What were the names of Empress Elisabeth’s first three children? What happened to the first-born daughter? When was the long-awaited heir to the throne born?
The imperial couple’s first child was a girl – Sophie Friederike – named after her mother-in-law. It was unusual that Sisi’s mother was not present at the birth, which may have been a sign of family discord.
On the morning of March 5, 1855, Sisi went into labor and little Sophie was born at around 3 pm. At first, Sisi found it quite strange to have a child of her own, as she herself was only 17 years old.
According to court protocol, the child was placed in the care of her mother-in-law, to which Sisi had to submit without objection. During a representative trip to Hungary in May 1857, Sisi prevailed over her mother-in-law and took Sophie with her on the trip.
The little girl fell ill with fever and diarrhea and died at the age of two on May 29, 1857 in Budapest. The imperial couple returned to Vienna with the body of their child. This triggered a major crisis for the young couple and Sisi mourned the loss of her first-born for a long time.
Birth of second daughter Gisela
Just one year after the first daughter, the second daughter, named Gisela Louise Marie, was born on July 12, 1856. There was great disappointment that it was once again not a son and heir to the throne.
Gisela never had a close relationship with her mother, but rather with her younger brother Crown Prince Rudolf, whose suicide she was never to get over. Gisela resembled her father and was just as sober as he was.
She married Leopold Prince of Bavaria as young as her mother, also at the age of 16, and had four children with him. She dedicated her life to social and religious commitment. During the First World War, she set up a military hospital in her Munich palace.
After the death of Sisi, she inherited the Achilleion on Corfu. In 1932, she died in Munich at the age of 76, the last of the four children of Sisi and Franz Joseph.
The longed-for heir to the throne – Crown Prince Rudolf – is born in 1858
Crown Prince Rudolf (1858-1889)
In December 1857 , Sisi again showed signs of a new pregnancy. She now had to give up her beloved horseback rides and go for walks instead. Starvation cures were also canceled.
On August 21, 1858, Sisi gave birth to the long-awaited male heir to the throne, Rudolf, in Laxenburg. The name was derived from the first Habsburg ruler Rudolf.
Sisi had to spend an excessively long time recovering from the difficult birth. She was not allowed to breastfeed the child and suffered from a craving for milk and bouts of fever. As with the first two children, her mother-in-law Sophie took full responsibility for the child. Rudolf developed into a sensitive child and suffered from the strict upbringing methods. He was supposed to develop into a good soldier under military drill, but this was to fail.
At the age of 20, Sisi was now a mother of three and saw herself reduced to the role of childbearing machine. The children were initially left in the care of her mother-in-law. She assumed that Sisi was still too young and inexperienced for the role of mother. In courtly circles, it was also customary to hand over the offspring to specially appointed governesses and tutors. As a result, Elisabeth’s relationship with her first three children was strained for the rest of her life.
Tip from Sisi’s Amazing Journey:
Two of her children, Sophie-Friederike and Crown Prince Rudolf, were buried in the Capuchin Crypt. The latter right next to Elisabeth in a beautiful Art Nouveau coffin.