Elisabeth's relationship with her daughter-in-law is marked by disdain.Įlisabeth returns from her last visit to England for hunting. Despite the couple's ionital affection for each other, the marriage becomes inharmonious due to their extremely different characters.

The event is marked with much pomp by a large-scale pageant on Vienna's Ringstrasse staged by the painter Hans Makart.Ĭrown Prince Rudolf marries Stepnaie of Belgium. The imperial couple celebrate their silver wedding anniversary.

She develops a great passion for this form of sport. Elisabeth's first grandchild is born in 1874 and is named after her grandmother.Įmperor Franz Joseph celebrates 25 years on the imperial throne.Īcclaimed as one of the most accomplished horsewomen of her time, the empress suffers a serios riding accident in Sassetôt in Normandy.Įlisabeth rides to hounds for the first time in England. Her eldest daughter Gisela marries Prince Leopold of Bavaria in Vienna. Mother and daughter enjoy a very close relationship. Schloss Gödöllö is placed at the royal couple's disposal as a summer residence.Įlisabeth gives birth to her fourth child, Marie Valerie, in Budapest. Her support for the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 is among the very few instances of Elisabeth's political ambitions.įranz Joseph and Elisabeth are crowned King and Queen of Hungary in the Matthias Church in Budapest. A close friendship develops, with the result that the empress takes a growing interest in Hungarian affairs. The empress issues her 'Ischl Ultimatum' to the emperor, demanding the right to determine her children's upbringing and her own place of residence.Įlisabeth first meets Gyula Andrássy, later prime minister of Hungary. The Hungarian noblewoman Ida von Ferenczy is appointed as Her Majesty's Reader, eventually becoming one of the empress's closest confidantes. She starts to question the conventions of dynasty and court, giving priority to her personal interests.Įlisabeth learns Hungarian with great application and success. Many more journeys were to follow.Īfter an absence of almost two years the empress returns to the court at Vienna. The crown prince is named Rudolf, after the progenitor of the dynasty.įollowing a severe mental and physical crisis, Elisabeth embarks for the island of Madeira to recuperate. The two-year-old Sophie dies in her mother's arms.īirth of the couple's third child, the longed-for son and heir. The baby girl is named Sophie, after Franz Joseph's mother.īirth of the couple's second daughter, Gisela.ĭuring a visit to Hungary both children fall ill. Augustine in Vienna.īirth of the couple's first child. The couple are married in the Church of St. While staying in Bad Ischl, the young emperor Franz Joseph asks for the hand in marriage of his fifteen-year-old cousin Elisabeth on his 23rd birthday. Altogether the couple had eight children. 24 December 1837Įlisabeth Amalia Eugenia is born in Munich, the third child of Duke Maximilian in Bavaria and Duchess Ludovika. © Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.

Emperor franz and elisabeth