Empress Sisi

Empress of Austria

Her full name was Elisabeth; "Sisi" was her pet name.

💡 Did you know? As Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Sisi was one of the most famous women of the 19th century.

Franz Joseph I

Sisi was married to Emperor Franz Joseph I, who ruled Austria-Hungary for almost 68 years.

💡 Did you know? He fell in love with her even though he was meant to marry her older sister.

16 years old

The freedom-loving girl went on to suffer under the strict constraints of the Viennese court.

💡 Did you know? Franz Joseph was meant to marry Sisi's older sister: but he fell for the 15-year-old Sisi and chose her instead.

beauty and long hair

Sisi was reckoned one of the most beautiful women in Europe; caring for her ankle-length hair took hours each day.

💡 Did you know? Tending her ankle-length hair took hours every day.

Hungary

Her sympathy helped bring about the reconciliation of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary.

💡 Did you know? Sisi loved Hungary, learned the language and promoted the compromise that led in 1867 to the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary.

she travelled restlessly across Europe

She also battled almost obsessively to keep her slender figure: viewed critically today.

💡 Did you know? To escape the strict Viennese court ceremony, Sisi travelled restlessly and followed a rigid regime of beauty and near-starvation.

assassinated in Geneva (stabbed)

The attack by an anarchist ended her restless life.

💡 Did you know? In 1898 Sisi was stabbed with a file by an Italian anarchist in Geneva: she scarcely noticed the wound at first.

the Sissi films with Romy Schneider

The 1950s „Sissi“ films with Romy Schneider turned Sisi into a romantic fairy-tale empress: far from the often sad reality.

💡 Did you know? The romantic film image has little in common with the often lonely real woman.

Empress Sisi

Empress Elisabeth „Sisi“ (1837 to 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, famous for her beauty and restless life.

💡 Did you know? Behind the fairy-tale image lay a lonely, often depressed woman who longed all her life to escape court life.

1837

Born: 24 December 1837 in Munich