Elisabeth of Austria

The Empress who could not be ruled

Who is she?

Elisabeth is a Bavarian princess who unexpectedly became Empress of Austria.

Why is she an overman?

Elisabeth of Austria is a symbol of freedom and the desire for independence in the royal life of Europe. Her strong personality overshadowed her courtly duties and made her almost a legendary personality of the 19^th century.

She was also widely renowned for her beauty, which strengthened the role of femininity and grace in the culture of the continent.

Short biography:

24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known by her nickname Sisi, was born into the Bavarian royal family. Her upbringing was relatively informal and free-spirited for a noble lady of the era. When she was 15 years old, Franz Joseph I of Austria unexpectedly proposed marriage to her and she became Empress of Austria despite being unprepared for the strict protocols of the royal court.

Elisabeth became a cultural icon in Europe thanks to her remarkable beauty, maintained through rigorous exercise and strict dieting. However, in her personal life she was rather unhappy. Throughout her life she strived for personal freedom which was difficult to achieve. She also had a strained relationship with her four children as they were under the influence of others in court. The death of her only son affected her deeply and led to long-term mourning.

Whenever possible, Elizabeth avoided her duties in Vienna and travelled around Europe. She developed a particular fondness for Hungary and contributed to the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. She was was assassinated in Geneva by an Italian anarchist who believed in targeting members of the aristocracy as symbols of oppression and inequality.