24 December – The abrupt end of a childhood

Riddle me this: who was the fifteen-year-old princess described as follows:
Nothing had occurred to call her to anyone’s notice. She was a shy young thing, a long way from being fully developed. She had grown up a child of nature, excelled at horseback riding, swimming, fishing, and mountain climbing. She spoke Bavarian dialect, and her playmates were the children of the local peasantry. Her upbringing and manners left a good deal to be desired. Since the ducal branch of the Wittelsbachs had no official function at court in any case, the family could afford to indulge in a colourful private life.*

One probably recognises the future Empress Elisabeth — or Sisi, as she was called — born on 24 December 1837. She married Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria and had four children, including Crown Prince Rudolf, who tragically committed suicide in 1889. Sisi’s status as a beauty icon, her eccentric character, and, above all, her own tragic death at the hands of an assassin have shaped her legacy as one of the most renowned — and unhappiest — members of the Habsburg family.

However, in the summer of 1853, when the description above applies, all those tragedies were still unknown — and even unimaginable — to anyone involved, least of all to the girlish Sisi, enjoying her final carefree days.

* Brigitte Hamann, The Reluctant Empress