Mayerling: An Interesting Bit of History

Hi! Louise M. Gouge here. (I use my middle initial because, believe it or not, there are several other Louise Gouges in the U. S.)

As a writer of historical novels, I’m always looking for historical movies that bring to life interesting events of the past and showcase some fabulous settings. Usually I prefer films set in England or other parts of the British Isles, but you can’t beat the opulence of the palaces and castles of Austria, Germany, and France. I’m always amazed that the modern owners of these edifices permit their use for filmmaking. Maybe that helps to pay the taxes to keep the buildings open for future generations. Just guessing about that.

Anyway, last night I watched a three-hour miniseries entitled The Crown Prince (aka Kronprinz Rudolf), which tells the story of Crown Prince Rudolf, the late 19th Century heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne. Although I have no doubt the filmmakers “tweaked” history, as they always do, I found this tragic story truly fascinating. If you would like to know more about the deaths of this handsome prince and his pretty, much younger mistress, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayerling_Incident for an overview and several theories about cover-ups of their assumed murder-suicide.

So why am I bringing this up on a blog devoted to historical romance, which specializes in happily-ever-after (HEA) stories? Well, first of all, any self-respecting historical fiction is based upon actual history, even if that history is merely a setting or background for the plot. Not only that, but I think it’s important to understand these tidbits of history because we are who we are today because of who these people were. If the filmmakers are correct, Prince Rudolf wanted to change things in Europe, both socially and politically. He wanted to help the poor and he wanted to influence all of Europe for the good. (Yes, that’s simplistic, but I’m not writing political commentary. :-)) If Rudolf had lived and succeeded with his reforms, perhaps there never would have been a need for the revolutions and wars that followed for the next fifty-some years. Millions upon millions of people all over the world were and have been affected by these two deaths, including you and me. It’s something to think about.

Another historical event/period that has had a lasting effect on subsequent generations is England’s Regency period. I have dipped my writing pen into this era with my first full-length Regency novel, A Proper Companion, which will be released in June from Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical imprint. In this story, an orphaned, impoverished vicar’s daughter is rescued from destitution by a handsome British major. Unlike the tale of poor Prince Rudolf and his lady love, my story definitely has a HEA ending. Look for it at CBD.com, Amazon.com, and your local Walmart. Please visit my blog at blog.Louisemgouge.com.