in. Hoyos did not look any closer, but rushed to the station and took a special train to Vienna. He hurried to the Emperor's Adjutant General , Paar, and requested he break the news to the Emperor. The stifling protocol that characterised every movement in the Hofburg controlled the notification process. Paar protested that only

1740-516: The case of psychosis , where the intention(s) is/are more likely than not to be irrational. Ascertaining the legal intention ( mens rea ) is inapplicable to cases properly categorized as insanity . Some use the term murder–suicide to refer to homicide –suicide, which can include manslaughter and is therefore more encompassing. According to an analysis of the London Times ' reports of murder (1887-1990) by Danson and Soothill (1996), there

1800-475: The ground and then trod on the trigger. Loe considers, as I do, poor Rudolf's death a terrible misfortune. The Chancellor, I think, does not deplore it, and did not like him! [April 20, 1889] Allegations of a double murder masked as a murder–suicide have also been made. In a series of interviews with the Viennese tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung , the Empress Zita , who was not born until three years after

1860-409: The imperial court refused to let Vetsera's mother see her daughter's grave for over two months after the burial. Foreign correspondents descended on Mayerling and soon learned that Rudolf's mistress was implicated in his death. This first official version of a heart attack was quickly dropped. At that stage, the "heart failure" version was amended. It was announced that the Crown Prince had first shot

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1920-401: The impression that he had been poisoned. It appears that even Mary's mother, Helene von Vetsera , initially believed this. The Imperial Court medical commission, headed by Dr. Widerhofer, arrived in Mayerling that afternoon and established a more accurate cause of death. Widerhofer made his report to the Emperor at 6 a.m. the following morning. The official gazette of Vienna still reported

1980-408: The incident, expressed her belief that the deaths of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress were not a double suicide, but rather a murder by French agents sent by Georges Clemenceau . The death of Rudolf caused a dynastic crisis. As Rudolf was the only son of Franz Joseph, the emperor's brother, Karl Ludwig , became heir-presumptive to Austria-Hungary . He renounced his succession rights

2040-449: The last few years of her mother's life. She also felt that taking care of her aging father, Emperor Franz Joseph, was some sort of "a trial". While the marriage of Valerie and Franz was harmonious at first, it became less so with time. Franz had many affairs, including one with a dancer Stephanie Richter , who was later known as "Hitler's Spy Princess" for her espionage activities before and during World War II . In 1914, she gave birth to

2100-493: The news to her husband in private. The Minister for Police was summoned and the national security services sealed off the Imperial hunting lodge and the surrounding area. Eduard von Taaffe , Ministerpräsident (Minister-President) of Cisleithania , issued a statement at noon on behalf of the Emperor that Rudolf had died "due to a rupture of an aneurysm of the heart". The Imperial Family and Imperial Court were still under

2160-435: The original story that day: "His Royal and Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Archduke Rudolf, died yesterday at his hunting lodge of Mayerling, near Baden , from the rupture of an aneurysm of the heart." They attempted to state that Vetsera had died on her way to Venice, having her uncles prop up her body with a broomstick to cover-up the double suicide as they left the lodge. Vetsera was quickly buried with other suicides, and

2220-624: The politically liberal Rudolf. It was certainly doubted by many of Rudolf's close relatives, who knew the Chancellor personally. German Empress Victoria wrote: Yesterday Prince Bismarck came. It was a bitter pill to me to have to receive him after all that has taken place and with all that is going on. He talked a great deal about Rudolf, and said that a scene with the Emperor [of Austria] had taken place, according to Reuss ' account. Perhaps Reuss [the German Ambassador to Austria]

2280-459: The relationship between Valerie and Rudolf's wife Princess Stéphanie of Belgium remained cold even after Rudolf's death. Valerie's solemn renunciation of her rights to the Austrian throne, which was necessary for the marriage to proceed, took place on 16 July 1890 at the Hermesvilla . The young couple's festive wedding followed in the parish church of Bad Ischl on 31 July. The ceremony

2340-526: The renovation was finished, a ceremony marking their moving into the new palace was held on 4 September 1897. There was great celebration of the event in Wallsee due to Valerie's popularity. Even after her marriage, Marie Valerie remained in close contact with her ageing father, who greatly appreciated the informal atmosphere in his youngest daughter's family. She was known and loved for her generous involvement in local charitable endeavors. In 1900, she became

2400-399: The room shuttered and half-dark. Rudolf was found sitting (by some accounts, lying) motionless by the side of the bed, leaning forward and bleeding from the mouth. Before him on the bedside table stood a glass and a mirror. Without closer examination in the poor light, Loschek assumed that the Crown Prince had drunk poison from the glass since he knew strychnine caused bleeding. On the bed lay

2460-496: The same period. The estimate of 624 murder–suicide events per year indicates that around 1.6% of suicides involve murder. In 18th-century Denmark, people wishing to die by suicide would sometimes commit murder in order to receive the death penalty . They believed murder followed by repentance would allow them to end their life while avoiding damnation . Archduchess Marie Valerie Archduchess Marie Valerie Mathilde Amalie of Austria (22 April 1868 – 6 September 1924)

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2520-529: The skull was not only in a state of disintegration but was actually incomplete, this could not be confirmed. Flatzelsteiner then approached a journalist at the Kronen Zeitung to sell both the story and Vetsera's skeleton. That these were Vetsera's remains was confirmed through forensic examination. The body was re-interred in the original grave in October 1993, and after a court case, Flatzelsteiner paid

2580-400: The suicide of the perpetrator. From national and international data and interviews with family members of murder–suicide perpetrators, the following are the key predictors of murder–suicide: a history of substance abuse, the male partner some years older than the female partner, a break-up or pending break-up, a history of battering, and suicidal contemplation by the perpetrator. Though there

2640-472: The suicide pact. He became more unstable over the course of his marriage and varied affairs, and offered the suicide pact to a variety of people. Vetsera was only 17, and believed she could not live without Rudolf, leading to the joint suicide (with Rudolf killing Vetsera several hours before killing himself). Gerd Holler argues in his book Mayerling--New Documents on the Tragedy 100 Years Afterward that Mary

2700-493: The throne of Austria-Hungary . Rudolf's mistress was the daughter of Albin von Vetsera, a diplomat at the Austrian court. Albin had been created a Freiherr ( Baron ) in 1870. The bodies of the 30-year-old Rudolf and the 17-year-old Mary were discovered in the Imperial hunting lodge at Mayerling in the Vienna Woods , 26.6 kilometres (16.5 mi) southwest of the capital, on the morning of 30 January 1889. The death of

2760-524: The time she was born. Her mother was especially attached to Valerie, who was born ten years after the imperial couple's third child, and whom Elisabeth was allowed to raise herself while her first three children were taken from her in infancy and raised by the Emperor's mother, Archduchess Sophie . Sophie herself wrote to Elisabeth's mother, Duchess Ludovika in Bavaria , "Sisi is completely absorbed by her love and care for this irresistible little angel." She

2820-730: Was "the Hungarian child", as her birth had been a concession by Elisabeth, who disliked physical intimacy and pregnancy, in exchange for Franz Joseph's reconciliation with Hungary , her most favored part of the Empire . This process culminated in their joint coronation in Buda on 8 June 1867 as King and Queen of Hungary. Valerie was born a little over nine months later. Elisabeth deliberately chose Hungary as her child's birthplace; no royal child had been born in Hungary for centuries. Had Valerie been

2880-409: Was Elisabeth's favorite child by far, and was acidly referred to by some courtiers as " die Einzige " ("the only one") because Elisabeth paid so much more attention to her than to her siblings. Valerie loved her mother, but according to her diaries, she often felt embarrassed and overwhelmed by Elisabeth's concentration on her, particularly as she was modest and practical. Another of Valerie's nicknames

2940-665: Was conducted by the Bishop of Linz , Franz Maria Doppelbauer . Afterwards, Valerie and Franz honeymooned in Italy, Switzerland and Bavaria. Marie Valerie and Franz Salvator had 10 children: At first, Valerie and Franz lived at the Schloss Lichtenegg. Though on 11 June 1895, the couple purchased Schloss Wallsee on the Danube River from its then owner, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha , and completely renovated it. When

3000-404: Was fired. Lacking forensic evidence of a second bullet, Holler advanced the theory that Vetsera died accidentally, probably as the result of an abortion, and it was Rudolf who consequently shot himself. Holler witnessed the body's re-interment in a new coffin in 1959. In 1991, Vetsera's remains were disturbed again, this time by Helmut Flatzelsteiner, a Linz furniture dealer who was obsessed with

3060-459: Was grave news about the Crown Prince. This account comes from Ferenczy herself and Archduchess Marie Valerie , to whom Elisabeth dictated her memory of the incident, in addition to the description in her diary. Ferenczy entered the room again to find Elisabeth distraught and weeping uncontrollably. The Emperor appeared outside her apartments and was forced to wait there with Nopcsa, who was controlling himself only with great effort. The Empress broke

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3120-530: Was haunted by this, and visited the Capuchin Crypt, hoping that Rudolf's spirit would visit her and communicate his wishes. The dossier on the investigations and related actions were not deposited in the state archives, as they would typically have been. The story that Rudolf had violently quarreled with the Emperor over his liaison with Freiin von Vetsera may have been spread by agents of Germany's Chancellor , Otto von Bismarck , who had little love for

3180-564: Was in truth the daughter of Elisabeth's friend and admirer Gyula Andrássy , the Hungarian prime minister. These persisted into Valerie's childhood, hurting her deeply. However, she physically resembled Franz Joseph more than any of her siblings, even more so as she grew older, and eventually the hearsay stopped. Due to the atmosphere they created, Valerie developed a lifelong antipathy toward anything to do with Hungary, exacerbated by Elisabeth's insistence on speaking to her only in Hungarian . She

3240-639: Was joyful when she was given permission to speak German with her father, whom she worshipped. In addition, she spoke English , French , and Italian fluently. She loved to write plays and poems, and was a talented amateur artist who particularly enjoyed painting flowers. She was a great supporter of the Burgtheater in Vienna, and attended its productions as often as possible. In Bad Ischl on 31 July 1890, Valerie married her third cousin Archduke Franz Salvator . They had met in 1886 at

3300-417: Was not a particularly happy one and had resulted in the birth of only one child, a daughter called Elisabeth , known as Erzsi. Rudolf had infected his wife with syphilis, rendering her unable to have more children. On 29 January 1889, Franz Joseph and Elisabeth gave a family dinner party before leaving for Buda , in Hungary, on 31 January. Rudolf excused himself, claiming to be indisposed. He had arranged for

3360-541: Was so! He would send me the despatch to read if I liked, but I have declined. I did not say what I thought, which is that for thirty years I have had the experience of how many lies Prince Bismarck's diplomatic agents (with some exceptions) have written him, and therefore I usually disbelieve what they write completely, unless I know them to be honest and trustworthy men. Szechenyi , the Ambassador at Berlin, whom we know very well, tells me that there had been no scenes with

3420-555: Was spirited out of Mayerling and interred in the graveyard at Heiligenkreuz . In 1946, occupying Soviet troops dislodged the granite plate covering the grave and broke into Vetsera's coffin in the graveyard, perhaps hoping to loot it of jewels. This break-in was not discovered until 1955 when the Red Army withdrew from Austria per the Austrian State Treaty . In 1959, a young physician named Gerd Holler, stationed in

3480-725: Was the youngest child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria . She was usually called Valerie. On 31 July 1890, she married Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria ; the marriage caused a rift between her and her siblings as their marriages had to be dynastic , while Marie Valerie's was, as Empress Elisabeth allowed, for love and desire. Archduchess Marie Valerie was born on 22 April 1868 in Buda , Hungary to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and his wife, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria . She had an older sister, Archduchess Gisela , and an older brother, Crown Prince Rudolf . Her eldest sibling, Archduchess Sophie had already died by

3540-447: Was three months pregnant with Rudolf's child. Rudolf arranged an abortion for Mary, who died in the process. Rudolf then committed suicide. Lucy Coatman believes this is not possible, citing one of Mary's letters to Hermine Tobis as her source: "'We both lost our heads', Mary wrote to Hermine, 'and I became a woman! Now we belong to each other in body and soul.' Her letter makes it clear this was Mary's first sexual experience. This disproves

3600-427: Was wrong. I should think [it] very likely. [9 April 1889] She then wrote to her mother, Queen Victoria : ... I have heard different things about poor Rudolf which may perhaps interest you. Prince Bismarck told me that the violent scenes and altercations between the Emperor and Rudolf had been the cause of Rudolf's suicide. I replied that I had heard this much doubted, upon which he said Reuss had written it and it

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