Damon Mcknight
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, lived a troubled life marked by tragedy, mental illness, and a violent death. She was born in 1837 in Munich, Germany, and grew up in an unstructured environment, playing in the Bavarian forests and riding horses. At the age of 16, she married her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, and became Empress. However, she struggled with the formalities and rigid rituals of court life, which took a toll on her mental health. The death of her son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889 further contributed to her decline, and she withdrew from court duties, choosing to travel extensively instead. Despite warnings, she travelled incognito to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1898, where she was fatally stabbed by an Italian anarchist, Luigi Lucheni. Her assassination brought about the end of her unhappy and misunderstood life.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie |
| Nicknames | Sisi, Sissi |
| Born | 24 December 1837 |
| Birthplace | Munich, Bavaria |
| Parents | Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria |
| Spouse | Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria |
| Tenure | 44 years |
| Death | 10 September 1898 |
| Cause of Death | Assassination by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni |
| Notable Events | Developed a deep kinship with Hungary, helping to establish the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867 |
| Suffered from mental illness | |
| Obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty |
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What You'll Learn
Elisabeth's marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, was married to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 24 April 1854. She was 16 years old at the time, while her husband was 23. The marriage took place in St. Augustine's Church, Vienna.
Elisabeth was born into the Ducal royal branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach and enjoyed a relatively informal upbringing. On the other hand, her marriage to Franz Joseph I thrust her into the much more formal Habsburg court life, which she found challenging and suffocating. She was unprepared for the strict protocols of court life and often felt isolated in the palace. Early in the marriage, she also had a difficult relationship with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, who was also her maternal aunt. Sophie took over the rearing of Elisabeth's daughters, one of whom, Sophie, died in infancy. The birth of a son, Crown Prince Rudolf, improved Elisabeth's standing at court, but her health suffered under the strain.
Franz Joseph I, on the other hand, was the absolute monarch of the largest empire in Europe outside of Russia. He was hardworking and loved Elisabeth, but lacked imagination and humour. He was troubled by nationalism throughout his reign and concluded the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, granting greater autonomy to Hungary and creating the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary.
Despite being married, the couple's relationship was not a happy one. While Franz Joseph was passionately in love with his wife, the feeling was not mutual. Elisabeth suffered from mental illness, frequently spoke of suicide, and turned to mediums and psychics to help cure her anguish. She also spent as much time as she could away from the court, frequently travelling to Greece, England, Ireland, Switzerland, and Hungary. She developed a deep interest in Hungary, then a rebellious part of her husband's empire, and collaborated with Hungarian statesman Gyula Andrássy to advance the Hungarian cause.
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Her struggles with mental illness
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, born into the Ducal royal branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach, enjoyed an informal and unstructured upbringing. At 16, she married her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, and became Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. This marriage, which was arranged by Franz Joseph's domineering mother, Archduchess Sophie, brought Elisabeth to the formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and found suffocating. She was at odds with her mother-in-law, who took over the rearing of Elisabeth's daughters, one of whom, Sophie, died in infancy.
The young empress suffered from mental illness, which was likely brought on or exacerbated by the pressures of court life. She was unhappy in her marriage and suffered from the death of her infant daughter. She also had a difficult relationship with her mother-in-law, which caused her emotional pain. Elisabeth's personality underwent a transformation, and she went from being a shy, childlike bride to a confident and strong-willed woman. She took up smoking, riding, and gymnastics during her marriage, which caused her to become the subject of gossip. She also developed an interest in Hungarian affairs, which made her popular in Hungary.
Elisabeth's mental health struggles continued throughout her life. She suffered from severe depression, referred to as 'melancholy' in the 19th century, due to the lack of stimulation and isolation she experienced in palace life. She also had an eating disorder and was obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty. She subjected herself to starvation diets, rigorous exercise routines, and demanding beauty routines. After the death of her toddler daughter in 1857, her eating disorder worsened, and her starvation behaviour reappeared following periods of stress. She also frequently spoke of suicide to her husband, who was terrified by her behaviour.
In 1889, Elisabeth's son, Crown Prince Rudolf, and his mistress Mary Vetsera were found dead in a murder-suicide at his hunting lodge. This tragedy sent Elisabeth into a steep decline, and she withdrew from court duties and travelled widely, unaccompanied by her family. She had a palace built on the Greek island of Corfu, which served as a refuge for her. Despite warnings of possible assassination attempts, she travelled incognito to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1898, where she was fatally stabbed by an Italian anarchist.
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The death of her son, Crown Prince Rudolf
Empress Elisabeth of Austria's only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, died by suicide in 1889. Rudolf was the son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth and was heir apparent to the throne of Austria-Hungary.
The death of Crown Prince Rudolf, along with that of his mistress, 17-year-old Baroness Mary Vetsera, was a result of an apparent murder-suicide pact. Their bodies were found on 30 January 1889 in an imperial hunting lodge in Mayerling, located in the Vienna Woods. The death of the Crown Prince caused a stir, as it interrupted the direct line of Habsburg dynastic succession.
The circumstances surrounding Rudolf's death remained a mystery, with rumours of a double murder persisting. Initially, it was thought that Vetsera had poisoned Rudolf before taking her own life. However, it was later determined that Rudolf had shot both of them. The Empress's husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, was informed of their son's death in private, and the national security services sealed off the area. The official cause of death reported by the Imperial Court medical commission was a "rupture of an aneurysm of the heart".
The death of Crown Prince Rudolf had a profound impact on Empress Elisabeth, who never fully recovered from the loss. She withdrew from court duties and travelled extensively without her family. The Empress also commissioned the construction of a palace on the Island of Corfu, which she named "Achilleion" after Homer's hero Achilles in the Iliad. However, she soon lost interest in the property.
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Her avoidance of public life and preference for travel
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, nicknamed Sisi, was known for her avoidance of public life and her preference for travel. From a young age, Sisi was exposed to an unstructured and informal upbringing, often skipping her lessons to go riding in the countryside. This freedom in her early life was in stark contrast to the rigid and formal Habsburg court life she entered upon her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I at the age of 16.
Sisi struggled to adapt to the strict conventions and duties of the Viennese court, finding the transition suffocating. She often felt caged and isolated within the confines of the Hofburg palace, leading to mental health issues and a nervous collapse in 1862. Sisi's deep unhappiness in her new life was evident even during her wedding festivities, as she sobbed in her glass coach on the way to her new home.
To escape the constraints of court life, Sisi frequently travelled, sometimes accompanied by her husband, to various destinations within Austria and beyond. She favoured places like Cape Martin on the French Riviera, Sanremo on the Ligurian Riviera, Lake Geneva in Switzerland, and Bad Ischl in Upper Austria. She also ventured to countries less commonly visited by European royals at the time, such as Morocco, Algeria, Malta, Turkey, and Egypt.
Sisi's desire for freedom and aversion to the confines of imperial life are evident in her own words: "If I arrived at a place and knew that I could never leave it again, the whole stay would become hell despite being paradise". This restlessness and longing for escape are further highlighted by her statement, "I want always to be on the move. Every ship I see sailing away fills me with the greatest desire to be on it."
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Her assassination by Luigi Lucheni
On 10 September 1898, Empress Elisabeth of Austria was assassinated by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni. Elisabeth was walking along the promenade in Geneva, heading towards the pier to board a steamboat, when Lucheni approached and stabbed her below her left breast with a tapered, four-inch file. Badly wounded, Elisabeth continued walking with the support of two other people and managed to board the steamer. However, the boat soon turned back to shore when it was noticed that she was bleeding. The Empress was carried back to her hotel, where she was pronounced dead within an hour of the attack.
Lucheni was apprehended while fleeing the scene, and his weapon was found the next day. He declared that he wanted to kill the crown that oppressed the people and that he had come to Geneva intending to assassinate a member of royalty, although his original target was Prince Henri Philippe of Orleans. He chose the Empress as his victim when he lost track of the Prince's movements and read in the newspaper that she was in Geneva. Lucheni stated that he used the file because he did not have enough money for a stiletto or dagger.
Luigi Lucheni was born in Paris in 1873 and grew up in orphanages and foster homes. He worked odd jobs in several countries and served in the military for three years before moving to Switzerland, where he befriended anarchists in Lausanne. He was sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of the Empress and was found hanged in his cell in 1910, although it is unclear whether his death was suicide or murder. His head was later preserved in formaldehyde and became the subject of scientific study, influenced by the theories of Cesare Lombroso, which sought to find physiological evidence of criminal minds.
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Frequently asked questions
Elisabeth, also known as Sisi, was born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria in 1837. She became Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary when she married her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, at 16 years old.
Sisi avoided public life and found the rigid rituals of the Viennese court suffocating. She suffered from mental illness and was obsessed with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty. She frequently travelled to escape court life, and she had a deep kinship with Hungary, which was then a rebellious part of her husband's empire. She helped bring about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.
Yes, she had three daughters and a son, Crown Prince Rudolf. Her son's death in a murder-suicide with his mistress in 1889 was a blow from which she never fully recovered. She withdrew from court duties and travelled widely without her family.
In 1898, despite warnings of possible assassination attempts, Elisabeth travelled incognito to Geneva, Switzerland. There, she was fatally stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni.
