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Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary

Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary was born on December 24th, 1837 as Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie to Duke Maximilian and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Elisabeth was called Sisi. The majority of her childhood was spent at Possenhofen Castle in Bavaria, Germany. Aside from her parents unhappy marriage due to her fathers affairs, Sisi and her seven (surviving) siblings had a relatively happy childhood. Sisi enjoyed being outside the most. She would swim in the lake and go horseback riding. Below is presumably the first photo taken of Sisi when she was a little girl. 

Emperor Franz Joseph l’s mother Archduchess Sophie, also Ludovika’s sister, had contacted Ludovika and told her than Sisi’s older sister Helene would be engaged to Franz Joseph. Franz and Helene were set to meet at the Kaiser villa in Bad Ischl. Ludovika decided to take Sisi along with them to help Helene adjust to the imperial lifestyle. Sisi was 15 and Helene was 18 at the time. Below is an image of Helene as a young adult (maybe 18-19)

Franz Joseph was not known for disagreeing with his mother, much less defying her. Imagine the courts surprise when Franz decided to marry Sisi instead of Helene. Franz and Sisi’s engagement was announced 5 days after they’d met. On April 24th, 1854 Franz and Sisi were married in Vienna. Below is an image of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth.

The Hapsburg court was known for being strict, formal, and steeped in tradition. Sisi was shocked when her life of freedom became a prison of protocol and formality. She never did adjust. Sisi had a horrible relationship with her mother-in-law. Archduchess Sophie believed that the Empress’s only duty was to produce an heir for the throne. Sophie believed that the Empress should never be involved in politics or affairs of the state. Sisi did not agree. She was adamant about improving the lives of the people in the Italian and Hungarian parts of the Austrian Empire and would regularly try to influence her husband. Below is an image of Archduchess Sophie.

Even through the suffocation of Sophie’s constant pressure for a baby boy, Elisabeth did have four children. Her first was a baby girl, Sophie, born on March 5th, 1855. Her mother-in-law took the baby away from Sisi and named her after herself. Sophie refused to let Sisi take care of her baby. Then, Sisi had another baby girl, Gisela, on July 15th, 1856. Again, Sophie took the baby and Sisi couldn’t care for either of her children. The tragedy wasn’t over yet. In 1857, Sisi and Franz took a family trip with the girls to Hungary against the advice of both Sophie and the court physician. Both the girls became sick and Princess Sophie died. This caused Sisi to fall into a deep depression. Franz and Sophie brushed off her behavior. However, Sisi gave birth to another baby, but this time it was a boy. On August 21st, 1858 Crown Prince Rudolf was born. Rudolf was taken from Sisi and was raised by tutors at the age of 6. Sisi was blocked from the education of her children. In 1867 Sisi and Franz were crowned King and Queen of Hungary. A year later, Sisi gave birth to Marie Valerie on April 22nd, 1868. Below are images of Sisi’s children in order of birth. 

Sisi had very little control over many things in her life. However, one thing she did have control over was her body. She dieted constantly and became obsessed with her beauty. That’s how she kept her slender waist that she’s very famous for. Sisi spent a ton of time in Hungary with her youngest child. Sophie hated Hungary and this allowed Sisi to raise Marie on her own. Sophie died in 1872 and Sisi was finally free from her mother-in-law. There is one tragedy that Sisi would never get over. In 1889 Rudolf was found dead with his mistress which was done by their own hands. 

On September 10th, 1898 Sisi was killed by an Italian Anarchist while boarding a boat in Geneva. She was stabbed in the heart and had not realized what had happened to her. She died a few hours later. 

Source: https://www.palaces-of-europe.com/empress-sisi.html