Duchess Elizabeth of Bavaria was the wife of 19th century Habsburg ruler, Franz Joseph I. She wed him at the ripe age of 16, and Franz only 23. Franz Joseph was the Emperor of Austria, the King of Hungary and also of Bohemia. Given that her husband was a man of great ruling, she had married herself into a world which attempted to give her a very formal lifestyle, and restrictive by court convention. The Duchess, better known as Sisi, which was her nickname, began to feel at odds with her new life
Franz Ferdinand was born in 1863 and died in 1914. He was born in Graz, Austria. He was originally the third in line to the throne, but he became the heir to the throne. He became the heir to the throne after the deaths of the Emperor's son, Crown Prince Rudolf in 1889, and Franz Ferdinand’s own father Archduke Charles Louis in 1896. He got married to Sophie Chotek von Chotkova in 1900. Sophie and Franz Ferdinand had three children. Franz Josef, the emperor, was against their marriage because he
internal difficulties, and in his declining years has enjoyed the unbounded affection of his people. Yet, his public successes have always been overshadowed by his private sadness. The death of his brother Maximilian in Mexico, the tragedy of the Crown Prince Rudolf, the crowning blow of the assassination of the Empress Elizabeth, and now this last dreadful occurrence, make a story of woe for which history furnishes few parallels. Ferdinand and Sophie leave the town hall with the intention of visiting