Princess Sophie thereafter took the personal care of her namesake completely over and would not let Elisabeth even breastfeed her own daughter. As soon as the girl was born, her grandmother took her and named her after herself without asking permission: Archduchess Sophie of Austria was accepted into the Habsburg royal family even as her mother remained an outsider. Elisabeth and Franz Joseph welcomed their first child just ten months after their wedding. Due to her lack of courtly manners, Elisabeth was viewed as being too provincial and “familiar” with her new family. Princess Sophie proved to a be a nightmare mother-in-law for the young archduchess. Despite his mother’s protests, the young emperor demanded that if he could not marry Elisabeth, he would marry no one! Five days later, the official announcement of betrothal the of couple was announced to the world and they were married on 24 April 1854.ĭespite their devotion to each other, Elisabeth had a very difficult time becoming accustomed to and accepted by the rest of the Habsburg family. He and Elisabeth found themselves as a far better match though, at fifteen, Elisabeth was eight years his junior. His mother made arrangements with her sister Ludovika to bring the two girls to Bad Ischl, a resort in Upper Austria, where the plan was for Franz Joseph to propose to Helene.įate intervened in Princess Sophie’s well-laid plans: Franz Joseph found he could not stand Helene. At 23, the fact that he was not yet married prompted worries about what might happen should he die without having produced an heir. In 1853, Sophie, Archduchess of Austria, princess of Bavaria, and the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph, was looking for a German noblewoman to wed her son. All of this meant that Elisabeth was introverted and shy and, despite the fact that she was considered one of the most beautiful royal women in Europe, these “flaws” made her less attractive as wife. She took after her father: he regularly left his palace to walk in nature. Elizabeth was known to skip out of her lessons so she could horseback ride in the countryside. The Wittelsbachs had close connections to the Prussian, Saxon, and Austrian royal families and this system of intermarriage was expected to continue.Įlisabeth and Helene were raised in a rather informal way: the strict upbringing and education in court protocol expected in families of their position was lacking in the young duchesses. Their two daughters, Helene, and Elisabeth were well regarded in terms of marriage opportunities. Elisabeth and Joseph were a unique match, and their life story was filled with both joy and sorrow.ĭuke Maximilian Joseph and Princess Ludovika were the rulers of Bavaria, one of the largest German states in the nineteenth century. She was born a Duchess of Bavaria and ascended to the heights of imperial power with her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. Elisabeth Wittelsbach of Bavaria was renowned for her beauty and her love of family, but is also known for her tragic death.
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