About the work
Ein treuer Diener seines Herrn (A Loyal Servant of His Master) is a five-act tragedy by Franz Grillparzer, written in the autumn of 1826. It premiered on 28 February 1828 at Vienna's Burgtheater in the presence of Emperor Francis I; it was published in 1830 by the Wallishausser press.
Plot
The elderly nobleman Bancbanus, a loyal counsellor to the Hungarian crown, marries the young Erny to place her under his protection after a friend's death. While King Andreas is away at war and leaves Bancbanus as regent, the king's brother-in-law Otto relentlessly pursues Erny until she takes her own life. Her death sparks a rebellion against the crown, but Bancbanus stays loyal to his office, mediates between the parties, and then withdraws into mourning.
Cultural significance
Grillparzer himself regarded the play as his most personal work. After an initially successful run, he withdrew it from performance following a falling-out with Emperor Francis I; it has rarely been staged in Austria since, as an unsuccessful 1995 production at Vienna's Volkstheater also showed.