![]() ![]() Little did Franz Josef know that he would forever be overshadowed by his wife. ( Life for Sisi the Bavarian princess was no fairy tale.) She was just 15 but captivated him from their first meeting. The original orchestrated match was supposed to be between 23-year-old Franz and his cousin Helene, but Franz Josef instead fell for Helene’s younger sister, Elisabeth, nicknamed Sisi. ![]() Sophie’s sister, Maria Ludovika, had daughters who fit the bill. For political reasons, she wanted to strengthen ties between Austria and Germany, and she looked no further than her own family in Bavaria for a bride. ![]() Unsurprisingly, Sophie was instrumental in deciding whom Franz Josef would marry. ( This colorful map held a secret plea for peace to the Habsburg Empire.) Marriage plans Many historians believe that in the early years of his reign, Sophie was a so-called secret empress, setting the political agenda from behind the scenes. His youth and inexperience made him all the more dependent on his strong-willed mother. When Franz Josef became emperor at age 18, Sophie’s influence over her son did not wane. Obsessed with preparing him for the throne, Sophie, along with State Chancellor Prince Klemens von Metternich, designed Franz Josef’s education, preparing a rigorous regimen of classroom study as well as physical education with a strong military discipline throughout. The archduchess meticulously recorded the baby’s every milestone. Unauthorized use is prohibited.įrom the beginning, Franz Josef was adored by his mother, who would be a constant controlling presence in his life. ![]()
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