“I felt so abandoned, so lonely.” (Elisabeth)

Part 1: THE WEDDING NIGHT AND WHAT WAS LEFT OUT OF THE FILM SISSI

The Emperor, in most of the cases, behaved generously and tactfully with his wife. However, Franz Joseph was introduced to the sexuality by countesses, and it can be questioned whether he could be enough tender and patient with the young and inexperienced Sisi. Probably not, because Elisabeth was not fond of sex either at the early stage of their marriage or later.

The young Empress

What happened to the little Sisi that night one can only speculate. About what not happened, we have more information thanks to Brigitte Hamann. One thing is sure: For the Bavarian duchess the happy childhood was over that night.

The imperial bedroom has no secrets

The next day, they had their first breakfast in private, which, as it can be read later, was unusual. However, the two mothers appeared suddenly, and both of them asked their own child about all the details of the first night. The fact that Franz Joseph failed to meet his duty that night was known soon by the whole court - probably thanks to the servants.

It was also known that Sisi lost her virginity only at the third night. That morning, as all the others, she had to attend the family breakfast, which was very hard to the shy Empress. Later in her memoirs she often returned to this morning, and she remembered with horror that day. Several years later, she said, "The Emperor was so accustomed to obedience. For me it was terrible but I went there for his sake." Several years later Elisabeth said the following to her lady-in-waiting, Marie Festetics:

Archduchess Sophie - modified - (1872)

“Here I wept a lot, Marie. The mere thought of that time constricts my hear. I was here after my wedding. (…) I felt so abandoned, so lonely.(…) I was alone all day long and was afraid of the moment when Archduchess Sophie came. For she came every day, to spy on what I was doing at any hour. (…) Everything I did was bad.” (Hamann, “The Reluctant Empress", 53)

The Empress on Facebook: Empress Elisabeth

Acknowledgments - photo: Hofburg, Vienna

To be continued...: The room which Sisi liked to avoid... 

In Hungarian: MI TÖRTÉNT A NÁSZÉJSZAKÁN SISIVEL - VAGY INKÁBB MI NEM…?

Brigitte Hamann: Erzsébet királyné. Európa Könyvkiadó, 2012
Brigitte Hamann: “The Reluctant Empress". Page 53 (Translated by Ruth Hein) Ullstein, 2000
Gróf Corti Egon: Erzsébet. Révai Kadás, Budapest, 1935