Sissi - Elisabeth of Wittelsbach
(1837 - 1898)
Sissi was born as daughter of
Duke Maximilian and Duchess Ludovika in Bavaria. In 1853 she
got to know her cousin Emporer Franz Joseph, who was going
to marry Sissi's sister Helene. Franz Joseph fell in love
with Sissi immediately and decided to marry her instead of
her sister. When Sissi arrived in Vienna, she soon found out,
that her life at the court in Vienna would not be very easy.
The Viennese aristocracy was making fun of her and her mother
in law Sophie took over the control of her life. Her children
were taken from her and Sissi was barely allowed to see them,
putting her in deep depression and illness. After two year
of cure and lodging in Madeira, Korfu and Bavaria, Sissi returned
with new confidence to Vienna. She decided to take control
for political issues and soon took interest in Hungary, the
very troubled neighbour of Austria. In 1867 she was crowned
Queen of Hungary. Sissi was obsessed with her beauty and her
perfect figure and taking care of her body, resulting in anorexia.
Her very liberal ideas, her call for a republic structure
and her effort for the poor and troublesome made her very
popular with the Austrian people. In 1870 she decided to withdraw
from public life and tried to live the life of a private person.
On the 10th of September, while she was walking through Geneva,
she was assassinated by a young Italian anarchist.
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