Archduchess Gisela, daughter of Franz Josef, Princess of Bavaria

[Mari]

Different styles of beauty emerge in different era's...I don't see how anybody could call Gisela ugly..maybe cute!  If you look at Movies of the 1960's era that type face was in. Look at some of the Walt Disney stars.

[beladona]

.I don't see how anybody could call Gisela ugly..maybe cute! 

Me too...she was not beauty but lovely and had her own specific charm...

[Yseult]

Beladona and Mari...I agree. I´ve always thought that Gisela had a lovely face. Of course, she wasn´t a beauty, but I find her pretty enough...

[LenelorMiksi]

Sisi was probably judging Gisela by her own looks.  I think Gisela was pretty, but Sisi was beautiful.  Of course, Queen Victoria could also be critical of her children's looks, as could Empress Frederick.

[Eric_Lowe]

I believe Sisi thinks Gisela awkard and graceless as compared to her other children and her other nieces. Mathilde Trani was not beautiful, but looked smart and elegant.

[Princess Susan]

Old New York Times article on the wedding of Gisela in Vienna.....

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F06E3DB1439E43BBC4952DFB3668388669FDE

I find her relationship with Rudolf as very sweet; it says in the article that they didn't want to let go of each other when Gisela was about to leave via the train to Munich.  Does anyone know how their relationship was after she got married?  Rudolf seemed to have lost the only family member he was close to....

I also read in one of Franz Josef's biographies that Archduchess Sophie was fond of Gisela and that she had been a very attentive granddaughter. 

After Gisela's marridge, they were still in contact by letters and by the chance they ivisited each other. But it had never been like before and Rudolf felt more lonely.
Archduchess Sophia was indeed attentive mother and grandmother. She was fond of Gisela, Rudolf and little Sophie too. Presumably she liked Marie Valerie as well, but like we know, she did't have so influence in her upbringing. Sisi wished to bring up her youngest daughter without her mother in low.

[Eric_Lowe]

To be fair, Sisi saved Rudolf from the bully tutor (who was appointed by Archduchess Sophie) and put herself on the line (either he goes or I go) to get him a more liberal upbringing. Rudolf was grateful for her taking his part, although the influence of his grandmother was too solid to be broken off. When Sisi had Valerie, she made sure that her mother-in-law had nothing to do with her upbringing.

[LenelorMiksi]

From what I've read Rudolf would have loved to be closer to his mother, but she was constantly moving about and emotionally unavailable.  I wonder how Gisela felt about her mother?  Did she feel jealous of Marie Valerie?  I don't think Archduchess Sophie badmouthed Sisi to Gisela and Rudolf.  She pretty much acted as a surrogate mother to them, and keeping them away from Sisi while they were small destroyed the maternal bond that might have saved Rudolf's life by giving him someone to trust.  Gisela was the only one, and they were separated by distance and personal differences (I doubt Rudolf would have felt comfortable telling his respectable sister about his "wild" lifestyle). Gisela and Rudolf were almost a family unto themselves.  Franz Josef was probably too concerned with seeing Rudolf as the future emperor to appreciate him as an individual.  The entire family lived very separated lives, except for Sisi and Marie Valerie, and didn't spend much time together. 

[Eric_Lowe]

I think Archduchess Sophie took over from Sisi when she could have given them more love. She did not trust Sisi enough to raise her children. I read Gisela wasn't too much affected by it being loved by her grandmother and father seemed enough for her.

[Princess Susan]

Yes, Rudolf was much more jealous to Marie Valerie then Gisela. She was maybe only a bit jealous in her childhood. But later Gisele and Marie Valerie had quite close relationship. Valerie admired her older sister and wanted to be such good mother like she was. In the contrary Valerie and Rudolf had never been so close and he often behaved rude to her.

[Eric_Lowe]

Indeed...Gisela really did not mind not being a favourite to her mother. Sisi found her company dull and there wasn't a connection between them. Gisela was in love with her husband, while he wasn't to her (he had other women).

[prinzheinelgirl]

After Gisela's marridge, they were still in contact by letters and by the chance they ivisited each other. But it had never been like before and Rudolf felt more lonely.
Archduchess Sophia was indeed attentive mother and grandmother. She was fond of Gisela, Rudolf and little Sophie too. Presumably she liked Marie Valerie as well, but like we know, she did't have so influence in her upbringing. Sisi wished to bring up her youngest daughter without her mother in low.

Thanks for this!  I've always liked Gisela. She did turn out very well, considering her unstable relationship with her mother.  Indeed the love from grandmother, father, and brother must've been enough.    I read that Franz Josef considered his girls as the ones having a more stable temperament rather than their brother and it's good that Gisela was blessed with that.

I've never found Gisela ugly and as a young child, she was very nice looking.  She had her own charm and she was beautiful inside.  It seems to me that her mother should've helped her with her shyness and all rather than criticize her, but we all know that Sisi cared only for one child.

I must ask, did Sisi ever care for Gisela or did little Sophie's death start her detachment to her 2 children?  I understand she was very traumatized by that but IMHO, it was rather cruel of her to (basically) ignore her other children and go on endless trips.

[Eric_Lowe]

She gave up Gisela after Sophie died and the archduchess picked up the pieces after that. After that their relastionship remained on the surface only.

[Yseult]

A few months ago, I found this picture of Gisela, taken by Angerer, on ebay...Maybe anyone has it in better quality??

[Yseult]

One more of Gisela: