Chapter I: Front Matter

_Life Stories for Young People_

ELIZABETH
EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA AND QUEEN OF HUNGARY

_Translated from the German of
Carl Küchler_

BY
GEORGE P. UPTON

_Translator of “Memories,” “Immensee,” etc._

WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS

CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1909

Copyright
A. C. McClurg & Co.
1909
Published August 21, 1909

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.

Translator’s Preface

The story of the life of Elizabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, is one of the saddest in the history of royalty, and in some respects recalls the story of the life of Marie Antoinette. Both their lives were sorrowful, both ended tragically, the one at the hands of an assassin, the other upon the guillotine. Elizabeth will not be remembered in history as a sovereign, for everything connected with the throne and with court life was distasteful to her, but rather as the beautiful, sorrowful daughter of the Wittelsbachs. She was not only one of the most beautiful women of her time, but an accomplished scholar and linguist, a good musician, and well versed in history, science, and art. She was a passionate lover of the woods and mountains, and was happiest when she was walking or riding among them, or associating with the Hungarian people. She was no more at home with the Viennese than was Marie Antoinette with the Parisians. Her domestic life was saddened by estrangement from her husband, by lack of sympathy among her relatives, by the terrible tragedy which ended the life of her son, Prince Rudolph, and by other tragedies which involved the happiness and sometimes the lives of those nearest to her. At last her sufferings were ended by the dagger of a cruel anarchist assassin. As the author of this volume says: “She died as she had often wished to die, swiftly and painlessly and under the open sky. Who can say that her last breath was not a sigh of thankfulness and peace?”

G. P. U.

Chicago, May 10, 1909.

Contents

Chapter Page
I The Diamond Wedding 11
II Birth and Childhood of Elizabeth of Bavaria 19
III Betrothal of Princess Elizabeth 25
IV The Wedding Ceremonies 32
V First Troubles 40
VI Travels and Sorrows 46
VII Birth of Crown Prince Rudolf 53
VIII Elizabeth’s Illness and Sojourn in Madeira 58
IX The Express’ Flight from Vienna 63
X The Coronation in Hungary 67
XI The Archduchess Marie Valerie 72
XII The Castle of Gödöllö 77
XIII The Empress in Vienna 83
XIV Marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf 88
XV King Ludwig Second of Bavaria 96
XVI The Empress’ Travels 101
XVII The Empress’ Literary Tastes 110
XVIII Daily Life of the Empress 114
XIX Death of Crown Prince Rudolf 119
XX Death of the Empress 128
Appendix 139

Illustrations

Elizabeth as the young Empress _Frontispiece_
Emperor Franz Joseph in his twenty-eighth year 34
Crown Prince Rudolf 90
Empress Elizabeth in later years 122

Elizabeth
Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary