In a parade of silks, jewels and political intrigue, the courts of the Habsburg monarchy in Vienna have lately made their way out of the textbooks and onto our screens—and thus, back into the discussion of the day. Centered around the intriguing figure of Empress Elisabeth, also known as “Sisi”—the second-to-last empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire*—three major film and television productions depicting the period have been released over just the past year alone: Sisi (on Disney Plus), The Em...