8 June 1867 - 8 June 2017

Barbara Káli-Rozmis

It must have been in 1867 when Elisabeth let her husband come into her bedroom for the last time. The Empress decided to give birth to another child if the Emperor was willing to make a compromise with the Hungarians. Her decision was a deliberate personal choice and a political negotiation as well: by returning to the marriage and making her husband - who adored her and tried to fulfill almost every desire of “his beloved Sisi”- satisfied, she ensured that Hungary, which she felt an intense emotional alliance with, would gain an equal footing with Austria.

It is obvious that Elisabeth felt attracted by the Hungarians. At first, she started to learn the language (partly) to annoy her mother-in-law, who hated everything in connection with Hungary. However, it was not the only reason. Sisi had been interested in the life of the Hungarian revolutionists since she started learning about their history (in 1854). Then she started to choose Hungarian companions partly to make something against her mother-in-law’s will, and partly in order to be able to use a language in her private chat which was not understood by the imperial court. She chose Hungarian lady’s companions and maid of honours, who she could trust because they had no connections with the Viennese court. These ladies accompanied her not only to Vienna but also to her trips and travels as well. Ida Ferenczy, the Hungarian noble lady was her confidant and best friend. The Hungarian Mary Festetics was also a beloved friend and a lady-in-waiting of her. Hungarian woman, another maid of honour, Irma Sztáray was next to her when she died. Countess Sztáray could hear the Queen’s last words, which were said not in her mother tongue but in Hungarian: "És most mi történt velem?" In English: "And now, what happened to me?" 

Queen Elisabeth in the gown worn during the coronation ceremony at Matthias Church, Buda Castle (painted by Bertalan Székely) 

Above Queen Elisabeth in the Hungarian gown worn during the photo session on the occasion of the coronation a year before the ceremony  (1866) - photos by Emil Rabending - for full image, please click to the photos.

But now, let us be back to the end of January 1866 when the Empress and the Emperor travelled to Hungary, where they spent more than five weeks. During their visit, Elisabeth had several opportunities to meet the handsome former rebellious revolutionist, Count Gyula Andrássy, to whom she said the following in Hungarian: "I will tell you this confidentially therefore I will tell you something I would not tell everybody. If the Emperor’s things go badly in Italy, it hurts me. However, if they go bad in Hungary, it kills me.” The sentences above are also told by Romy Schneider in the film Sissi (1956). The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 created the double monarchy of Austria–Hungary. Count Gyula Andrássy became the first Hungarian prime minister (in February 1867), and Franz Joseph and Elisabeth were officially crowned King and Queen of Hungary on 8 June 1867. Their daughter, Marie Valerie, was born in Buda on 22 April 1868, ten months after the Compromise as a "gift of the reconciliation" between Elisabeth and the Emperor, and between the Austrians and the Hungarians.

Eduard von Engerth: Coronation in Matthias Church, Buda

On the occasion of the coronation, the Hungarian state bought the formal Grassalkovich Palace (of Gödöllő) for the royal family. The Hungarians got to know that Elisabeth had been interested in the estate and asked her husband to buy that for her. However, the Emperor refused to do so (although he was extremely economical, he usually financed all the things his wife wanted) due to financial reasons - referred to the recent Austro-Prussian War: "You can visit the wounded soldiers in Gödöllő if you wish, but do not look at it as if we wanted to purchase it, because I do not have any money now. In these hard times we must economise. The Prussians have caused terrible damage to our family estates, too. It will take years to recover. (...) Almost half of the horses must be sold and we will be forced to live very modestly", he wrote to his wife in August of 1866.

The Royal Palace of Gödöllő (to visit its official website, please click on the photo below). To read more about it, please visit: THE LAND OF QUEEN ELISABETH

Visit Empress Elisabeth on Facebook.

MAGYARUL: 

150 ÉVVEL EZELŐTT VOLT A KIEGYEZÉS ÉS A KORONÁZÁS - 1867 - MILYEN SZEREPE VOLT ERZSÉBETNEK? 

IDŐSZAKI KIÁLLÍTÁS BÉCSBEN: ERZSÉBET ÉS A MAGYAROK

INDEX:
Hamann, Brigitte. Empress Elisabeth
Count Corti Egon. Elisabeth. Révai Kadás, Budapest, 1935
For more information about the Compromise, please visit: Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867