Netflix is your home for lusciously filmed stories featuring outsiders trying to assimilate to the complexities of royal life — and we’re not just talking about The Crown. The new German series The Empress tells the story of Bavarian princess turned Austrian empress Elisabeth, affectionately known as Sisi, who struggled to adjust to life in the stifling 1800s Habsburg royal court. She became a beloved figure as she battled tradition and fought for her individuality and freedom. Just watch the first trailer for the drama and you’ll see why.

Created by Katharina Eyssen, the series stars Devrim Lingnau as 16-year-old Elisabeth and Philip Froissant as 23-year-old ruler Franz Joseph, who fall in love and marry under extraordinary circumstances. (To start, Franz was originally supposed to marry Elisabeth’s older sister, Helene, instead — yes, very dramatic. And that’s not even mentioning Franz’ controlling mother, who played a large part in her son’s life and marriage.)

“What drew me in about Sisi initially was the whole messed up, juicy, dysfunctional family around her. People tend to think she was the crazy one when, in fact, it was the system and the dynamic around her that was insane,” showrunner and head writer Eyssen tells Tudum. “I love family stories. I love Shakespearean family tragedies. I saw the potential in the famous royal Habsburg family.” 

The first photos from the series show Lingnau and Froissant in costume as the smitten royals, plus Melika Foroutan as Franz’ mother, Sophie, the ultimate overbearing mother-in-law. And in the dramatic first trailer above, you can see exactly how the young, beautiful and modern Elisabeth is set to shake up Austrian royalty forever. 

“I want an empress to wear a crown with zeal,” Franz’s mother, Sophie, warns a newly engaged Elisabeth in the clip. “An empress who’s a shimmering light. That is not you, Elisabeth.”

The Elisabeth we see in the trailer is, indeed, far more down-to-earth. From her forbidden romance with Franz, who was originally courting another to her determination to forge her own way forward, you can bet this empress has a few surprises up her sleeves. (Speaking of sleeves, if sumptuous costumes are your thing, get ready to feast! The hats alone!) 

In fact, that pioneering nature is what drew Eyssen to Sisi in the first place. “Elisabeth foresaw the demise of the monarchy, the collapse of empires in Europe. She just couldn’t voice it properly. So she became an obsessive rider, obsessed with her hair, her looks, her body,” she says. “All because, in my view, she carried the pain and the suffering of a collapsing empire and its people. Elisabeth in my story is a creative force of nature with a fascinating dark side.”

While Eyssen made sure to stay true to the historic figures’ essences, and did not change or bend any historic dates or events, she took liberties when imagining situations, meetings and conversations that could have taken place behind closed doors. “Truthful interpretation, I call it,” she says.

The Empress premieres Sept. 29 on Netflix.

The Empress Season 1 Teaser