Empress and Queen Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria's children | Tragic Lifestories

[@historyfoxy5278]

If you want to know more about Queen Elisabeth/ Sissi, I recommend watching my video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYDJkIJ3hcdpp9E Did you enjoy the video? Let me know in the comments! I'm wishing you a Merry Christmas and peaceful holidays!

[@alexandramsh4740]

New subscriber here! Keep up the good work. Best! Xx

[@dorothyblair6741]

I always understood that decisions about the care and education of Sisi's oldest children were taken without recourse to Sisi by her mother in law, Sisi had no say in the matter, and did not choose for it to be this way. With her last and youngest child she insisted on having the input in her upbringing that was denied her with her previous children. At least that is what I have always understood from other historical commentators.

[@historyfoxy5278]

Yes, I always thought the same! There are some letters from her mother in law though, which make it appear as if she only jumped in to take care of the children because Sissi wasn’t too interested. I guess the truth is somewhere in the middle.

[@emilybarclay8831]

@@historyfoxy5278 I mean, I doubt Sisi actually had any choice or desire for children in her early life. She had numerous pregnancies forced on her as a teen/ young adult and then the trauma of her first child’s death means it’s hardly surprising she struggled to bond with her children, especially the ones that resembled her overbearing, obsessive husband

[@timheymans.]

Its often the case that in Royal Households the reigning monarch can demand the upbringing of the heir (apparent). This was the fear of the Princess of Wales after she divorced the successor of the house of Windsor.

[@fredrika27]

@@timheymans. It's the case of George today. You can see how he is favored compared to Charlotte and Louis. You can see that William has a strong bond to his first born while Charlotte is ignored and Louis is spoilt to make up for how George is favored. Don't believe me? Watch the interaction of the family at the Jubilee parade. William sits next to George and engages with him, but had little interaction with Charlotte or Louis. Charlotte sat in theiddle and had no contact with either parent while Louis ran wild disrespecting everyone, especially his mother. George ignored Louis while Charlotte played little mama to both George and Louis but was not really acknowledged by either parent despite being well-behaved!

[@danieleallen648]

that is correct except for child number 4

[@kithale316]

I visited the Kaisergruft in Vienna and saw Rudolph and Sisi's tombs. It is well worth a visit not only historically but also for the wonderful scupture and decor. Vienna is a truly wonderful city which I visit every few years.

[@historyfoxy5278]

That sounds great! Vienna is still on my list of places I want to visit!

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

I have been there a few times and always leave flowers.

[@irishka_zolotse]

Vienna is my favoritest city in the world, I've had a privilege to work and live there for a year, unforgettable life experience!

[@cassandraralph5906]

Another interesting and educational video! I had never really thought about Sissi's children. But what difficult and ultimately tragic lives they had. They were very much the products of their backgrounds. Thank you again! 😊

[@historyfoxy5278]

Good you enjoyed it! You‘re very welcome 😊

[@MichielBLKorte]

The difference between Sisi's daughters and their relationship to their mother is amazing. Gisela (who also looks a lot like her father) was raised by her paternal grandmother, and as her mother was always fleeing court from an unhappy marriage and rigid royal life, they were not close. Gisela really was a daddy's girl. Franz Joseph even kept her first pair of shoes and a poem she had written him in his official office at the palace. Elisabeth could never get over the fact that Gisela was ugly in her opinion and resembled her father in both personality and looks. When Sisi's favourite brother Mapperl announced that he was in love with a princess who was already engaged to Prince Leopold, Sisi stepped in. She called Leopold and offered him her 16-year-old daughter. He couldn't refuse an Empress' offer, and so they were married, clearing the way for Mapperl and Amalie. Sisi always detested the fact that she had pressured into a political marriage as a teen, but had no trouble marrying off her own daughter and not even being there at the wedding. Valerie was so much Elisabeth's favourite that she was called "The Only One" by courtiers, because she was the only child Sisi raised and talked about. She was also born 10 years after the last child and Sisi was mature enough to actually want a child this time. Valerie was also artistic like Sisi and shared her beauty. Elisabeth hoped to always keep her near in her tumultous, travelling lifestyle, but oddly enough, being raised by her mother made Valerie long for simple domesticity. She adored and admired her older sister Gisela, which Elisabeth could never understand, for being a compassionate and doting mother, daughter and sister. When Valerie announced she wanted to marry, Elisabeth was shocked and did everything to stop it (compare this to her treatment of Gisela), but ironically Valerie had inherited her stubbornness and married anyways. Up 'till Rudolf's death, Elisabeth's will dictated that all her possesions would go to Rudolf and his daughter. After his suicide, she had to change it. She wanted to leave everything to Rudolf's daughter and Valerie, but her courtiers reminded her that she had no legal grounds to include her one daughter and exclude another as they were of the exact same rank. When Sisi died, two-fifths of her possesions went to both her daughters, and one-fifth to her granddaughter. It is comforting to know that despite their different upbringing, huge age gap and them each being one parent's favourite, Gisela and Valerie were very close for their entire lives. Gisela was devestated when her little sister died.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

Her eldest children were taken from her.

[@dammar117]

Exactly. The brilliant analysis above totally ignores this one crucial fact.

[@gentleauroraasmr8562]

I think for the fact Sisi older children were not raised by Sisi due to Sophie is the reason for the strainined relationship. Sisi became a stranger to her own kids because despite the Good intentions that may have been disguise under the act. It actually turned out to be horrible..you can't take a child away from a mother and then expect the relationship will be good when you decide to give them back. Doesn't work that way and leads to resentment. Her life as empress and queen was hard enough, imagine taking the joy she could've find maybe caring for her kids?

[@historyfoxy5278]

I agree. She did have a (too) close relationship with her youngest daughter, but her favoritism resulted in resentment from her other children.

[@isobelbauch9842]

@@historyfoxy5278 Sophie ruined those chances when she took them away at birth. Franz Josef was such a mama’s boy. Disgraceful.

[@carolannemckenzie3849]

It is likely that Rudolf's "mental confusion" was caused by syphilis, which was usually listed in British death certificates as GPI - general paralysis of the insane. Thank you for another great video. I'm feasting on them in rainy Scotland tonight 😁

[@historyfoxy5278]

I‘ve read about different possible diagnosis for Rudolph. A rainy day in Scotland sounds wonderful! 😊

[@caroalfonzo2890]

I wonder why the last minutes of the video the picture of Marie Valerie is not shown? So interesting information about the children to end up without imagenes... 🤷‍♀️

[@historyfoxy5278]

I had a problem with copyright on the last picture unfortunately.

[@vernonsheldon-witter1225]

The sad fact is that while the beauty of Empress Sissi made her, like Princess Diana was in our age, a center of world admiration, she was at heart self-centered and not a remarkably good Mother. When I was a kid, I saw the Romy Schneider version but the newer biographies shed a much more problematic and different light on her and her personality.

[@historyfoxy5278]

I agree for the most part. I was so fascinated with Sisi as a young girl since seeing the movies. The reality of her persona and life is so different though, I still find her interesting, but a lot of the fuzz surrounding her is due to her beauty and portrayal.

[@reganmichelle6789]

Another beautiful video, I learned a lot!

[@historyfoxy5278]

Great to hear! Thanks for watching!

[@Belgisch_Monarchist1831]

Great video, I love learning about the Habsburgs and wittelsbachs.

[@historyfoxy5278]

Thank you! I put some of my sources/book recommodations in the info box if you‘d like to read more!

[@Belgisch_Monarchist1831]

@@historyfoxy5278 oh I wil definitely look at the sources 😄👍🏼

[@markaden5452]

I read in the new book "Under the Spell of a Myth: Empress Sisi in Greece" that her bond to Valerie was close but her fav daughter felt suffocated by her mother's love... Touching how the two daughters visited their depressed mother in Corfu!

[@historyfoxy5278]

Sounds like an interesting read!

[@aprilbrown8790]

Very interesting! It was refreshing to hear about her children! I mostly only really heard about Rudolf, and the other 3 were mentioned but not as detailed!

[@kdodson4498]

I loved 🥰 this video! I’ve watched several videos about Empress Sissi, but nothing ever so detailed and fascinating about her children! So thankful I stumbled upon your channel tonight! European Royalty is my thing. Ty for new, interesting, entertaining content that holds my attention 🤗🤗🤗!!!!

[@historyfoxy5278]

Glad you found your way to my channel!!💙

[@Meggie951]

Marie Valerie was really pretty indeed. She had gorgeous hair and eyes like her mother.

[@leonieharry2941]

Super gemacht, vielen Dank! Sehr interessant

[@historyfoxy5278]

Sehr gerne, freut mich, dass es dir gefallen hat! 😊

[@grumpylizzard1]

I would have clicked on the like button if I could have seen the last five minutes.

[@timheymans.]

So sad that both Sissy and Romy (the actress) both lost their sons at a relatively young age!

[@historyfoxy5278]

So true! Both had tragic fates.

[@annemurphy9339]

Such beautiful children!

[@annettedierks7810]

Different books I've read have said the children's care was taken over by their paternal grandmother

[@mariekevanderhelm-bax3801]

The picture at 11:01 is not of Marie Valerie, but of Elisabeth, Rudolph’s daughter with her husband

[@historyfoxy5278]

You‘re absolutely right, I blurred it out at the end because I stumbled across the mistake after uploading 🙈

[@d.l.l.6578]

I’ve seen in documentaries that the older children were taken away from Elisabeth and she was not allowed to raise them. So she became distant. There is speculation that Rudolph’s death was a murder.

[@historyfoxy5278]

Yes, That’s what I read too, but some letters from her mother in law make it sound as if Sissi wasn’t interested in her children. We have to speculate what version of events is true. I’ve heard that as well, but I couldn’t find any reliable sources on it.

[@alessandragregori1518]

Non è una ipotesi. L'ultima imperatrice, Sua Maestà Zita l'ha detto chiaramente in più occasioni.

[@TheKingsofFrance]

Another extremely interesting video ! Thank you for sharing ! I would definitely like to hear more about Sisi. Maybe her husband and her mother in law ? How about her parents ?

[@historyfoxy5278]

Thank you!! I was thinking about her parents or maybe her siblings, they were all over the place as well! The list of people I want to cover is so long, I dont know yet how I will continue after Christmas, I‘ll make it spontanious :)

[@TheKingsofFrance]

@@historyfoxy5278 sounds like a plan ! Lol

[@sharonpolikoff7282]

The three German movies made about Sissi during the 1950s that starred Romy Schneider may not be historically accurate, but they're beautiful to watch and show how the 'fairytale' image of her has persisted.

[@historyfoxy5278]

@@sharonpolikoff7282 Absolutely true, I love the movies as well!

[@addisontailor]

Thanks for the informative video, I learned a lot of interesting, new things. Merry Christmas!

[@historyfoxy5278]

You‘re welcome, I‘m glad you liked it! Merry Christmas to you too! :)

[@sarahnichols4439]

Hello. May I suggest also the BBC series called Fall of Eagles (1974) as it does have an episode that does cover this period. Actually, it covers when Sisi was recently married (1854) to Emperor Franz to 1918 so better part of 60 years.

[@elenafoleyfoley168]

Very interesting thank-you 🌻🙏🏻🌻

[@ritaking8827]

Well done very interesting.

[@historyfoxy5278]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!!

[@peggyharden8793]

Very interesting, but the last few pictures have been blurred out. Why?

[@historyfoxy5278]

Hey, I inserted a false picture and realized after uploading, so I had to blur it out.

[@rizescumaria4289]

Cu respect, dacă traduceți este bine! Am văzut filmul, am primit și alte clipuri în Română!

[@princekrazie]

Why did you censor the last few minutes with Marie's Picture 😭😭😭

[@kp4911]

She said she had the wrong picture in place,

[@gilangsetyawibawa185]

It seems that the Grim Reaper has hots for Rudolf since Sisi turned him down!

[@patriciamartin6756]

Empress Sophie took Sissi's children away and she wasn't allowed to see them so she left Austria

[@historyfoxy5278]

That’s all I ever knew as well. In 2019 a book by historian Christian Sepp was published about Ludovika which disputes that theory. I haven’t read it yet though

[@3rrlia661]

she was empress not queen.

[@lillianmcgrew217]

❤ history

[@danieleallen648]

her mother in law was overbearing-

[@patriziascotto9163]

Perché non c'è la traduzione in italiano?

[@veronicasimons3857]

That you can get pregnant in your teen years does not meen that you are a mother or father.maybe she wasn’t ready to be a mom.some people are that way sadly.maybe she was ready to be a mom when she had Marie Valerie

[@historyfoxy5278]

Right, and having children, during her time and being in her position, was not optional. It's not like she could decide whether she wanted to have children or not, as Sisi was obligated to produce an heir.

[@marika6570]

°🍀°💚°🍀°

[@joaopaulovieirajeronimo8547]

Kaiserin Elizabeth von Österreich Königin von Ungarn und Böhmen,etc, etc...

[@liselottebrin2277]

2

[@mimma6992]

Sissy was a bad mother and wife.

[@demilowry9416]

45+

[@demilowry9416]

2

[@elisabethvaneyken1401]

You should practice your reading to become more interesting

[@siggisn7885]

She was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. And she was called Sisi.

[@irishka_zolotse]

On a 11.40, the picture is cut off and Valerie's face is hidden, not sure what is going on?

[@ΜπεττυΜπεττυ-δ6ρ]

COLONISTS.