Elisabeth of Bavaria facts for kids
Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria (December 24, 1837 - September 10, 1898) was the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
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Biography
Elisabeth was born in Munich, Bavaria. She was part of the royal family of Wittelsbach. She was the fourth of the ten children of Prince Maximilian of Bavaria and his wife Princess Ludovika. She was known as "Sissi". She grew up with her brothers and sisters at Possenhofen Castle. In August 1853, she went to Bad Ischl with her mother and older sister Helene, to celebrate Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph's 23rd birthday. The event was also supposed to be the occasion to announce his engagement to Helene. However, Franz Joseph was so taken by the young and beautiful Elisabeth that he proposed to her instead.
Marriage
Elisabeth and Franz Joseph were married in great pomp in Vienna on April 24, 1854. Elisabeth had an informal upbringing, before marrying Franz Joseph. She disliked the much more formal life she had to live at court. Early in the marriage, her mother-in-law, Princess Sophie, took over the care of Elisabeth's daughters. One daughter died in infancy. The birth of her son Rudolf improved her standing at court. Her health suffered under the stress of the court life. She had four children: Sophie (1855-1857), Gisele (1856-1932), Rudolf (1858-1889) and Valerie (1868-1924).
Franz Joseph and Elisabeth became King and Queen of Hungary in 1867, when the two countries joined together and created the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Elisabeth suffered from lung disease and melancholia. She disliked the strict etiquette of the court. She was often away and lived long periods of time abroad, notably in Hungary and at her villa in Corfu.
She has since become something of an historical icon and highly romantic figure, through a series of movies called Sissi in the 1950s. The movies starred actress Romy Schneider.
Images for kids
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Elisabeth at 11 years, her brother Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, and their dog "Bummerl" at Possenhofen Castle
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The young Elisabeth shortly after becoming Austrian Empress (by Amanda Bergstedt, 1855)
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Equestrian portrait of Elisabeth at Possenhofen Castle, age 15, 1853
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Empress Elisabeth with her two children and a portrait of the late Archduchess Sophie Friederike, 1858
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Portrait of Elisabeth depicting her long hair (by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1864), one of two so-called "intimate" portraits of the empress; although its existence was kept a secret from the general public, it was the emperor's favourite portrait of her and kept opposite his desk in his private study
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Engraving depicting the Hungarian royal family at Gödöllő Palace (circa 1870)
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Empress Elisabeth with Emperor Franz Joseph (before 1898)
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Coronation of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth as Apostolic King and Queen of Hungary
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Photograph of Elisabeth as Queen of Hungary (by Emil Rabending, 1867)
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Elisabeth's desk at the Achilleion in Corfu
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Elizabeth in mourning dress by Philip de László, 1889
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Purported last photograph taken of Elisabeth at Territet, Switzerland, a week before her death
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The funeral procession in Vienna, (17 September 1898)
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Empress Elisabeth's tomb next to that of her husband Franz Joseph in Vienna's Imperial Crypt. On the other side of Franz Josef's tomb is that of their son, Crown Prince Rudolf
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Monument to Empress Elisabeth in Vienna's Volksgarten (see statue, left)
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Seated statue in Vienna's Volksgarten
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Memorial statue in Territet
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Queen Elizabeth of Hungary sculpture in Matthias Church, Budapest Hungary
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Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Courtly Gala Dress with Diamond Stars by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1865
See also
In Spanish: Isabel de Baviera para niños
