Archduchess Gisela, daughter of Franz Josef, Princess of Bavaria

[Romanov_fan]

How close were Gisela and Marie Valerie? One had her mother's favour and the other didn't.

[Marie Valerie]

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

She did very well.
Marie Valerie in her diary about Gisela:

"To me Gisela is the ideal of a wife and mother."

 8-)

[Romanov_fan]

That's nice. The two daughters certainly didn't fall into the same traps their brother did, which was for the best.

[Marie Valerie]

How close were Gisela and Marie Valerie? One had her mother's favour and the other didn't.

I think they were close - but not too much.
Gisela was 12 years elder than Marie Valerie, when she married and left Vienna,
Valerie was only 5 years old.
Instead of Rudolf, who treated Valerie badly most time - because of the love she got from their mum -and he adored her and get nothing, Gisela was always friendly and caring for her sister.

 

[Romanov_fan]

I suppose there was too much age difference for there to be rivalry between Gisela and Marie Valerie. Often in cases like that, there is rivalry, sadly and I am happy that wasn't the case here.

[Eric_Lowe]

Any information and photos of Gisela and her lookalike daughter Elisabeth (Butterhein) ?

[Marie Valerie]

Any information and photos of Gisela and her lookalike daughter Elisabeth (Butterhein) ?

You mean Elisabeth Baronin Seefried auf Buttenheim  

[Marie Valerie]

Otto & Elisabeth

Otto was no catholic and only a Count from a non-ruling family, so the Wittelsbachs would never allowed the relationship also Elisabeth and Otto ran away and married in secret.
In civil in Milano on 19 November 1893, and religious in Genova 2nd December 1893.

[Eric_Lowe]

I heard Kaiser Franz Josef later accepted his granddaughter Elisabeth and her husband.  

[MarieCharlotte]

Franz Joseph wrote to Elisabeth that he has never thought of a Countess Seefried being his first grand-grand-daughter. The Emperor refered to Elisabeth's and Otto's first daughter Gisela who died aged only a few days.

I read that Prinzregent Luitpold couldn't forgive his granddaughter Elisabeth her marriage to Otto Seefried. When Gisela and Leopold had their 25 year wedding anniversary, Elisabeth wasn't allowed to enter her parents' house.

In a very interesting letter (published in "Kaiserin Elisabeth und ihre Töchter" by Martha Schad) Otto wrote to Gisela and Leopold that he and Elisabeth had two possibilities: 1) death and 2) a secret wedding ... For me this sounds a lot like the tragedy of Mayerling ... Gisela must have been shocked while reading this.

[MarieCharlotte]

Elisabeth and Otto had 5 children:

- Gisela (1895-1895)
- Elisabeth "Bessy" (1897-1975)
- Augusta (1899-1978)
- Marie Valérie (1901-1972)
- Franz Joseph (1905-1969)




Franz Joseph, Augusta, Marie Valérie and Elisabeth

[Eric_Lowe]

Thanks for the info...I think Elisabeth looked very much like Gisela. I guess she had more guts than her mother about marriage.

[Romanov_fan]

Well, it is lucky that another tragedy like the Mayerling did not happen in this case. Anyway, the House of Hapsburg had too many tragedies.

[Eric_Lowe]

Indeed ! However Elisabeth was a princess of the house of Wittelsbach not Hapsburg (her mother was).

[Marie Valerie]

More Gisela:





Gisela with her sons Georg and Konrad



Gisela as old Lady