#EMPEROR FRANZ AND ELISABETH FREE#

Her close ties with Hungaryĭuring her first trip to Hungary with her husband, Sisi fell in love with this nation that exhibited so much independence. After his suicide, Sisi only wore black, carrying a white parasol and hiding her face behind a fan. The heir’s death would have a significant influence on Austrian politics. Some sources claim that the two devised a suicide pact after Rudolf’s father insisted they end their relationship. Rudolf’s life would end tragically as the 30-year-old committed suicide with his young mistress Mary Vetsera in 1889 at his hunting lodge in Mayerling. She was educated in the Hungarian language. Marie Valerie (1868-1924) was born in Budapest, where she was also baptized. Sisi made sure she would remain in control of her fourth child’s upbringing, though. To the Habsburg clan’s relief, Sisi finally gave birth to the heir to the throne, Archduke and Crown Prince Rudolf (1858-1889). Her second child was also a daughter, named Archduchess Gisela of Austria (1856-1932). When her firstborn died of typhus at age two, Sisi was devastated, falling into a deep depression. Her first three children would be reared by her mother-in-law. Sisi did not have a say in her child’s upbringing. Disapproving of Sisi, Sophie named Sisi’s first child (1855-57) after herself and insisted on taking control of the child. Sisi also soon learned how malicious and domineering her mother-in-law could be. Soon riddled by health problems, Sisi became quickly disenchanted with court life, and an emotional distance between herself and her husband arose.

A mere eight months passed before the wedding took place at Vienna’s Augustinian Church on April 24, 1854. A few days later the two lovebirds announced their engagement.

He told his mother, who had a strong hold on him, that he would never marry if he was not allowed to wed Sisi, then 15 years old. Fate intervened, and Franz Joseph was immediately bewitched by Sisi instead. She did not even always attend her lessons.Īn introvert, Sisi went with her mother and older sister Helene to Bad Ischl in Austria, where Franz Joseph was to propose to Helene. While growing up in Possenhofen Castle, she was carefree, living a leisurely lifestyle rather than being bogged down by rigid protocol. Sisi was born in Munich on December 24, 1837, as the fourth child of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika, the daughter of Bavarian King Maximilian I and his second wife, Karolina von Baden. Concentrating on beauty and exercise all her life, she became a world-renowned icon. Fate was unkind to her throughout her life, and she was not even spared a peaceful death. Certainly, the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I came face-to-face with many a tragedy.

#EMPEROR FRANZ AND ELISABETH FREE#

The longest reigning Austrian empress – a post she held for 44 years – championed individual identity and independence as a free spirit who traveled the world and wrote poetry. Detesting the strict regimen and ceremony of royal life, Empress Elisabeth, nicknamed Sisi, danced to the beat of her drum, defying Habsburg protocol.

Emperor franz and elisabeth