Cousins: Queen Elizabeth And Elizabeth Of Austria

Queen Elizabeth II of England and Empress Elisabeth of Austria are indeed related. Both women are descendants of Maria of Austria, the daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Anne of Bohemia and Hungary. Maria was married to William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, and the couple had seven children. One of their daughters, Marie Eleonore of Cleves, is an ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II, while another, Marie Eleonore's sister, is an ancestor of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

Queen Elizabeth II and Empress Elisabeth of Austria share a common ancestor in Maria of Austria

Queen Elizabeth II of England and Empress Elisabeth of Austria are related and share a common ancestor in Maria of Austria. Maria of Austria, also known as Marie Eleonore of Cleves, was the daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Anne of Bohemia and Hungary. She was born in 1531 in Prague and married William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, at the age of 15. Maria and William had seven children together, and it is through their daughters that both Queen Elizabeth II and Empress Elisabeth of Austria are descended.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, was born in 1837 in Munich, Bavaria. She was a member of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach and became Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary when she married her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, at the age of 16. Elisabeth was known for her beauty and her interest in fashion, as well as her rigorous exercise routines and demanding beauty routines. She had a complex relationship with her husband and often escaped the formalities of court life by travelling extensively. In 1898, at the age of 60, Elisabeth was assassinated by an Italian anarchist, Luigi Lucheni, while travelling in Geneva.

Queen Elizabeth II, on the other hand, was born in 1926 in London, England. She is the longest-reigning monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne at the age of 25 and has dedicated her life to public service. She is known for her sense of duty and commitment to her role as monarch, even in the face of personal tragedy.

While Queen Elizabeth II and Empress Elisabeth of Austria lived in different eras and led very different lives, they are connected through their shared ancestry. Maria of Austria, the common ancestor of these two remarkable women, lived a life of royalty and intrigue, and her legacy can be traced through the generations to the present day.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria was born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria, was born in Munich, Bavaria, on 24 December 1837. She was the daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, the half-sister of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

Elisabeth was born into the Ducal royal branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach and enjoyed an informal and unstructured upbringing. She was the second of four children, with an older sister, Helene, and two younger sisters, Sophie and Marie Valerie. Her father, Maximilian, was considered peculiar and often travelled the Bavarian countryside to escape his royal duties. The family spent winters in the Herzog-Max-Palais in Munich and summers in the Possenhofen Castle, far from the protocols of court.

Elisabeth, also known as Sisi, was known for her beauty and was regarded as the most beautiful princess in Europe. In August 1853, at the age of 15, she met her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, who fell in love with her. They were married on 24 April 1854, when she was 16 years old. This marriage brought her into the formal and rigid Habsburg court life, which she found suffocating and unprepared for. She often clashed with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophia, who was also her maternal aunt.

Despite the challenges of court life, Elisabeth found solace in her visits to Hungary, where she was admired by the people and developed a deep kinship with the country. She played a significant role in bringing about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867 and was crowned Queen of Hungary on 8 June 1867.

Elisabeth's life was marked by tragedy, particularly the loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889, in a murder-suicide at his hunting lodge. She never fully recovered from this blow and withdrew from court duties, travelling extensively without her family. Her life came to a tragic end on 10 September 1898, when she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist, Luigi Lucheni, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Elisabeth married her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria, was the cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, whom she married in 1854. She was 16 at the time, and he was 23. Their marriage lasted 44 years, until her death in 1898.

Elisabeth was born into the Ducal royal branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach and enjoyed an informal upbringing. In contrast, her marriage to Franz Joseph I thrust her into the much more formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and which she found suffocating. Early in the marriage, she was at odds with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, who was also her maternal aunt. The birth of a son, Crown Prince Rudolf, improved Elisabeth's standing at court, but her health suffered under the strain.

Elisabeth and Franz Joseph's marriage produced four children: three daughters and one son. Their son Rudolf, the long-hoped-for heir to the throne, committed suicide with his lover Mary Vetsera in 1889. This tragedy was a blow from which Elisabeth never fully recovered.

Elisabeth was stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist in Geneva in 1898

On 10 September 1898, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi or Sissi, was stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist in Geneva, Switzerland. The tragic assassination brought her unsettled life to a close.

Elisabeth was the daughter of the Bavarian Duke Maximilian Joseph and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. She was born on 24 December 1837 in Munich, Bavaria, and married her cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, at the age of 16. The marriage brought her into the formal Habsburg court life, which she found constricting. She often clashed with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophia, and her health suffered due to the strain. Elisabeth found solace in her visits to Hungary, where she was admired and adored. She played a pivotal role in bringing about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.

However, tragedy struck in 1889 when her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, died by suicide. Elisabeth never fully recovered from this loss and withdrew from court duties, choosing to travel widely without her family. Despite warnings, she embarked on an incognito trip to Geneva in 1898, where her life would tragically end.

On the day of her assassination, Elisabeth and her lady-in-waiting, Countess Irma Sztáray, were walking along the promenade towards Lake Geneva, intending to board the steamship Genève for Montreux. Unbeknownst to them, the 25-year-old Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni had been following them, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Lucheni, who had been abandoned by his parents as a baby and grew up in orphanages and foster homes, harboured anarchist beliefs and intended to make a statement by killing a sovereign.

As the ship's bell announced its imminent departure, Lucheni approached Elisabeth and Countess Sztáray. He pretended to stumble and, in a swift motion, stabbed Elisabeth with a sharpened needle file that he had inserted into a wooden handle. The weapon penetrated her thorax, piercing her lung, pericardium, and heart. Despite the severity of the wound, Elisabeth managed to walk a short distance with the support of others before collapsing.

Countess Sztáray initially believed that Elisabeth had only been knocked over and was unharmed. However, as they boarded the steamship, it became evident that Elisabeth was seriously injured. The ship turned back to Geneva, and Elisabeth was carried back to the Hôtel Beau-Rivage, where she was pronounced dead within an hour of the attack.

Lucheni was quickly apprehended and stood trial in October 1898. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, as capital punishment had been abolished in Geneva. He never expressed remorse for his actions and attempted suicide multiple times while in prison. Eventually, in 1910, he hanged himself in his cell.

The assassination of Empress Elisabeth shocked the world and sparked outrage, particularly in Austria and Hungary. It also led to the first international conference against terrorism, underscoring the far-reaching impact of this tragic event.

Elisabeth was known for her demanding beauty routines, including daily three-hour hair care

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, was known for her demanding beauty routines, including a daily three-hour hair care ritual. This ritual was necessary to maintain her thick, chestnut hair, which grew all the way down to her feet. Every morning, after a cold bath, massage, light breakfast, and rigorous exercise, Sisi would sit down for three hours while her hairdresser, Fanny Feifalik, attended to her hair. This routine included combing, braiding, and twisting Sisi's hair into an elegant coiffure.

Fanny's services were highly valued, and she was made "imperial hairdresser," receiving a yearly salary of 2,000 guldens, equivalent to the salary of a university professor. Sisi even refused to attend official functions if Fanny was unavailable to style her hair. During the lengthy process of having her hair dressed, Sisi occupied herself by reading, writing letters, and studying Greek and Hungarian with her tutors.

In addition to her daily hair styling, Sisi also had a more intensive hair care routine that took place every three weeks. On these days, her hair was washed with a mixture of raw eggs and brandy, and then dried. This process took an entire day to complete, during which Sisi would don a long, waterproof silk dressing gown and walk until her hair was dry.

The weight of Sisi's hair was sometimes too much for her, and she would suffer from headaches. To alleviate this, she would stay in her apartments with her hair held up with ribbons to take the weight off her head and allow air to circulate through her tresses.

Sisi's hair was not only a source of pride but also a source of stress. She was highly sensitive to any perceived deficiencies in her appearance and was constantly dieting and exercising to maintain her slim figure. This obsession with her appearance took a toll on the young empress, who was described as "graceful, but too slender" and "extremely unhappy" by her fellow courtiers.

Despite the demands of her beauty routines, Sisi found some enjoyment in them. She used the time during her hair care rituals to educate herself and improve her language skills. She also took pleasure in other beauty rituals, such as warm olive oil baths and skincare treatments using natural ingredients like strawberries and honey.

In conclusion, Empress Elisabeth of Austria's daily three-hour hair care routine was just one aspect of her demanding beauty routines. These rituals were a significant part of her life and contributed to her reputation as one of the most beautiful women of 19th-century Europe.

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