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Empress Elisabeth of Austria, 1837-1898: The Fate of a Woman Under the Yoke of the Imperial Court
To this day, the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria is shrouded in myth. Known as Sisi, she went down in history as a beautiful and enigmatic woman who lived a tragic life and suffered an equally tragic end. She was the embodiment of all the glamour but also the suffering of the Austrian imperial court in the 19th century. This biography is as fascinating as it is moving. The unusual combination of text and images brings the personal side of Elisabeth impressively close. The author has aimed to show the deep anguish of a woman trapped in her role as an empress and to describe and document her tragic life with all its ups and downs.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 14, 2025
The enigmatic aura that surrounds Empress "Sisi" fascinates all who learn of her!
Despite her modest role in the history of Austro-Hungarian politics, Empress Elisabeth (known as "Sisi") was a legend even in her own time. Renewed interest in the twentieth century has elevated her to iconic status and the obvious adulation that is accorded to her memory by present day Austrians and Hungarians is surely a close rival to the way that the United Kingdom treats the memory of their late beloved Princess Diana.
EMPRESS ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA is certainly not a complete biography with the type of scholarly analysis of her place in the history of 19th century Austria that would interest serious followers of the subject. But it obviously isn't intended to be. The book is clearly offered as a souvenir of a trip to Vienna and a memento of a tour of Schönbrunn Palace and the imperial Hapsburg apartments.
Wonderfully illustrated, it very quickly tells the tragic story of the complex, and all too brief life of this most unusual empress - her almost pathological abhorrence of public appearances; her exaggerated attention to her own beauty oddly juxtaposed beside an adamant refusal to conform to any of the other demands made of her in her role as a female; her obsessive dieting which most now believe was anorexia; her romantic, melancholy versifying; her passion for literature and foreign languages; her astonishing skill as an accomplished rider; her incessant traveling and, of course, her assassination in Geneva in 1898.
Enjoyable and still informative despite its light approach, EMPRESS ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA can be completed in little more than a single entertaining hour. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Despite her modest role in the history of Austro-Hungarian politics, Empress Elisabeth (known as "Sisi") was a legend even in her own time. Renewed interest in the twentieth century has elevated her to iconic status and the obvious adulation that is accorded to her memory by present day Austrians and Hungarians is surely a close rival to the way that the United Kingdom treats the memory of their late beloved Princess Diana.
EMPRESS ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA is certainly not a complete biography with the type of scholarly analysis of her place in the history of 19th century Austria that would interest serious followers of the subject. But it obviously isn't intended to be. The book is clearly offered as a souvenir of a trip to Vienna and a memento of a tour of Schönbrunn Palace and the imperial Hapsburg apartments.
Wonderfully illustrated, it very quickly tells the tragic story of the complex, and all too brief life of this most unusual empress - her almost pathological abhorrence of public appearances; her exaggerated attention to her own beauty oddly juxtaposed beside an adamant refusal to conform to any of the other demands made of her in her role as a female; her obsessive dieting which most now believe was anorexia; her romantic, melancholy versifying; her passion for literature and foreign languages; her astonishing skill as an accomplished rider; her incessant traveling and, of course, her assassination in Geneva in 1898.
Enjoyable and still informative despite its light approach, EMPRESS ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA can be completed in little more than a single entertaining hour. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
November 10, 2019
A fascinating insight into Empress Sisi, with whom I’ve been fascinated for many years.
October 15, 2022
Very interesting and easy read about empress Elisabeth of Austria. We had bought this years ago on a trip to Austria but hadn’t read it and remembered it when watching the new Netflix series.
July 29, 2010
I actually knew this my heart, because I listened so well when my grandmother read it to me. (I own the German edition and she translated it)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews