Children
Sophie was born in 1855, who was named by her grandmother without Sisi's being consulted.
Gisela was born in 1856. Both children were installed in a nursery near Sophie's apartments. They had been raised by attendants chosen bytheir grandmother Sophie. Sisi had little power over their upbringing, and little contact with the girls at all. Unfortunately little Sophie passed away. This misfortune became used as proof that the young Empress was unfit to be a mother.
Crown Prince Rudolf was born on 21 August 1858. Like his first two children, he was given over to the care of Sophie.
Their third daughter Marie Valerie was born in Hungary in 1868. Unlike with the first three children, Elisabeth insisted on raising the fourth herself, and throughout her life showed considerably more affection for and interest in Marie Valerie than she ever had for Gisela or Rudolf.
Gissela with Rudolf
Gissela (1856-1932) - We have little information about Princess Gissela. We do note several photographs take with her and Prince Rudolf when they were quite young. A good example is the image where the two were photographed with their father (figure 1). Their mother was clearly not ready for motherhood when she and Rudolf were born early in the marriage. Giesela, like her mother, also married young at only 15 years of age to Prince Leopold of Bavaria, a son of Prince Regent Leopold of Bavaria. This meant that Gissela's mother, Emperess Elizabeth, at the age of only 36 years became a grandmother for the first time--long before she wished to be.
Crown Prince Rudolf (1858-89) - he was smart, talented and he has high intelligence. He loved mother, but he hated his father. When he was adult he liked revolutionary ideas and for political reasons was married (in year 1881- he was 23) with 18 years old Belgian princess Stefania. She wasn’t nice and smart and Rudolf didn’t like her, so he was looking for consolation in other beds. His wife find out and their relationship was crumbled. He had disease named brain paralize. He met Baroness Marie Vetser and he had love affair with her. Baroness got pragnent, throw that, he was still married with Stefania. Relationship of Baroness Marie and Rudolf end tragically. They were found dead in bloodstained bed. Baroness was shot by revolver and successor with fragmented skull. Never was found out, how did that happen. ,,Did they kill each other, or one killed other, or what?”
Daughter Maria Valerie Matilda Amalie (1868-1924) - only her was born in Hungary, in 22. April 1868 in Budapest. It was said that she was child of earl Andrassy, with who had Sissi very close relationship. To request of empress Sissi, her mother, she had her own educator. Later, he become a bishop. To small Maria Valerie was her mother taking care more, than to other children and they were jealous. She was taken by art and she wrote good too. With her mom, they release book ,,Autumn on the South“. When she has 20, she fell in love with Tuscan prince, to who she was married too.
The portrait on the wall may be of Sophie so the newborn in thisportrait would be Rudolf and the standing child is Gisela.
Princess Gisela
Daughter Maria Valerie Matilda Amalie
