Elisabeth of Austria was born a duchess in 1837. At the age of 16, she was married to Emperor Franz Joseph I before becoming the longest-reigning Empress of Austria. But her life was no royal fairytale.
Instead, her life was full of tragedy, including an unhappy marriage, run-ins with her in-laws, health issues, a dangerous obsession with staying young and beautiful, and even the deaths of her children. Through it all, she forged a relationship with Hungary, becoming their Queen in 1867. But her unhappiness drove her to leave court often. She traveled as much as possible and built herself an island refuge to escape it all.
But not everyone loved her.
Here are 15 of the most fascinating facts about her intriguing royal life:
1. She Was Forced To Marry Her Cousin
Elisabeth was born to Princess Ludovika who, along with her sister, Princess Sophie, controlled Elisabeth’s life right from the very start. They were aristocratic sisters from Bavaria’s ruling Wittelsbach family and were set on maintaining that power through the influence of their offspring.
Princess Sophie, Elisabeth’s aunt, had a son named Franz Josef who would eventually become the Austrian Emperor. Both Ludovika and Sophie decided that Josef should marry Elisabeth’s older sister Helene. However, when Josef met the younger Elisabeth, who was fifteen at the time, he decided that he liked her more.
They were married 8 months later.
2. Her Mother-In-Law/Aunt Took Control Of Her Children
When Franz Josef and Elisabeth had kids, their mothers took complete control over the children.
Princess Sophie was the more controlling of the sisters and even decided on Elisabeth’s daughter’s name. Can you guess what it was? Sophie, of course.
She also separated the children from their mother as often as she could.
Unfortunately, baby Sophie died at the age of two. Elisabeth had two more children, however, another daughter named Gisela and a son named Rudolf (we’ll get to him later).
3. She Was Obsessed With Her Appearance
Elisabeth was completely obsessed with maintaining her youthful appearance and went to great (and sometimes odd) lengths to preserve her beauty.
She was known to rub creams made of whale oil, rosewater, and wax on her body, sleep with raw meat and crushed strawberries on her face, and soak her nightgown in vinegar (which she thought would help preserve her small waist).
Elisabeth would rarely eat meat, work out daily, fast, and participate in equestrian fencing exercises to top it off.
4. She Would Not Allow Photographs Once She Was In Her 30s
Despite her obvious interest in her own appearance, once Elisabeth hit the age of 32, she would not sit for portraits or allow any sort of formal photographs to be taken of her.
It became common for her to ride around town on horseback and cover her face with a parasol or a fan in order to keep people from snapping photographs of her when she wasn’t looking.
5. Her Son Committed Suicide
Now back to Elisabeth’s son, Rudolf. When he grew up, he became the Crown Prince, and he led a relatively normal life throughout his 20s. He married and even fathered a daughter.
However, married life was not for Rudolf, so he tried, but ultimately failed, to get his marriage annulled. When that didn’t work, Crown Prince Rudolf started having adulterous affairs with various women and would drink heavily.
He eventually shacked up with a 17-year-old noblewoman named Mary Vetsera, but the affair didn’t last long. The two were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide at his hunting lodge.
His mother was crushed.
6. Her Son’s Suicide Helped Set The Stage For World War I
Believe it or not, Crown Prince Rudolf’s suicide actually contributed in some way to the beginning of WWI.
Once Franz Josef (Rudolf’s father, Elisabeth’s cousin and husband) abdicated from the throne, the next heir in line to the throne was Franz Josef’s nephew, Franz Ferdinand. Franz Ferdinand took the throne but was eventually assassinated in 1914.
This is widely acknowledged as the event that triggered the beginning of WWI.
7. She May Have Contracted A Venereal Disease From Her Husband
Venereal disease was common in the late 1800s. However, if you were in a committed relationship, one would assume that contracting a venereal disease would be next to impossible since there would be no one else to get it from.
Unfortunately for Elisabeth, her husband Franz Josef wasn’t exactly loyal to her. He was known for his roving eye and would often engage in affairs.
Historians believe a venereal disease would explain her mysterious illnesses, refusal to get pregnant again, and the prolonged absences she would take from the Viennese court.
8. Her Close Friend and Cousin, King Ludwig of Bavaria, Died Tragically
Elisabeth was good friends with her cousin Ludwig, who eventually became the King of Bavaria at age 19. He was pressured to marry and chose Elisabeth’s sister, Sophie Charlotte, but ultimately called the engagement off.
He bankrupted Bavaria at one point by building multiple grandiose castles and was eventually deposed by the government that was serving beneath him.
Just three days after his forced removal from the throne, Ludwig was found dead after drowning in a Bavarian lake.
9. She Was Extremely Popular In Hungary
Austria and Hungary have a long history together. They were a combined empire for some time, but Hungary was often oppressed by Austrian rule.
Franz Josef was behind some of this oppression before Elisabeth convinced him to improve their relations with Hungary. Josef agreed, believing it would bring more power to Austria, and the couple was eventually crowned King and Queen of Hungary in 1867.
This union proved to be prosperous for the nation of Hungary and ultimately led to economic stability.
If you go to Hungary today, you can still find numerous statues of Elisabeth.
10. She Traveled Often And For Long Periods Of Time
After Elisabeth gave birth to Rudolf, she came down with what may have been tuberculosis. To help with the sickness, her doctors recommended that she go to a more tropical climate.
She went to Madeira, a Portuguese island, by herself for six months. She enjoyed her time away so much that she started traveling on her own very frequently.
By the time she was nearing the end of her life, she had spent almost no time in Vienna at all, believing that the city had caused her to become ill in the first place.
11. Her Father Likely Influenced Her Rebellious Nature
Elisabeth seemed to have taken after her dad. His name was Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria. However, most people just called him Max. He was known as a free spirit who traveled all over the world and had a strong love for Bavarian folk music.
When Elisabeth was a child, her father encouraged her adventurous and somewhat rebellious personality. She preferred to ride horses and hike in the countryside rather than study her academics, and her father was okay with that.
It seems that his influence may have led to some of Elisabeth’s unconventional decisions later in life.
12. She Suffered From Unexplainable Laughing Fits
Elisabeth was prone to strange fits, one of the most consistent fits being uncontrollable laughter. Although this may not sound like the worst thing to deal with, it may have been a sign of some mental illness that ran in Elisabeth’s family.
Her daughter was quoted as saying, “Mama had a very strong bath, and when I went in to her, she could not stop laughing.”
13. She Enjoyed Visiting Insane Asylums
Elisabeth developed a strange fascination with the mentally ill as she got older. She frequented the local asylum and would watch doctors perform procedures on patients.
When asked by her husband what she would like as a gift for her birthday one year, she responded by saying, “What I would like best of all is a fully equipped insane asylum.”
14. She Was Eventually Assassinated By An Italian Anarchist
The end of Elisabeth’s life was just as tragic as the rest of it.
On one of her many vacations, Elisabeth planned to take a steamboat across Lake Geneva. During her walk to the ship’s boarding area, an Italian anarchist and fanatic named Luigi Lucheni approached her. He faked a fall, caught himself by leaning on Elisabeth, and then stabbed her.
Surprisingly, Elisabeth’s tight corset kept her from really noticing the knife that had entered her heart and lungs. She continued her walk to the ship, got on board, and only then did she collapse and die.
15. She’s Still A Fashion Influence Today
Even though Elisabeth lived a hard life so long ago, she still influences our modern culture. One of those influences, believe it or not, is in the fashion industry. Her beauty was renowned, and her fashion sense was unique.
Because of this, Karl Lagerfeld created a line for Chanel that was entirely inspired by her late 19th-century style.
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