Duchesses in Bavaria

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 26. Chapters: Duchess Amalie in Bavaria, Duchess Helene in Bavaria, Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria, Duchess Mathilde Ludovika in Bavaria, Duchess Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria, Dukes in Bavaria, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal, Maria Sophie of Bavaria, Marie of Baden-Sponheim, Princess Amalie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess Amélie Louise of Arenberg, Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, Princess Sophie of Saxony, Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein. Excerpt: Elisabeth of Austria (24 December 1837 - 10 September 1898) was the wife of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others. From an early age, she was called Sisi by family and friends. Although Elisabeth had a limited (but significant) influence on Austro-Hungarian politics, she became an historical icon. The Empress is now thought to have been a non-conformist who abhorred conventional court protocol, as well as a free spirit, who valued an individual sense of freedom above anything else. Following the suicide of her son Rudolf, she withdrew from public life. She was murdered by an anarchist in Geneva, Switzerland in 1898. Elisabeth is the longest serving consort of Austria. Elisabeth at 11 years, her brother Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, and their dog "Bummerl" at Possenhofen CastleBorn Her Royal Highness Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie on 24 December 1837 in Munich, Bavaria, she was the fourth child of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Maximilian was considered to be rather peculiar; he had a childish love of circuses and traveled the Bavarian countryside to escape his duties. The family home was at Possenhofen Castle, far from the protocols of court. "Sisi" and her brothers and sisters grew up in a very unrestrained and unstructured environment, she often skipped her lessons to go riding about the countryside. In 1853, Princess Sophie of Bavaria, the domineering mother of 23-year-old Emperor Francis Joseph, preferring to have a niece as a daughter-in-law rather than a stranger, arranged a marriage between her son and her sister Ludovika's eldest daughter, Helene. Although the couple had never met, Franz Joseph's obedience was taken for granted by the archduchess, who once was described as "the only man in the Hofburg" for her authoritarian manner. The Duchess and Helene were invited to journey to resort of Bad Ischl, Upper Aust