Elizabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary

by George P. Upton

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?"

Genres: History

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2012

About the author

George Putnam Upton (1834-1919)

Reviews

[Dem · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Having visited Hungry lately I was intrigued by Elisabeth(also known as Sisi) Empress consort of Austria-Queen of Hungary 1837 - 1898 (assassinated).

The wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Elizabeth was born into Bavarian royalty and enjoyed an informal upbringing before marrying at the early age of 16. She led an interesting and somewhat sad life and I wanted to learn more about Sisi as she was so loved by the Hungarian people.

I had some difficulty getting a book on kindle that was factual as opposed to fiction but I happened to come accross this short book by George P Upton and felt at 70 pages it might give me an insight into Sisi's life. It did present the facts and was just what I was looking for.

I did enjoy reading and learning about this beautiful and intriguing lady and am glad to say finished it wanting more. I have a few other books lined up which may give me a more comprehensive insight into her life and I am really looking forward to those.
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[Kathy Myres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening Biography

After visiting her home in Corfu I wanted to learn more about this elegant woman. An easy quick read, never the less informative.

[Stephanie Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read

Good detail and very informative about the subject concerned. I enjoyed this book it was a quick and easy read.