Damon Mcknight
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, lived a life that was far from a bed of roses. From her childhood home in Bavaria to the Habsburg court in Vienna, Empress Elisabeth's life played out against the dramatic upheavals of 19th-century Europe. She was a reluctant royal, struggling with the rigid rules of court life and suffering from mental illness. Despite her beauty and popularity, Elisabeth's life was marked by tragedy, from her troubled marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph, the suicide of her son Crown Prince Rudolf, and her own untimely death at the hands of an assassin in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1898.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Birthdate | 24 December 1837 |
| Father | Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria |
| Mother | Princess Ludovika, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria |
| Childhood home | Possenhofen, a comfortable family mansion on the banks of Lake Starnberg |
| Marriage date | 24 April 1854 |
| Husband | Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria |
| Home | Hofburg imperial palace, Vienna |
| Became Empress of Austria | 24 April 1854 |
| Death | 10 September 1898, Geneva, Switzerland |
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What You'll Learn
Empress Elisabeth's early life in Bavaria
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi or Sissi, was born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria on 24 December 1837. She was the third child and second daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, the half-sister of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
Elisabeth's father, Duke Maximilian, was considered peculiar due to his love of circuses and his tendency to travel the Bavarian countryside to escape his duties. The family lived in the Herzog-Max-Palais in Munich during the winter and Possenhofen Castle in the summer months, away from the protocols of court. Elisabeth and her siblings enjoyed an informal and unstructured upbringing, and she often skipped her lessons to go riding in the countryside.
In August 1853, at the age of 15, Elisabeth met her first cousin, the 23-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph I. He quickly fell in love with her, and they married on 24 April 1854, making Elisabeth the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. This marriage thrust Elisabeth into the much more formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and which she found suffocating. She had a difficult relationship with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, who was also her maternal aunt. Archduchess Sophie believed that the queen's only role should be to produce an heir, and she took over the rearing of Elisabeth's daughters, one of whom, Sophie, died in infancy.
Elisabeth's life as Empress of Austria was marked by tragedy, including the death of her infant daughter and the suicide of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889. She often escaped to Hungary to recover from her grief and escape her unhappy marriage. Elisabeth's life came to a tragic end when she was assassinated in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1898.
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Marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi or Sissi, was married to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria for 44 years, from 1854 until her assassination in 1898. The marriage produced four children: three daughters and one son.
Elisabeth was 16 when she married her first cousin, Franz Joseph, who was seven years her senior. The marriage was arranged by Franz Joseph's mother, Archduchess Sophie, who was also Elisabeth's maternal aunt. Sophie hoped to secure a niece as her daughter-in-law and arranged for her sister Princess Ludovika to bring her eldest daughter, Duchess Helene, to a party at Bad Ischl. However, Franz Joseph fell in love with Helene's younger sister, Elisabeth, instead. Five days after their first meeting, their betrothal was announced.
The couple married eight months later, on 24 April 1854, at the Augustinerkirche in Vienna. Elisabeth received a dower equal to US$240,000 as of 2015. The marriage was consummated three days later.
The marriage plunged Elisabeth into the formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and which she found suffocating. She was at odds with her mother-in-law, who took over the rearing of Elisabeth's daughters. The birth of a son, Crown Prince Rudolf, improved Elisabeth's standing at court, but her health suffered under the strain. Rudolf was the long-awaited heir to the throne, but he committed suicide in 1889, plunging his parents into crisis.
Elisabeth and Franz Joseph's main residence was Wallsee Castle in western Lower Austria. They also spent summers in Bad Ischl, in Upper Austria. Elisabeth travelled extensively, including to countries not usually visited by European royals at the time, such as Morocco, Algeria, Turkey, and Egypt.
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Life in the Habsburg court
However, her life changed drastically when she married her cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, in 1854. She was just sixteen at the time. The marriage brought her into the much more formal and rigid Habsburg court life, which she found challenging and suffocating. Elisabeth struggled with the strict etiquette and protocol expected of her as Empress. She also had a difficult relationship with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, who held traditional views on the role of a consort, believing that Elisabeth's only value lay in producing an heir to the throne.
Elisabeth's husband was often occupied with civic and imperial duties, which kept the couple apart and further isolated the young empress. She suffered from mental illness and depression, and her health suffered under the strain of court life. She found solace in her interest in Hungary, then a rebellious part of her husband's empire, and she advocated for greater freedoms and respect for the Hungarian people. She spent much time at Gödöllő, north of Budapest, and her enthusiasm for Hungary affronted German sentiment within Austria.
Despite her struggles, Elisabeth was generally popular with her subjects, and she is remembered as a tragic beauty queen and a symbol of the common longing to break free from the constraints of everyday life.
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Her time in Hungary
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi or Sissi, was born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria on 24 December 1837. She became Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary when she married her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, on 24 April 1854.
Elisabeth's life at the Austrian court was marked by conflict with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, and a general aversion to the rigid etiquette of court life. In contrast, she felt a deep affinity for Hungary, which began during her engagement when she learned about Hungarian history from her teacher János Majláth. She visited Hungary for the first time in 1857 and was struck by the aristocratic independence and the more relaxed environment compared to the constraints of Austrian court life. She surrounded herself with Hungarian ladies-in-waiting, learned to speak Hungarian, and conversed with her youngest child, Maria Valeria, in Hungarian. She also enjoyed horseback riding in Hungary, which allowed her to indulge her passion for nature and freedom.
Elisabeth's enthusiasm for Hungary was reciprocated by the Hungarian people, who admired her, especially for her role in bringing about the Compromise of 1867, which created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. She spent much time in Gödöllő, north of Budapest, which was one of her favourite settlements in Hungary. The Hungarian state offered the Gödöllő estate as a gift to Elisabeth and her husband in 1867, and it became a residence where she could escape the rigid rules of the Viennese court. Her youngest child was also born in Hungary and spent much of her time there.
Elisabeth's popularity in Hungary is evident in the many sites named after her, including two districts in Budapest (Erzsébetváros and Pesterzsébet), the Elisabeth Bridge over the Danube connecting Buda and Pest, and the Empress Elisabeth Bridge over the Elbe. She became a cult figure in Hungary, known for her beauty, her endeavours to preserve it, and her embodiment of the modern female ideal.
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Her assassination in Geneva
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi or Sissi, was sixty years old when she was assassinated in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1898. She had received an invitation from the Rothschild family and travelled to Geneva with her lady-in-waiting, the Hungarian Countess Irma Sztáray.
On 10 September 1898, Empress Elisabeth left the Hotel Beau-Rivage, where she had spent the night incognito, to board the steamship "Genève". She walked the short distance between the hotel and the pier without her entourage, despite warnings of possible assassination attempts. Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni, who had been following the Empress for several days, ran towards her and stabbed her directly in her heart with a self-made weapon composed of a small sharp file.
Elisabeth, thinking it was a robbery attempt, proceeded to board the ship. A few minutes later, she lost consciousness and died. She did not know that she had been stabbed. A coach driver helped her to her feet and alerted the Austrian concierge of the Beau-Rivage, a man named Planner, who had been watching the Empress's progress. Her body was placed in a triple coffin: two inner ones of lead and a third exterior one in bronze, resting on lion claws. The coffin was transported back to Vienna on a funeral train.
Lucheni was caught and confessed immediately. He was brought to Geneva Court in October 1898 and incarcerated for life. He had originally planned to kill the Duke of Orléans but settled for the Empress of Austria when he could not locate the Duke.
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Frequently asked questions
Empress Elisabeth of Austria was born in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
Empress Elisabeth grew up in the family mansion on the banks of Lake Starnberg, south of Munich.
As an adult, Empress Elisabeth lived in Vienna, in the Hofburg imperial palace. She also spent a lot of time in Gödöllő, north of Budapest.
Empress Elisabeth was assassinated in Geneva, Switzerland.
