We’re in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace, walking through the private quarters where Emperor Franz Joseph did his best to steer Austria-Hungary through the turbulent 19th century. As recounted here last time, things got bad, then things got worse, culminating in the First World War. Meanwhile, deep in the Bavarian woods…
Far away from central Europe’s chaotic politics and unrest, two sisters were growing up, having the best life imaginable. Their parents were Bavarian royalty. The family was rich, but they didn’t put much emphasis on court life or protocol. As a result, their kids were free to grow up like normal kids.
The family lived in a big, beautiful castle on a lake, as if in a fairy tale. The two sisters went horseback riding with their brothers almost daily. It was a child’s life of idyllic bliss.
Little did they know that in far-away Vienna, someone right here in Hofburg Palace was making big plans for one of them. In the not-too-distant future the childhood idyll would be over.
Nothing Lasts Forever
The eldest of the two sisters, Helene, had been chosen by the matriarch of the Habsburg family, Princess Sophie of Bavaria, to be the future bride of her son, Franz Joseph.
Franz Joseph – Emperor Franz Joseph – was the reigning monarch at the time, not his mother, Sophie. But as any Austrian history buff will tell you, it was Sophie who wore the lederhosen in the Habsburg family. When she said “Jump!” everyone in Hofburg Palace including Franz Joseph would snap to it.
Sophie had chosen one of Franz Joseph’s cousins to be his wife and future Empress of the Habsburg Empire. You know – keep it all in the family so you know who you’re dealing with. That’s the way they did it back then.
Sophie arranged for a visit where the two families would work out the details and make it official. The two sisters made the trip with their parents. The older of two, Helene, was the Sophie’s pick for the bride to be. But things didn’t go as planned.
You Go, Franz Joseph!
Helene and Franz Joseph were a total mismatch. Not only that, Franz Joseph fell head-over-heels for Helene’s younger sister. Her name was Elisabeth.
For what was probably for the first time in his life, Franz Joseph put his foot down. He told Sophie that he would not marry Helene. But he’d marry Elisabeth.
Everyone, especially Elisabeth, must have been shocked. Sophie relented. Franz Joseph and Elisabeth would be married.
So Elisabeth was taken away from her idyllic life in the Bavarian countryside to marry Franz Joseph. She’d become Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, and live in Hofburg Palace with her domineering mother-in-law, Sophie. She was 17 years old.
A Downward Spiral
Elisabeth, who was shy and introverted to begin with, didn’t take naturally to life in the Austrian royal court. The nonstop formalities and regulations of court life were too much for her. It wasn’t long before her health started failing.
Along with her faltering health, Elisabeth began to show some odd behaviors. She developed a fear of steep staircases, for example.
Within a year of the marriage, she had a baby girl. Sophie – not Elisabeth — named named the girl “Sophie” after herself. Then she took the child away to be raised how she saw fit. Think about that for a second. Wow.
That move didn’t help Elisabeth’s physical and mental health issues. (Maybe that was the idea? Don’t know).
As Empress of Austria, Elisabeth’s primary responsibility in life was to produce a male heir. She had another child a year later – another girl. Now she was 0 for 2 in the male heir department. She was in serious trouble.
There’s an anonymous, (yeah, right), letter to Elisabeth that has been saved. It implied that very bad things would come her way if she didn’t produce a male child soon. Poor Elisabeth.
To be continued…
Beautiful photo at the top of this post, credit: lebedev yurii, iStock photo ID:591417652.
