Introduction
Maximilian von Habsburg-Lorraine
Appearance
Notable Features
While those who are familiar with the Habsburgs will recognize the distinct features in Max, he otherwise has little in the way of distinguishing features. His skin is largely unblemished, his hair is a neutral enough tone that verges somewhere between light brown and dark blond, and his eyes are a handsome but plain brown. He isn't particularly thin or muscled, doesn't have any beauty marks, and indeed seems like a very average man.Personal Style
Max has a careless approach to his appearance in the manner that only the excessively wealthy can afford. He never dresses poorly (perish the thought), but after a lifetime of dressing up in excessively stiff suits and finery, there's a certain guilty pleasure to be found in dressing simply. Of course, "simply" still often means high-quality fabric, piping of gold and silver, silks, furs, and so on, but he eschews medals and sashes whenever he can get away with it. He does favor the Austro-Hungarian style of suit, with a less stiff collar and slightly different fit.Circumstances
Currently
Facing increased pressure from his family and government to find an appropriate wife, Max has traveled to London in the hopes that his family and government will forget about his unwed status. He is currently planning on staying through the next season, and will undoubtedly make half-hearted attempts to court those women of an appropriate age and status, but in truth has little interest in marriage. Instead he spends most of his time exploring the city, learning of its people, and playacting at being anything but who he is. Occasionally he also attends lectures at the various universities around the city, abusing his status as archduke to acquire invitations to do so. He is currently the guest of the Spencer family, staying at the Spencer House.Health & Capabilities
In most respects, Max is a very healthy young man. He's benefited from the best doctors in Europe, never wanted for comfort or food growing up, and now has access to every luxury he might want. He enjoys fencing, riding, and dancing, and has an even temper and good endurance.He also suffers from fits and moments of absence – or in a word, epilepsy. Though his condition is not as severe as some of his relatives', and he usually has focal seizures that pass quickly, periods of high stress or other illnesses can cause it to worsen. This is kept quiet, as it reflects poorly upon his family. Most of the time when he has an impending tonic-clonic seizure, he will be able to sense it and step away for privacy (or to at least lay down, so that he does not fall and harm himself).
Socioeconomics
As a son of the ruling emperor-king of an empire, Max has quite literally wanted for nothing material in his life. The concept of truly having nothing – of poverty, of need, of going to bed hungry because there is no food, rather than merely from punishment of some kind – is quite foreign to him. He's not ignorant of these things, but it is extremely removed from his lived experience.Skills & Talents
⊱ Statesmanship — while not the heir, Max is ostensibly the second in line to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire. As such, he has been educated as an emperor-king should be, and from a very young age. He has little interest in using any of that knowledge, but he has it regardless.⊱ Horsemanship, Fencing, Dancing — the appropriate pastimes for a royal son, which is just as well because he's genuinely fond of them all. He has a talent for fencing and dancing in particular; while he had less natural skill for equestrianism, a lifetime of the hobby has given him the skills necessary to make up for lack of innate talent.
⊱ Polyglot — given that his family rules two distinct countries, with two distinct languages, Max was always fated to know at least two languages. He was also taught Latin, French, English, and picked up some amount of Greek and Russian. His native tongue is German, though he also is completely fluent in Hungarian.
Present Relationships
⊱ PARENTSEmperor Franz Joseph I, father
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, mother
⊱ SIBLINGS
Archduchess Sophie, sister (d)
Gisela, Princess of Bavaria, sister, 32
Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, brother, 30
Archduchess Marie Valerie, sister, 20
⊱ OTHERS
Miles Ott, chemist; met through sheer dumb happenstance (emphasis on dumb) and now he is Max's guide to the common side of London – and reliable hookup.
Identity
Hobbies
⊱ Equestrianism — it hardly matters exactly where or what is being done; Max is very fond of the freedom offered by horseback. He has had to work hard to obtain the level of competency he has now, and he will never be the world's best or boldest horseman, but he's a competent and conscientious rider.⊱ Fencing — one of his greatest passions, and a sport for which he has a large amount of natal skill for. Regardless of the precise rules or weapon used, Max will never miss a chance to cross blades with any and all that cross his path.
⊱ Dancing — similar to fencing, dancing of any kind is one of Max's favorite pastimes and one he engages in with great skill and talent. Whether it's a fast-paced peasant dance (to his grandmother's distaste), a stately ballroom dance, or anything in between, he's eager to take part.
⊱ Taxidermy — though he was not-so-gently dissuaded from pursuing this hobby at many points in his life, Max nonetheless continues to take part. He prefers to work with smaller animals (and neither cats nor dogs); rats and squirrels are his preferred canvas, and while he has become very adept at creating excellent and lifelike works, he also has the extremely irreverent habit of posing his works in human-like positions, wearing clothing and holding little tools. He has a collection of six or seven rats, all dressed for common professions: A baker, a footman, a groom, and so on.
Background
History
The fourth child and second son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Max never doubted the path his life would take. Like his siblings, he was taken from his mother nearly upon birth, and was largely raised by his grandmother, Sophie. As he grew, he was given lessons in everything a might-be emperor would need, though to a less strenuous extent than his older brother.Over time, Max began to resent the restriction of the court and his family's position, even while benefiting from being his grandmother's favorite. Named for her favorite son, he often heard how similar he was to his deceased uncle. This was a benefit that Max did not shy from exploiting, especially as his friendship bloomed with one of his living uncles – who also happened to be an open and notorious homosexual. Ludwig Viktor provided guidance to a young Max, especially as he began to question his own attractions, which were largely to other men.
When he was seventeen, his grandmother and parents (mostly his grandmother) began pushing him to consider acceptable marriage candidates. While there was a never-ending list suggested by Sophie, Max's enduring disinterest was supported by his uncle. Even when his family stopped pushing for a dynastic marriage and offered to allow him to choose a woman to his liking, he was resistant to the concept. Though it would be easy to point a finger to his poorly-hidden preference for the company of men, the truth was that Max had been raised as witness to his parents' poor marriage, had seen his brother unhappily wed, and so on. Encouraged by his uncle's perennial bachelorhood, and with his enduring status as Sophie's favored grandchild, he continued to resist any offer of marriage, no matter what concessions were offered to him, nor how beautiful the would-be bride.
As was appropriate for an archduke, Max spent a time serving in the Austro-Hungarian army. Though he nominally took part in the Great Eastern Conflict between 1875 and 1878, in truth he never saw battle but from a distance. He came away from the experience disgusted by the nature of warfare, and though he technically never resigned his commission, he has fully avoided warfare and military responsibilities since.
In a seemingly last-ditch effort to coax him into marriage, his parents have sent him to London to peruse the eligible women there. Though very much not their preference, so long as he returns to Vienna with a woman of appropriate breeding and age, they will be satisfied. Max plans on taking full advantage of the thousands of miles between himself and his family, especially with the months to spare before the London season begins in earnest. He is the personal guest of the Spencer family, and is staying at the Spencer House.
