When and where was Empress Elisabeth born? How many siblings did she have and what was her childhood like? What was her favorite pastime? Where did she spend the summer months? Sisi’s life
Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie was born in Munich on December 24, 1837, exactly on Christmas Eve. She brought her first baby tooth with her, which was considered a symbol of good luck . What’s more, she was a Sunday child, meaning that children born on a Sunday were thought to be particularly lucky. But her fate shows that things turned out differently.
She was the fourth child of ten children from the marriage between Princess Maria Ludovika (1808-1892) and Duke Maximilian in Bavaria (1808-1888). Her parents did not exactly have a model marriage; her father had several illegitimate children.
Her mother was one of the daughters of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Her older sister Sophie had already married into the Habsburg imperial family in Austria. She was the wife of Archduke Franz Karl, the father of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Sophie was therefore not only Elisabeth’s aunt, but also later became her mother-in-law.
Her father, Duke Maximilian in Bavaria, from a collateral line of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was a freedom-loving man, a bon vivant and a womanizer. Whenever possible, he fled from his official duties and was considered unreliable. In the Sisi films, an intimate picture is portrayed between father and children, but in reality he was rarely present and hardly took part in family life. Sisi was only a few days old when her father set off on a long trip to the Orient.
A carefree childhood on Lake Starnberg
Possenhofen Castle on Lake Starnberg
Although closely related to the Bavarian royal family, Elisabeth had a carefree childhood, free from all conventions and protocols. The family lived in seclusion in Duke Max‘s palace in Munich’s Ludwigstrasse.
The family spent the summer months at the small Possenhofen Castle on Lake Starnberg. Elisabeth was able to move around freely here. She liked to go horse riding often, was at one with nature and could speak in the Bavarian dialect. Sisi always affectionately called Possenhofen “Possi”.
She was brought up by her mother Ludovica, who was very concerned about etiquette but was not overly strict. She inherited a certain shyness from her mother and later hated being “ogled” (stared at) by many people. Sisi thought little of learning and sitting still, instead she loved to be out and about in the great outdoors. She much preferred to romp around with the farm children from the neighborhood. She also enjoyed swimming, preferably for hours on end.
Thanks to her father’s liberal attitude, Elisabeth enjoyed a very unconventional upbringing. He was also the one who introduced her to equestrian sports , which she practiced with great enthusiasm for many years and later achieved considerable success.
Throughout her life, Elisabeth remained close to her siblings, especially her older sister Helene, known as Néné. She was the one who was actually chosen as Emperor Franz Joseph’s bride and was rather snubbed when he preferred the 15-year-old Sisi. Nevertheless, the two were a great support to each other throughout their lives. She also had a close relationship with her younger brother Carl Theodor, known as Gackel.
Tip from Sisi’s Amazing Journey: In the Sisi Museum you will find exciting objects from Elisabeth’s childhood.
