On 4 November 1824, Princess Sophie of Bavaria married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, the third son of Emperor Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Her family had been reluctant, and Sophie’s sister wrote, “They say he is educated, but he is not at all to the Queen’s [read more]
When Elisabeth married her first cousin Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, her trousseau could hardly be considered worthy of her rank. Nevertheless, her trousseau, consisting of 25 trunks, arrived ahead of the bride in Vienna. Although the jewellery listed was worth at least 100,000 guldens, most of it was gifts from her future husband and [read more]
Read part one here. The exiled Marie Sophie and Francis were given sanctuary by Pope Pius IX in the Quirinal Palace, where they stayed for 18 months while the Farnese Palace was being prepared for them. Though they had some financial investments, finances were pretty strained. Francis’s stepmother and her children also settled in Rome, [read more]
Marie Sophie in Bavaria was born on 4 October 1841 as the daughter of Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. She was the younger sister of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who was known as Sisi. She was one of ten siblings, of which eight survived to adulthood. All the siblings were [read more]
On 15 September 1898, the body of Empress Elisabeth arrived at the Hofburg in Vienna. Elisabeth’s wish to be buried “at the ocean, preferably on Corfu” would not be honoured. Elisabeth’s body was placed in the chapel of the Hofburg in a closed casket. By the account of Count Erich Kielmannsegg, “not many tears were [read more]
Read part three here. Elisabeth and Leopold lived together as he was making a career for himself in politics. Of her children, only her daughter was still living with her. She bought the so-called Windisch-Graetz Villa on the outskirts of Vienna in 1929. However, peace would be hard to find. By 1932, national socialism was [read more]
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