Austria – International Diplomat America

Empress Sissi of Austria : The Irish Connection

12/16/2013

The Habsburg or Hapsburg was one of the principal dynasties of Central Europe from medieval to modern times. The family originated in Switzerland in the tenth century. It secured the title of Holy Roman emperor in 1452 and established a hereditary monarchy in Austria in 1828. Austrian and Spanish branches were created when Charles V divided the territories between his son Phillip II and his brother Ferdinand ; the Habsburg ruled Spain 1504-1700 while the Habsburg rule in Austria ended…

Sissy —the unconventional empress

02/17/2008

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| Anglais/English/Inglés, Contributing Writers, Hayward Beywood

Although she became Empress of Austria, Elizabeth of Wittelsbach (known by her nickname Sissy) was known throughout Europe for not behaving in the way a conventional empress should. Her life came to a tragic end when she was murdered in Geneva in 1898. She was born on Christmas Eve 1837 in Munich, the daughter of the Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria and his wife Ludovika. Her father was a rather jovial and eccentric aristocrat, something of a poet, very…