Empress Elisabeth's Complex Marriage: Love Or Duty?

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, was born into the royal Bavarian House of Wittelsbach on 24 December 1837. She married her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, at the age of 16. Their marriage was not a love match, and Elisabeth struggled to adapt to the rigid court lifestyle and her demanding new role. She was known for her rebellious behaviour, such as smoking, getting a tattoo, and avoiding public duties, as well as her tragic personal life. She and Franz Joseph had four children together, but their family was often beset by tragedy, including the death of their eldest daughter, Sophie, and the murder-suicide of their son, Rudolf. Despite their differences, Franz Joseph was passionately in love with Elisabeth, but their relationship was complex, and she often escaped court life by travelling. In 1898, Elisabeth was assassinated by an Italian anarchist, Luigi Lucheni, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Empress Elisabeth's courtship and marriage to her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria, was married to her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, at the age of 16. Their courtship and marriage were orchestrated by Franz's domineering mother, Archduchess Sophie, who was also Elisabeth's maternal aunt. Sophie had arranged a meeting between her son and Elisabeth's older sister Helene, with the intention of them marrying. However, when Franz met Elisabeth, he was instantly infatuated with her and defied his mother by declaring that he would marry Elisabeth or no one at all.

Elisabeth and Franz were married on 24 April 1854 in Vienna. Their marriage was a union that thrust Elisabeth into the formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and found suffocating. She was shy and introverted by nature and struggled to adapt to the rigid protocols and strict etiquette of court life. She also had a difficult relationship with her mother-in-law, who controlled many aspects of her relationship with Franz and took charge of the care of their children.

Despite the challenges, Franz Joseph was passionately in love with his wife, and their relationship evolved into a warm friendship. However, Elisabeth suffered from nervous attacks, severe depression, and disordered eating throughout her life. She also had a complex about maintaining her youthful figure and beauty, which led her to develop a restrictive diet and wear extremely tight-laced corsets.

Her struggles with court life and her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria, was unprepared for the formal Habsburg court life she was thrust into upon marrying her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, at the age of 16. She struggled with the rigid protocols and strict etiquette of court life, which she found suffocating. She was particularly at odds with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, who was also her maternal aunt. Archduchess Sophie was a domineering figure, known for her authoritarian manner and political influence over Emperor Franz Joseph.

One of Elisabeth's main struggles with court life was the conflict with Archduchess Sophie over the rearing of her children. Within two months of her marriage, Elisabeth was pregnant, and she gave birth to a daughter, Sophie Friederike Dorothea Maria Josepha, in 1855. Archduchess Sophie, after whom the child was named, took charge of the baby, refusing to allow Elisabeth to breastfeed or care for her own child. When Elisabeth gave birth to another daughter, Gisela Louise Marie, a year later, Archduchess Sophie took this baby away from her as well. Elisabeth was only allowed to see her children when Archduchess Sophie gave her consent and was present during the visits. This caused Elisabeth great distress, and she begged her husband to discuss the matter with his mother, but her pleas went unheard.

Archduchess Sophie's control over Elisabeth's children continued even when they travelled. In 1857, Elisabeth and her husband took their two daughters to Hungary, where both children fell ill with diarrhoea and a high fever. Although Gisela recovered quickly, two-year-old Sophie died in her mother's arms. This tragedy haunted Elisabeth for the rest of her life, and she turned away from her surviving daughter, neglecting her.

Archduchess Sophie's dominance extended beyond Elisabeth's children. She chose every member of Elisabeth's staff, who would report back to Sophie on Elisabeth's activities. She also controlled most aspects of the relationship between Elisabeth and Franz Joseph.

Elisabeth's struggles with court life were not limited to her conflict with Archduchess Sophie. She hated most court procedures, including having women dress her and having to change her shoes frequently. She found the crowds in public overwhelming and the constant monitoring in private suffocating. She also had difficulty adapting to the rigid protocols and strict etiquette of the Habsburg court, which was in stark contrast to her informal and unstructured childhood.

Elisabeth's health suffered under the strain of court life and her struggles with Archduchess Sophie. She experienced fits of coughing, anxiety, and fear of descending narrow or steep staircases. She suffered from nervous attacks, fasting cures, a severe exercise regime, and frequent illnesses. She also developed an eating disorder and severe depression due to the lack of stimulation from palace life.

The Empress's four children and the tragedies that befell them

Empress Elisabeth of Austria and her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph I, had four children: three daughters and one son. Their first child, Sophie Friederike, died of an intestinal infection at the age of two while on a trip to Hungary with her parents. This tragedy plunged the young couple into crisis. Their second daughter, Gisela, was raised by her grandmother, Archduchess Sophie, alongside her brother Rudolf, who was born two years after Gisela. Rudolf was the long-awaited heir to the throne but never became a ruling member of the Habsburg dynasty. He is known for his progressive ideas, which contrasted with those of his father, and his tragic death in a murder-suicide with his mistress, Mary Vetsera, at the age of 30. The youngest daughter, Marie Valerie, was born in Budapest and was therefore considered the "Hungarian child". She was raised by Elisabeth, who only spoke Hungarian to her. Marie Valerie later married Archduke Franz Salvator, with whom she had ten children.

Her interests, hobbies, and beauty routines

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, was a woman of many interests, hobbies, and beauty routines.

Interests

Elisabeth was interested in history, philosophy, and literature. She was a fan of the German lyric poet and radical political thinker, Heinrich Heine, whose letters she collected. She also wrote poetry herself, using the pseudonym Titania, Shakespeare's Fairy Queen. Her poetry served as a type of secret diary, often relating to her journeys, classical Greek and romantic themes, and ironic commentary on the Habsburg dynasty.

Hobbies

Elisabeth was a keen horse rider, often skipping her lessons to go riding in the countryside. She was also a gymnast, fencer, and enjoyed walking, subjecting her attendants to interminable marches and hiking tours in all weather. She was a smoker, which was considered shocking for a woman at the time. She also had a tattoo of an anchor on her shoulder, reflecting her love of the sea.

Beauty Routines

Elisabeth was highly sensitive to any perceived deficiencies in her appearance and embarked on a lifetime of starvation diets and extreme beauty rituals. She was fanatical about maintaining a slim figure, wrapping herself in damp cloths above the hips to reduce inches, and constantly dieting. She also wore extremely tight-laced corsets to keep her waist looking very small.

Her most recognisable attribute was her thick, chestnut hair, which grew all the way down to her feet. The care and maintenance of these tresses required a time commitment of no less than three hours per day. Every morning, after a cold bath, massage, light breakfast, and rigorous exercise, she would sit down and submit to the lengthy ministrations of her hairdresser, Fanny Feifalik. Every three weeks, her hair had to be washed and dried, a process that took an entire day. She also suffered from headaches due to the weight of her hair.

Elisabeth was also obsessed with keeping wrinkles and other signs of ageing at bay. She applied crushed strawberries to her hands, neck, and face, and slept in a mask lined inside with raw veal. She soaked in warm olive oil baths to keep her skin soft and supple and took cold showers every morning. She also slept without a pillow, believing it would help her retain her upright posture.

The circumstances of her assassination in 1898

On 10 September 1898, Empress Elisabeth of Austria was assassinated in Geneva, Switzerland. She was travelling under the pseudonym "Countess of Hohenembs" and had spent the night incognito at the Hotel Beau-Rivage. As she was walking to the steamship "Genève" with her lady-in-waiting, Countess Irma Sztáray, the 25-year-old Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni approached them. He had been following the Empress for several days, originally intending to kill the Duke of Orléans, but his plans changed when he learned that Empress Elisabeth was in Geneva.

Lucheni attempted to peer under the Empress's parasol, and as the ship's bell announced its departure, he made his move. He appeared to stumble, but in reality, he had stabbed Elisabeth with a sharpened needle file that he had inserted into a wooden handle. The weapon penetrated 3.33 inches into Elisabeth's thorax, piercing her lung and heart, and coming out the base of the left ventricle.

Elisabeth collapsed, but with the help of a coach driver, she managed to get to her feet and walk about 100 yards to board the ship. She lost consciousness and was carried to the upper deck by three men. Countess Sztáray noticed a small wound above Elisabeth's left breast and, alarmed that she had not regained consciousness, informed the captain of her identity. The boat turned back to Geneva, and Elisabeth was carried back to the Hotel Beau-Rivage, where she was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m.

Lucheni was caught by two cab drivers, a sailor, and a gendarme. He was proud of his deed and called himself a "benefactor of humanity". He was brought before the Geneva Court in October and sentenced to life in prison. He hanged himself in his cell in 1910.

The assassination of Empress Elisabeth shocked Europe and led to an international conference against terrorism. Her body was brought back to Vienna, where she was laid to rest in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church.

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