|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
Print version
Empress Elizabeth
|
|
|
|
Empress Elisabeth |
Emperor Franz Josef |
|
ELISABETH
|
|
|
Elisabeth, the second daughter of Duke Max and Duchess
Ludovika
of Bavaria, was born on Christmas eve
in 1837 at the family palace in Munich
.
She and her seven siblings enjoyed
an idyllic life at the family castle
Possenhofen
in
the Bavarian countryside. Riding, hunting, boisterous games and few
requirements for scholarship was the norm. Duchess
Ludovika
and her sister,
Archduchess Sophie, mother of the 23 year old Emperor of Austria, Franz Josef,
had arranged the engagement of Franz Josef to Elisabeth’s older sister
Helene.
When Franz Josef came to meet his intended, he met and fell in love with 15 year old Elisabeth. He was adamant that she was to be the future Empress. Elisabeth, Sissi to her family, was a mere child, wild and awkward and terrified of her future. Her mother, however, declared “One does not turn down an Emperor.” In April, 1854, the marriage took place in Vienna . The couple had four children, the first, Sophie, died at the age of two. Rudolph, the Crown Prince, killed his young mistress and committed suicide. The marriage was dominated by Franz Josef’s mother which caused many problems. In a strained marriage and hating Vienna court life, Elisabeth began wandering around Europe and it was rumored to have had several affairs. She was considered to be one of the most beautiful women in Europe. In 1898, she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist, |
|
