Author Topic: Why do the people love Sissi??????  (Read 42057 times)

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La_Rainha

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Why do the people love Sissi??????
« on: March 22, 2006, 09:59:15 AM »
I must confess, when I see photos of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, I`m fascinated from the wonderful looking woman! Her long brown her, the beautiful dresses, her expensiv jewels!
But, is this the right Elisabeth?
I think, the most people have a romantic view of Elisabeth!
Maybe we saw too often the "Sissi" Films with Romy Schneider!
But, was Elisabeth not only a self-actress?
More and more, I see the Empress in another light!
She was no good partner for her husband!
When there were problems, she went away, made her visits in other countries and noticed no obligations in her role as Empress!
She had 4 children, but only to Marie Valerie, she had a loving contact!
In the "Donau-Monarchie", there were several ethnic people, but Elisabeth only loved the Hungarians!
She learned their language, loved their culture, but what was with the bohamians, with the people from Bosnia, Croatia, Galicia, Poland, ......?
No interest!
Was Elisabeth interest in politic?
.... she loved to make holidays, stayed in Greece, learned antique lyrics....!
Was she interest in social projects?
.....never heard!
was she interest in her husband, the Emperor?
....she helped to find Katharina Schratt as his "girl-friend"!

The writer Caesar Conte Corti wrote a book about Elisabeth with the titel: "Elisabeth, the strangely woman"!
He was right!

Don`t flog me too much...! ;)

Eric_Lowe

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2006, 10:24:13 AM »
People like Sisi because she was a victim of cicumstances. When she was married she was still a child, naive of court intrigue and have a love for freedom. The court in Vienna was cold and cruel to her, her mother-in-law was jealous of her power of her son. Sisi gave birth to two children but was cast aside. Worst she was conteminated by her husband of a possible veneral diaese (apparently treatable) . With all that the poor woman had a nervous breakdown, and fled Austria for a lonely island. A damsel in distress ! She came back eventually and regain her lost ground due to her beauty. She finally won her independence and save her son Rudolf from a cruel tutor. She knew her power came from her beauty and tried hard to retain it...as long as she can by dieting and exerise (very modern here and years before Jane Fonda) . Finally she was assinated by a mad man (like Loncoln and Kennedy) and became an icon. Yes she was complicated but also very modern and fasinating.

Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2006, 10:27:22 AM »
I'm going to be hated for this but I've got to say I'm no fan of Sissi either!

As you say Eric, she did go to Vienna as a young woman, and though this seems like an excuse in this day and age, back then it was no excuse to act like she did. Hundreds, thousands of princesses were sent to foreign courts as child brides, and most of them at least managed to be dutiful, if not happy.

I would never compare Sissi to Diana, Princess of Wales - certainly both are romantic and beautiful legends, but at least Diana knew the meaning 'duty'.
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
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Eric_Lowe

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2006, 10:41:06 AM »
Well...Sisi was not trained to be an Empress, Helene was. Also Archduchess Sophie was hard on her and the poor child was friendless in Vienna. She was a romantic, and that was why she was endearing. When asked if she loved Franz Josef she said " I love the emperor so much ! If only he were not the Emperor." Even then she was intimidated by her position. Yes Sisi had her failings as a royal, but as a person, it required someone who is very hard-hearted not to feel for such an innocent soul.

Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2006, 10:44:48 AM »
I don't think I'm hard hearted, but I don't have much sympathy for the whole 'poor little me I have no friends' thing. I mean, if she was so pretty and charming, why didn't she make friends? I admit I'm no Sissi expert, so I'm willing to learn here.

I agree that her mother in law behaved bad to her, and of course things weren't easy for her, but sympathy isn't enough to make me like her, let alone love her.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Prince_Lieven »
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sherlock Holmes

"Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."

Offline royal_netherlands

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2006, 10:45:32 AM »
Quote
I'm going to be hated for this but I've got to say I'm no fan of Sissi either!

As you say Eric, she did go to Vienna as a young woman, and though this seems like an excuse in this day and age, back then it was no excuse to act like she did. Hundreds, thousands of princesses were sent to foreign courts as child brides, and most of them at least managed to be dutiful, if not happy.

I would never compare Sissi to Diana, Princess of Wales - certainly both are romantic and beautiful legends, but at least Diana knew the meaning 'duty'.

Noooooooo!!!! dont say that Prince Lieven. ;D
She was such a beaty and maybe not a great empress but a most loving person.

Offline Margarita Markovna

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2006, 10:50:08 AM »
I agree with royal_netherlands. I think she would have been more loving with her first two children if she had been given the chance, and probably would have been a better match for FJ if she knew how, but she didn't.

Eric_Lowe

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2006, 10:55:08 AM »
Sisi in her youth was quite shy. Her ladies were selected by her mother-in-law, and they deferred to her than to the young and inexperienced empress. She was sensative and her husband though loved her did not understand her at all. Another disadvantage was that her grandmother was born a Countess Arenberg, so she was not highly regarded in the bloodlined consious court.

Yes...in her early years she was a mouse. Unlike Diana who was a fighter. When Diana was presented with a stack of royal biographies to read from, she turned and said "If they think I am going to read all of this, they have another thing coming." Such spunkiness she did lack in her early marriage life, which in fact scarred her.

Offline royal_netherlands

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2006, 10:59:48 AM »
Ant she hat friends, she visited Carmen Silva allot and the talked about manny things for  example the position of the women in thier time.
Also Ida Ferenczy becama a good friend of the Empress and Ida was heartbroken wenn the Empress was murdered. And yes she shout be a good mother if she had a change but she still loved her childeren verry much I read a letter she wroght to Rudolf ant it was verry charming and sweet.
I think if I had a mother in law that was a monster I also would go to a other country. ;D
She was a lovly person but she really had a hard life thats why she was so sad sometimes and I understand that.

  royal netherlands

Eugenie_of_Montijo

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2006, 02:31:05 PM »
Mnnnn...

I like so much Sissi because she was a complex woman who often broke into pieces the social rules of her time. But, by the way, I like so much her aunt and mother in law Sophia...

When Franz Joseph fell in love with Sissi, his bavarian cousin had fifteen years. A girl, remember, who was raised up overshadowed by the elder sister Helena, a most suitable bride to an emperor. Helena was an educated and well-mannered young woman, but Sissi was...a vivacious creature with no sense of duty. She was, also, mourning her first love, a count named Richard who was dead before time. I believe Sissi suffered from a great melancholy, so her mother decided to take her with Helena to Bad Ischl...and never thought, of course, this choice could change the history of an empire.

I think that Sophia was not a wicked mother-in-law. She was a woman with a great sense of her role in the imperial family. She tried in vain to make an empress of a little bavarian princess too young, too shy and insecure...a little one who hated so much the ceremonies of royalty and the rules of society.

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2006, 05:35:47 PM »
I'm going to give my friend Prince_L a little suport here and say that I really don't like her one bit. I have sympathy for some of her circumstances--it was disastrous for her to have been married to Franz Josef (no matter that he loved her) and at such a young age. She had a very hard-to-deal with mother-in-law and battles with the Court. Yet, one of my favorites, Vicky, had it equally tough, if not worse, yet remained a loving, warm and engaged woman.

Sisi always struck me as exceedingly lovely when young but, in my opinion, became very cold and hard-looking. Part of her physical appeal lies in the fact that she refused to be photographed or painted once she was even middle-aged. Old portraits and photographs were touched up to represent a passing of years and this lent an aura of mystery and perpetual youth to her--something always appealing to history.

I also don't find her loving at all--wasn't she really horrible to one of her daughters? And I'm sure Stephanie could've used some help--another bride temperamentally unsuited to her husband and position, married very young, and with a husband who didn't care for her the way FJ at least did for Sisi. Yet, she received nothing but condescension and verbal cruelty from her mother-in-law.

I just can't warm to her at all.  :(
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nelly

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2006, 05:54:57 PM »
I'm with you Prince L and Gdella--at one point I rather liked Sissi, but as I read more about her, the more cold and selfish she seemed to be.  She was horrible to her oldest surviving daughter and daughter in law.  Did not provide support to her husband, did not perform her duties as empress--well I could go on and on.

People fall in love with the image, and heaven knows that she spent most of her time worshiping it, too!!  The person I feel most sympathy for is poor Franz Joseph, financing all her caprices, waiting for her fleeting visits to Vienna and still loving her after being treated like dirt--if he infected her with some disease that remains nameless, he really paid for it. >:(

Offline crazy_wing

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2006, 06:10:29 PM »
I am no fan of Sisi either.  

Sisi neglected her elder children.  Yes, Sophie, Gisela and Rudolf were taken away from her by her mother in law but after her mother in law died, she did not step in to fill the gap.  She cared little about them.  

Some books said that Sisi thought Gisela "killed" her Sophie b/c Gisela passed measles to her.  Strong Gisela lived while Sophie died.  I wouldn't say Sisi hated Gisela but they definitely were not close.  

Sisi did not have a sense of duty.  I think she traveled to England a few times to ride and hunt.  More than once, QV invited her for a banquet and she always refused to attend, which annoyed both QV and FJ.  

She was rather wasteful too.  She felt in love with Corfu and convinced FJ to build her a palace there.  Afterwards, she got bored with Corfu and rarely went back to there.  She made various expensive trips to England, Ireland and Madeira for pleasure.

I think in addition to her beauty, part of the reason why she is so popular is the tragedy that surrounds her.  However, I think part of her tragedy was created by herself and the way she viewed life.  

Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2006, 06:15:06 PM »
Quote
I'm going to give my friend Prince_L a little suport here and say that I really don't like her one bit. I have sympathy for some of her circumstances--it was disastrous for her to have been married to Franz Josef (no matter that he loved her) and at such a young age. She had a very hard-to-deal with mother-in-law and battles with the Court. Yet, one of my favorites, Vicky, had it equally tough, if not worse, yet remained a loving, warm and engaged woman.

Sisi always struck me as exceedingly lovely when young but, in my opinion, became very cold and hard-looking. Part of her physical appeal lies in the fact that she refused to be photographed or painted once she was even middle-aged. Old portraits and photographs were touched up to represent a passing of years and this lent an aura of mystery and perpetual youth to her--something always appealing to history.

I also don't find her loving at all--wasn't she really horrible to one of her daughters? And I'm sure Stephanie could've used some help--another bride temperamentally unsuited to her husband and position, married very young, and with a husband who didn't care for her the way FJ at least did for Sisi. Yet, she received nothing but condescension and verbal cruelty from her mother-in-law.

I just can't warm to her at all.  :(


Thank you GDella. :) I agree completely, especially with the Vicky analogy. And I agree with you too Nelly, and crazy wing - one thing I can never warm to in Sissi is they way she didn't do her duty. I love royalty, I really do, but the way I see it, the price for all the privilege is duty. Most, in fact almost all, royals know this and act accordingly. Sissi, unfortunately, didn't have a conscientious bone in her body, and seemed to want all the good things about being an empress, and none of the drawbacks.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Prince_Lieven »
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sherlock Holmes

"Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."

Grand_Duke

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Re: Why do the people love Sissi??????
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2006, 06:35:29 PM »
Why do the people love Sissi?

Because of Romy Schneider's films!  8)