Archduchess Gisela, daughter of Franz Josef, Princess of Bavaria

[Marie Valerie]

Let's talk about the eldest surviving daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I. and Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

I think Gisela is the most unpopular of the imperial children, her sister Sophie ( 1855 - 1857 ) is known for her early death, Rudolf for his tragic end in Mayerling and Marie Valerie, as her mother's fave child.
 
Gisela (12. July 1856- 27. July 1932) married in 1873 Prince Leopold of Bavaria  (* 9. February 1846-18. September 1930 )  and had four children:

- Elisabeth (1874-1957)
- Auguste (1875-1964)
- Georg (1880-1943)
- Konrad (1883-1969)

[Marc]

Why was she unpopular?Any reason?

[Marie Valerie]

Her mother never really liked Gisela, she called her "ugly" and other mean things.

 

[Romanov_fan]

Yes, that is tragic that her mother did call her things like that. She seems to have been rather pretty from her photos. Why was her mother so hostile?  Elisabeth could be mixed up, and wasn't very maternal, but still. I don't think she really was a good mother to her children. Gisele has always interested me, but so little is said about her.

[Marie Valerie]

I think that Elisabeth's war with her mother-in-law Archduchess Sophie,
is the reason that she never got close to Gisela and Rudolf.

Sophie took the children away from Elisabeth, but that's not an excuse for her behavier.
Even after Sophie's dead she was angry and said: "She has stolen my Children",
but if she had ever real intrest in her kids - she would have fight for them.

Sisi's last child Marie Valerie was her everything.
When anyone in her circle just got a cold - Elisabeth went hysteric and banned them from Valerie.

[Prince_Christopher]

Sissi and Gisela never got to form a mother/daughter bond, because of the children being raised by the Archduchess Sophie.  Of course Sissi was a REAL piece of work and she was lucky to have one child close to her.

It seems like I read that Gisela rarely returned home after her marriage.  Anyone know anything about her married life?  I hope she found happiness....

I think she was so beautiful, especially as a child, with those eyes....

[Yseult]

I think that Gisela was not so famous because she had "a plain life". She was a good child, a good woman, a good daughter, a good wife, a good mother. Result: nothing to tell about Gisela! But I found her a pretty and gentle archduchess.

[crazy_wing]

And she happened to marry a minor prince too.

I believed Sisi was rather appalled when she found out Gisela was to marry at the tender age of 16.  Sisi herself married at a young age when she was still naive and she thought Gisela would not be able to coup with marriage at such a young age.  However, since her relationship with Gisela was not closed, Sisi didn't object.   The wedding went on even though Leopold was rather too "minor" for an archducess and daughter of an emperor as there were very few good Catholic princes available at that time.  Gisela and Leopold ended up having a good marriage.  

Her profile is quiet pretty and she looks very sweet and cute when she was young.  Otherwise, I think she inherited very little of her mother's extraordinary beauty.  

[Agneschen]

I believed Sisi was rather appalled when she found out Gisela was to marry at the tender age of 16.  Sisi herself married at a young age when she was still naive and she thought Gisela would not be able to coup with marriage at such a young age.  However, since her relationship with Gisela was not closed, Sisi didn't object.   The wedding went on even though Leopold was rather too "minor" for an archducess and daughter of an emperor as there were very few good Catholic princes available at that time.  Gisela and Leopold ended up having a good marriage.  
  

I do not think Sisi was appalled since she more or less made the match. Prince Leopold was actually already (unofficially ?) engaged to Princess Amalie Coburg. Sisi's brother Mapperl was also in love with Amalie and wished to marry her. The Empress thus did her utmost to secure her brother's happiness. She invited Leopold to Gödöllö to meet Gisela. Poor Amalie was no catch compared to the Emperor's daughter and Leopold dutifully transfered his affection from one girl to the other. He said that Gisela was so nice and had beautiful eyes just like his father's (Prinz Regent Luitpold).

[Marie Valerie]

Postcard of Leopold & Gisela

[Romanov_fan]

Well, interfering in laws can indeed wreak havoc with parental relationships with children. There are many examples of this in Royal history sadly. It was not often in these children's interests to be raised in a circle of the choosing of the nearest dominating relatives rather than that of their parents; think of Czar Paul I or the two oldest children of Marie of Roumania, who were raised by Empress Elizabeth of Russia ( Paul) and the Old King of Roumania and his wife Carmen Sylva ( Marie's children). They did not turn out well. Gisela was no match for the beauty of her mother, although she was pretty. Perhaps she was too quiet and lived too sedate of a life to be considered very interesting now.

[Agneschen]

After Elisabeth's famous ultimatum to Franz Josef, Gisela & Rudolf were handed back to her care. It seems that she was more interested in gaining her point than anything else because she neglected them as much as ever.
Elisabeth had excuses of course but it was not all Archduchess Sophie's fault. She failed in establishing a good relationship with her children and I guess it was easy for her to blame her mother-in-law for it. Sophie may have been overbearing but she was well-meaning.

[Romanov_fan]

Well, yes, Elisabeth was really too self absorbed to make a good mother. She wasn't very maternal, and most likely was merely concerned with doing her duty to the dynasty, of producing  heirs,  for the most part. I mean, she cared for her children, but her influence on them may not have been for the best. I am sure it's not right to blame anyone specifically for a child who does not turn out well, although Gisela did. Elisabeth was not in her element as a mother, although reading this thread, it seems she did care very much for her other daughter.

[Romanov_fan]

That woudn't surprise me at all. It's actually surprising that Gisela turned out as well as she did.

[Marie Valerie]

Gisela with little Brother Rudolf and her Daddy


Gisela with her first born child Elisabeth


Gisela and her sister Marie Valerie