Archduchess Gisela, daughter of Franz Josef, Princess of Bavaria

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Really being honest Sissi's daughters weren't great beauties, did Sissi said something about
Marie Valerie's appereance? I've read that about Gisela and her granddaugther Elisabeth, that wasn't
neither a beauty

[Maria_Pavlovna]

Well to me Sissi is no beauty herself, shes pretty, but not drop dead gorgeous.

[RealAnastasia]

I agree, Mandie. She was pretty, but I don't see her a s a "perfect beauty". As for Gisela, I think she was not at all ugly. Not an incredible beauty but more pretty than ugly, the same than her sister María Valeria.

RealAnastasia.

[Carolath Habsburg]

A personal opinion, for me Sissi wasnt the most beautiful of the sister, I found Sophie and Charlotte  and Mathilde even more beautiful than her. The thing is that Sissi had style, elegance and charisma and that made her so striking among the sisters.

[prinzheinelgirl]

I've always thought Sissi was wrong to undervalue Gisela because she didn't like her daughter's looks, etc. I'm sorry but I find such criticisms extremely petty. And I've read Sissi's comment on her first grandchild as well.  Not nice at all. I think Gisela was a better mother, wife, and person than her mother.  

At any rate, her husband Leopold during their engagement thought Gisela had very pretty eyes and was very nice as well.

[Eric_Lowe]

I think Sisi was the most striking of her sisters. It was written they all tried to copy her in dress and elegance. Maria Sofia was the closest in beauty with Sisi, but she faded fast and so was Sophie Charlotte. Mathilde was quite plain in contrast (Valerie looked abit like her) but dressed well.

I think Sisi grudged Gisela for her love of Archduchess Sophie. It was why she openly preferred Valerie, who did not get to know her grandmother at all. Even Gisela's marriage was arranged by Sisi, who subsituted her daughter for Leopold so that her brother Max could marry the princess from Coburg. I read somewhere that Leopold wasn't good to Gisela at all and had many women, but Gisela (faithful Gisela !) stood by her husband.

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Well, to talk about beauty is so difficult, it will have no end!!!
Really I consider Sissi very beautiful, perhaps not perfect, but she had very beautiful features,
that Gisela didn't have, I don't consider Gisela even pretty, she had a normal appearence and that's
all.

[prinzheinelgirl]

I think Sisi grudged Gisela for her love of Archduchess Sophie. It was why she openly preferred Valerie, who did not get to know her grandmother at all. Even Gisela's marriage was arranged by Sisi, who subsituted her daughter for Leopold so that her brother Max could marry the princess from Coburg. I read somewhere that Leopold wasn't good to Gisela at all and had many women, but Gisela (faithful Gisela !) stood by her husband.

Sisi or Sissi clearly had issues with her older children. I've read somewhere that she 'blamed' Gisela for young Sophie's death (Gisela infected her sister-who was more delicate-with measles or whatever the sickness was ). I don't know how true is that, and she also blamed herself for insisting on taking Sophie and Gisela on that fateful trip to Hungary.  Couldn't blame Gisela for loving her grandmother - after all, a child and young girl needed maternal love/attention and her mother couldn't provide it.

Yes, Prince Leopold was interested in that princess from Saxe-Coburg but Sisi wanted her brother to marry the princess so she invited Leopold to meet the young Gisela. It seemed that he wasn't very much attached to the other princess as he readily agreed to the nuptials with his second cousin. At any rate, he couldn't very well say no to an emperor's daughter plus she had a very handsome dowry attached (I've read that Archduchess Sophie and Archduke Franz Karl provided for most of Gisela's dowry- something like 500,000 crowns if I remember it right).  

  

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. It was lucky that Gisela (who had no say in her marriage) fell for Leopold and had a stable life with him. She proved her worth when her husband began to stray, but she never complained.

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

I've never heard that Sissi blamed Gisela for the death of little Sophie!!!!
What silly thing!!

[Maria_Pavlovna]

Sissi was 20 years old when her daughter Sophie died. and she was still known to be very inmature and childish.

[Eric_Lowe]

Sisi was childish and immature, but had either her husband or Archduchess Sophie guided her, she would have gradually matured. Instead Archduchess felt jealousy on Sisi's rank and hold on her son, while FJ did not know how to deal with his wife at all. Gisela's arkwardness made her mother felt repulsive against her.

[Carolath Habsburg]

Gisela and one of her grandson. Can someone identify which one? Thanks in advanced!

[prinzheinelgirl]

That photo of Gisela in reply #175 shows her with her great-grandson, Prince Konstantin of Bavaria (1920-1969).  His mother was Countess Auguste von Seefried auf Buttenheim (granddaughter of Gisela through Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria, who married morganatically) and his father was Prince Adalbert of Bavaria.  

[Carolath Habsburg]

Thank you!