Archduchess Sophie,mother of Franz Josef

[IrinaAlexandrovna]

Very possible yes but we can't know for sure....

[Silja]

I don't think that Archduchess Sophie actually disliked Elisabeth, at least not at the beginning. As I understand it, she considered her niece/daughter-in-law too immature and poorly educated for the position of Empress and decided to try to help her to live up to the strict Habsburg court etiquette. Sophie probably thought that she was being kind to Elisabeth, but needless to say, Elisabeth saw things differently and began to resent and hate her aunt/mother-in-law, thus their relationship deteriorated pretty quickly. While the situation was clearly unpleasant for Elisabeth, I don't think that there was initially any deliberate malice or unkindness on the part of the Archduchess. Just my humble opinion!

Precisely. Well summed up. In fact there's no evidence Sophie ever disliked Elisabeth.

[paola]

And how was the relationship of Sophie to her daughters in law, like Charlotte, and the first two  wives of Karl Ludwig, Margaretha and Annunciata? I always had the impression Sophie had a better relationship and prefered Charlotte to Elisabeth.

[Princess Susan]

I think, she had good relationship with her daughters in law, especially with Charlotte. But I don't think, that she prefere Charlotte to Elisabeth. Although she definitely got on better with her, because Elisabeth was too independent personality and did't bear, when Sopie maddled in her affairs and gave her advices.
But she always wrote about Sisi  in her diaries and letters very nicely...

[paola]

I always thought she was specially fond of Charlotte because her character suited more to Sophie. Charlotte was better prepared for court life and wife of Sophie's favorite son Maximilian.  I think to her niece Margaretha , first wife of Karl Ludwig ,  she got along very well and could be that she helped arranged this marriage together with her sister Amalie, Queen of Saxony. And to Annunciata?

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

(Excuse me if these images have been posted before)
The Archduchess and Franz Joseph



As an old woman

[MarieCharlotte]

I always thought she was specially fond of Charlotte because her character suited more to Sophie. Charlotte was better prepared for court life and wife of Sophie's favorite son Maximilian.  I think to her niece Margaretha , first wife of Karl Ludwig ,  she got along very well and could be that she helped arranged this marriage together with her sister Amalie, Queen of Saxony. And to Annunciata?

Archduchess Sophie was quite close to Archduchess Marie Caroline, called "Marie Rainer". Her husband was one of the most conservative and most influential members of the family. Marie was the only sister of Maria Theresia (former) Queen of the Two Sicilies. That's why Sophie asked Marie to contact her sister and to talk to her about a possible marriage of her widowed son Carl Ludwig and Therese's eldest daughter Maria Annunziata. So Carl Ludwig's second marriage was arranged by family members, but as you can see in some letters of the Archduke, he was deeply in love after he had met Annunziata for the very first time.

[Madame-Sisi]

some pics of her..
sorry if their already placed.









With her sisters marie and ludovica:

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Have you ever seen one wich you can see the Archduchess Sophie (young) with little Franz Joseph and Maximilian?
I saw it on a program about Maximilian but I couldn't find it, please if you find it ... Can you post it?

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Sorry, I haven't been able to see the pics posted on the replies #59 and #60, can you add a link
I saw the next painting the last thursday and I wondered if she was the archduchess Sophie, sorry for the quality, was really difficult for me to take the photo :-S
Archduchess Sophie?

[Clelia]

It does look like her. Where is the portrait located?

[Carolath Habsburg]

it doesnt look like her to me. Well at least of what im used to see of her in portraits with much softer and sweeter features.I could be wrong,...

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

It does look like her. Where is the portrait located?

At Chapultepec Palace in Mexico. It was in one room that belonged to Maximilian and Charlotte, there was another portrait of a man that looked for me like Franz Karl, it sounded me logical that the Emperor had the portraits of his parents. In my opinion she's the Archduchess, really I don't know

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Posted before but now in color (Sophie and her family)

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Lovely and young Sophie