Katharina Schratt (11 September 1853 – 17 April 1940) was an Austrian actress who became "the uncrowned Empress of Austria" as a ''confidante'' of Emperor Franz Joseph.

Life

Katharina Schratt was born in

Baden bei Wien Baden (German for " Baths"; Central Bavarian: ''Bodn''), unofficially distinguished from other Badens as Baden bei Wien (Baden near Vienna), is a spa town in Austria. It serves as the capital of Baden District in the state of Lower Austria. Loc ...

, the only daughter of stationery dealer Anton Schratt (1804–1883); she had two brothers. From the age of six, she took an interest in theatre. Her parents tried to discourage her from becoming an actress and sent her to a boarding school in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, however, this only increased her ambition. She finally was allowed to take acting lessons in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and gave her debut at the age of 17 in her hometown.

Acting career

In 1872, she joined the ensemble of the Royal Court Theatre in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, achieving considerable success in a short time. Schratt left Germany after only a few months, following the call of the Viennese to join their City Theatre. Her performance made her a leading lady of the Viennese stage. In 1879 she married the Hungarian magnate and consular officer Nikolaus, Baron Kiss von Ittebe (1852–1909), and gave birth to a son, Anton Kiss von Ittebe (1880–1970). Soon after, Schratt and her husband separated due to incompatibility. Schratt toured overseas, and appeared in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, after which she returned permanently to Vienna's Hofburgtheater. She was one of Austria's most popular actresses until she retired in 1900, following disagreement with theatre director Paul Schlenther.

Royal friend and ''confidante''

Schratt's appearances and performances in the early 1880s at Hofburgtheater captivated Franz Joseph, and she was invited to perform for visiting Czar

Alexander III of Russia Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...

at Kremsier Castle. She soon became Franz Joseph's companion. It is said that Franz Joseph's wife

Empress Elisabeth Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...

actually encouraged the relationship between the actress and the Emperor. After Elisabeth's assassination in 1898, their relationship continued, with one interruption (1900/01, due to a difference in opinions), until the emperor's death in November 1916. She was rewarded with a generous lifestyle including a mansion on Vienna's Gloriettegasse, near Schönbrunn Palace and a mansion in

Bad Ischl Bad Ischl (Austrian German ) is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the centre of the Salzkammergut region. The town consists of the Katastralgemeinden ''Ahorn'', ''Bad Ischl'', ''Haiden' ...

. In addition, her gambling debts were paid by him. Upon her husband's death in 1909, she also inherited

Palais Königswarter Palais Königswarter is a ''Ringstraßenpalais'' in Vienna, Austria. It was built for the aristocratic Königswarter family, Königswarter family. References

Palaces in Vienna, Konigswarter {{Austria-palace-stub ...

, a three-story palace on Vienna's Kärntner Ring boulevard, just across from the State Opera. Schratt was a friend of notable men such as Count Johann Nepomuk von Wilczek or Prince Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. Her relationship with the Emperor lasted for 34 years, but remained platonic.

Later years and death

After the death of Franz Joseph, she lived completely withdrawn in her palace on the Kärntner Ring. In the 1930s, journalists bothered her to talk about her relationship with the late Emperor. Book companies asked her to write her memoirs, however Schratt would always say, "I am an actress not a writer and I have nothing to say, for I was never a Pompadour, still less a

Maintenon Maintenon () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located southwest of the center of Paris. Maintenon, together with the neighbouring commune of Pierres, form an urban area of 7,075 inhabitants (2017).Kapuzinergruft The Imperial Crypt (german: Kaisergruft), also called the Capuchin Crypt (''Kapuzinergruft''), is a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church and monastery in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632, and located on the Neu ...

daily. The former actress also loved animals and donated money to animal shelters.Haderer, Stefan (2015), A highly unusual affair: The intimate relationship between Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and actress Katharina Schratt, Royalty Digest Quarterly, Vol. 3/2015, Rosvall Royal Books, Falköping, p. 22 She died in 1940 at the age of 86. She was buried at

Hietzing Cemetery The Hietzing Cemetery is a cemetery in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna. Notable burials (selection) * Alban Berg (1885–1935), composer * Jean-Baptiste Clery (1759–1809), valet to King Louis XVI * Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf (1852 ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Filmography

* ''The War of the Oxen'' (1920)

References

External links

* * Translation from German to English {{DEFAULTSORT:Schratt, Katharina 19th-century Austrian actresses Austrian stage actresses Actors from Baden bei Wien 1853 births 1940 deaths