Hungarians. Soon after, and thanks to Sisi’s
intense lobbying, Andrássy negotiated terms
with Franz Josef that granted Hungary its own
constitution. The empire was reconfigured as
two sovereign states, Austria and Hungary, with
separate regimes and governments but united
under a single crown.
On June 8, 1867, Franz Josef and Elisabeth were
crowned as constitutional monarchs of Hun-
gary. As a demonstration of their goodwill, the
Hungarian people gave the couple a gift of the
baroque castle of Godollo on the outskirts of
Buda. One year later, Sisi gave birth to her last
and most doted upon child, the Archduchess
Maria Valerie, in this castle.
Elisabeth spent long periods of time at Go-
dollo with her children. Years later, after Gisela
was married and Rudolf had started his military
training, Sisi started another intensive round of
travels, this time accompanied by Maria Valerie.
In 1874, using the pseudonym Countess of
Hohenembs to ensure anonymity, Sisi embarked
on a European tour with her younger daugh-
ter. The empress and her husband had begun
living separate lives. The different natures ofHungarian Heroine
In the aftermath of an uprising in 1848, Austria
suppressed Hungary’s constitutional privileges.
After she became empress, Sisi became fasci-
nated with Hungarian culture and politics, and
she mastered the Hungarian language. She sym-
pathized with the rebellious Hungarian aristo-
crats and became close with the dashing Gyula
Andrássy, a Hungarian patriot and former rebel.
Although her support for a man the Viennese
court regarded as a traitor provoked animos-
ity, Elisabeth’s actions played a role in keeping
Hungary within the empire. After Austria’s de-
feat by the Prussians at the Battle of Königgrätz,
in 1866, the Prussian armies advanced toward
Vienna, and Elisabeth took ref-
uge in Buda (now Budapest)
with her children.
The trust displayed
by the empress in
seeking protection
in Hungarian ter-
ritory was regard-
ed as a gesture of
goodwill by manyAUSTRIAN ARCHIVES/SCALA, FLORENCE
FRANZ JOSEF AND SISI
ARE CROWNED KING AND
QUEEN OF HUNGARY IN
THE MATTHIAS CHURCH,
BUDAPEST. COLOR
LITHOGRAPH, 1867
RUDOLF, SISI’S SON AND THE HEIR TO THE IMPERIAL THRONE, AND HIS WIFE, STÉPHANIE OF BELGIUM AKG/ALBUM