Empress Elisabeth's brothers and sisters - pictures and information

[bluetoria]

The relationship between their parents is quite intriguing. Maximilian had numerous mistresses & Ludovica was deeply hurt by this but, during the early years at least, she kept accepting him back. In later life they never spoke to each other at all despite maintaining a semblance of normality, & Maximilian preferred the company of his illegitimate children.

All these Bavarians are so very very strange & fascinating partly because so many of them were -basically - completely 'round the twist'!
Ludovica suffered from such terrible headaches that she could not bear anyone even to touch her hair. I wonder if there was some kind of inherited 'brain' problem (apart from all the previously discussed theories of the effects of such much in-breeding.)

Also, I would be very interested to know a lot more about Sissi's cousin, Alexandrine (1826-75) daughter of Ludwig I of Bavaria, who had to be confined because she thought she had swallowed a glass piano  :-/ :-/
(This sounds so bizarre, I wonder if she meant like a little model one  :-/ - Surely, not a full sized glass piano? It's really sad that she thought that - I mean REALLY sad - but it makes me laugh.... :-/)
 

[Joseph_Kaiser]

What would be interesting to know how many illegitimate children did Max have and the names of those children and what happened to them?  The Wittelsbachs have always interested me not only were they one of the oldest Germanic families (older than the Habsburgs) but of their interesting "characters".  The Wittelsbachs really did what they wanted to do always.  

[bluetoria]

What would be interesting to know how many illegitimate children did Max have and the names of those children and what happened to them?  The Wittelsbachs have always interested me not only were they one of the oldest Germanic families (older than the Habsburgs) but of their interesting "characters".  The Wittelsbachs really did what they wanted to do always.  

Yes, this would be very interesting. I hope someone knows...

(BTW I wrote Bavarians because I couldn't remember how to spell Wittelsbachs & was too lazy to look it up! You saved me the bother   )

[crazy_wing]

It was said that Max's illegitimate children were all over Munich    That is probably an exaggeration but he probably did have quite a number of them.

[bluetoria]

It was said that Max's illegitimate children were all over Munich    That is probably an exaggeration but he probably did have quite a number of them.

Crazy wing, do you know who any of their mothers were? Or which were the ones he was closest to? (Please   )

[grandduchessella]

Also, I would be very interested to know a lot more about Sissi's cousin, Alexandrine (1826-75) daughter of Ludwig I of Bavaria, who had to be confined because she thought she had swallowed a glass piano  :-/ :-/
(This sounds so bizarre, I wonder if she meant like a little model one  :-/ - Surely, not a full sized glass piano? It's really sad that she thought that - I mean REALLY sad - but it makes me laugh.... :-/)
  

Alexandra was convinced she had somehow ingested an entire glass piano, and so had to take special care that she didn't shatter it, causing her to be torn to shreds from the inside. It apparently severely restricted her lifestyle as activities such as horseriding would be forbidden by her. It could be why she only lived to 49--I can't image this kind of stress could be good. (BTW she was the paternal aunt of ‘Mad King” Ludwig II of Bavaria). Alexandra believed she had accomplished this as a child and she never wavered from the belief her entire life.  This deeply delusional behavior was common throughout the Wittelsbach family, probably due in part to a good bit of inbreeding. Poor Princess Alexandra was completely sincere in her belief that she had swallowed this piano. I don’t think it’s been written down as to how or when this was supposed to have taken place but she swore by it and her family at least humored her in the belief.

Here's a portrait--she was a pretty girl. Sad.

[bluetoria]

Yes it is sad indeed & also completely bizarre.
There MUST be more to it than just inbreeding...
I read somewhere a letter from 'mad' King Ludwig saying how much he pitied her because she was so mad; he was sufficiently sane to recognize HER 'madness' - I wonder if either of them ever recognized their own??  
Presumably then she confined herself for her own protection, rather than being confined by the family.
It's such a bizarre thought though, where on earth could such an idea have come from!  :-/

(Having said that, I just remembered a man I knew who thought his head was very very tiny & if a drop of rain fell on him, he would drown & consequently he could never be persuaded to step outside a hospital ward...Frightening, isn't it   )

[Shvibzik]

My favorite of the siblings, Sophie Duchess of Alencon. She died during a charity bazaar fire. She could've escaped but stayed to help others escape and her large skirt caught fire and she died.   I prefer her looks to Sissi's because she had good features but also a softer look to her that Sissi lacked (beautiful though she was).

That's the photo! I saw it in Elizabeths Royal diary... :-/

[Robert_Hall]

I think the "glass piano" Alexandra was also Abbess of the Noble Ladies of St. Anne. I wonder if an autopsy was carried out, to find out what gave her this notion ?

[Marc]

[Marc]

I posted the same picture two times   Portrait of Duchess Sophie von Bayern dancing with her husband Prince Ferdinand d'Orleans,duke of Alencon!

[Joseph_Kaiser]

I am pretty happy, I have recently bought Elisabeth: Portraits of a Empress and it arrived today, the book is fantastic, wonderful pictures and portraits of Sissi!

[Joseph_Kaiser]

Maybe one day we will now who the children and the mothers were that Max was involved with.  I bet in Munich in one of musuems or archives that most have some type of records of that.  Alexandra was a pretty woman, I agree, it is sad of what happened.  Was that portrait in Ludwig 1st famous gallery?  

[grandduchessella]

I posted the same picture two times   Portrait of Duchess Sophie von Bayern dancing with her husband Prince Ferdinand d'Orleans,duke of Alencon!

I saw that photo on another site and I think it must be mis-identified. The looks and fashions just are all wrong.  :-/

[crazy_wing]

Crazy wing, do you know who any of their mothers were? Or which were the ones he was closest to? (Please   )

Sorry bluetoria, I do not know who the mothers were.  I think i read that in Joan Haslip's biography of Sissi.  It seems to me that they are probably peasants.