Siblings of Empress Elisabeth Part (3/3) - Younger sisters of Sisi

Hello and welcome back to History of Oxen. In this video we will explore the lives of Empress Elizabeth's younger sisters. Their fates took them on different paths, ranging from a queen without a land, to war hero, to a tragic demise. Marissa Fee was born on October 4th, 1841 at the Passenhofen Castle, to parents Princess Ludovica of Bavaria and Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria. She was the sixth of ten children and the third daughter. Mary's childhood was spent alongside her siblings in an informal environment with lots of outdoor activities. After her older sister Elizabeth was successfully married off to the Austrian Emperor, Mary's mother Ludovica was on the lookout for a husband for Mary. In December 1857, the Crown Prince of Naples, Francis II of Naples and two Sicilies, sent his marriage proposal. Mary's mother Ludovica was delighted by that offer, as it would make her daughter queen one day. Mary was sixteen at the time and had little say in the matter. It can be assumed that she went along with the marriage plans, since it was a great honour for a duchess to marry a future king. Mary was considered just as beautiful as her sisters, yet the marriage was mostly considered for political reasons. It was of great use to have the Austrian Emperor as brother-in-law and as an ally. Crown Prince Francis' future kingdom was riddled with revolts and riots for years. His father, King Ferdinand II, ruled with an iron fist and established a wide spy network to gain control, but his kingdom would remain troubled. The ever-shouted Mary had little knowledge of what would await her in a new homeland. She was prepared for a future role by learning Italian and studying some superficial history about the kingdom of two Sicilies. In January 1859, Mary was married by proxy in an Orient ceremony, attended by the highest Bavarian nobility. After the ceremony was over, she first travelled to Vienna to spend some time at her sister's court, before leaving for Trieste, Italy, with her entourage. Here it was time to finally say goodbye to her family, before boarding the yacht Fulminante to set sail for her final destination, Bavaria. Upon seeing her husband for the first time, Mary was very disappointed. She had only seen a miniature ivory portrait of Francis before, which pictured his looks a bit too flattering. Moreover, he was acting stiff and awkward around his new wife, but personal feelings were irrelevant and the official marriage was held nonetheless. Different versions of the wedding night circulated soon after, but what they all had in common was that the marriage had not been concluded. The probable cause was a physical malformation of Francis, which could have been sorted out with an operation, but the crown prince refused to undergo treatment. Immediately after the wedding, Mary was confronted with a new unpleasant reality. Her husband was obsessively religious and his main interest was reading church literature. Moreover, Francis was controlled by his stepmother, Marie-Thérèse, who would try to do the same with Mary. A few weeks after the wedding, King Ferdinand II passed away, which made Francis the new king and Mary queen, but their reign would be short-lived. Ignoring the writing on the wall, Marie's stepmother Marie-Thérèse unofficially took over the reign, continuing the absolutistic and conservative ways of her late husband. Mary, only 17 years old at the time, proposed a constitutional monarchy to appease the Italian rioters, but her mother-in-law shut her down completely. Revolts all over the country broke out, supported by the French and various Italian armies. In September 1860, troops were nearing the capital of Naples, which led Mary and Francis to flee the city. Part of the Neapolitan military revolted against their king, which left Francis and Mary with only a few loyal soldiers. The couple took refuge in the strong coastal fortress of Goethe, 50 miles north of Naples. The siege of Goethe lasted three months. During this time of being heavily bombarded and isolated in a desperate situation, Mary proved all her strength. Rumour has it that Mary was standing on the outer walls of Goethe, holding up the Bourbon flag and cheering on her soldiers. Conditions were terrible in the fortress, as the food supplies were limited, diseases were spreading and even the queen had to sleep on a camp bed. Mary fought till the very end, sharing her food with her soldiers and caring for the wounded, but the situation was hopeless. The fortress Goethe fell in 1861 and so did the kingdom of the two Sicilies. Mary and her husband went into exile in Rome and here Mary was honoured by the Pope with the Rosa Aurea Awards for her bravery as the hero of Goethe. Even a poem was dedicated to Mary's efforts, but after a short while, interest in her person and in her husband faded, as they were a king and queen without a country and Mary grew very unhappy in Rome. She was 20 years old, beautiful and full of life, trapped in a marriage with a religious fanatic who was unwilling to have any kind of affectionate interaction with her. It was no surprise that the beautiful queen caught the eye of the handsome count Armand de Lever. They fell madly in love with each other, which eventually resulted in Mary falling pregnant. As she never consummated the marriage with Francis, the upcoming scandal would have been enormous. She fled to her family in Bavaria, where she secretly gave birth to daughter Matilda, who was later given to the biological father. When Marie returned home, she eventually confessed to her husband, who surprisingly reacted understanding. Finally, Francis underwent treatment for his impotence and Marie would end up pregnant again in 1869. She gave birth to a daughter and the couple was overjoyed. Their relationship had improved over time, but the passing of their daughter three months after her birth tore them apart yet again. The couple eventually left Rome, moving their main residence to Paris. Mary would travel all over Europe, visiting family and enjoying leisure time. She was a good equestrian and loved hunting, so she eventually bought a hunting lodge in England. It is speculated that on one occasion when her sister Elizabeth was visiting her for a hunting party, Marie spread the rumor of her sister having an affair with a fellow hunter, which eventually led the sisters to fall out. Marie was on good terms with her other sister Matilda, who was married to her husband Francis' half-brother. Otherwise, Marie and Francis lived a reclusive life in Paris. Marie opened up a store for fine lace and founded a racehorse stud. In 1894, her husband passed away and Marie lived her remaining years mostly under the radar, even though she never gave up hopes of regaining her position. She supported the Austrian-Hungarian efforts in the First World War against the Kingdom of Italy, allegedly hoping that the Kingdom of the two Sicilies could be restored. Shortly after relocating to Munich in 1924, Marie-Sophie died at the age of 83. She was laid to rest alongside her husband and their daughter in the church of Santa Clara in Naples. Matilda Ludovica was born in September 1843 in Possenhofen. Due to her tender frame, she was nicknamed Schwarz by her family. Two years after her sister Marie's wedding to Crown Prince Francis, Matilda was married off to his half-brother, Prince Ludovico of two Sicilies, Count of Trano. At this point, the Kingdom of two Sicilies had already been annexed by the new united Italy. It is very questionable why Matilda's parents agreed to the wedding, as their daughter had to follow her husband into exile. There was no political gain from this marriage, nor was it a love match. However, Matilda's husband Ludovico was well off so that she could live a financially carefree life. In Rome, she spent most of her time with her older sister Marie. The marriage with Ludovico was very unfulfilling. Matilda's husband's main interests were drinking, partying and women. His reputation of being a playboy was well known, but Matilda wasn't a showcase wife herself. Alongside her sister, she enjoyed roaming the city in their lavish carriage, but publicly drinking and smoking, which was scandalous for noble women during that time. Matilda's time in Rome was plastered with endless scandals and rumors. Rumors of her affair with an Italian officer were swirling around town, and even a legitimate daughter with Spanish diplomatically customary ideas was imputed to Matilda. Though this has never been confirmed, the rumors persisted for a lifetime. Like most of her sisters, Matilda let her rest her life, traveling all over Europe, mostly with her sister Marie. In 1867, she gave birth to her daughter Maria Teresa Maddalena, who was called Maddy by her family. Both Marie and Ludovico were rarely home, so their daughter was raised mostly by governesses. Many letters were written by the young girl to her parents, which testified their constant absence. When Maddy grew older, she was allowed to accompany her mother and aunts and formed a lifelong friendship with her cousin Mary Valerie. The ongoing quarrels in their marriage led to Matilda eventually separating from her husband permanently. In 1886, Count Ludovico died at the age of 48 of unknown causes. It was officially stated that he died from a long-time disease, but it was also rumored that his death was self-inflicted. After her husband's death, Matilda took on the task of finding a husband for her daughter Maddy. The Royal Home Prince of Hohenzollern was chosen and the wedding ceremony was held in June 1889. Over the years, the couple had three children, which resulted in mother-daughter relationship between Matilda and Maddy growing closer. However, Maddy suffered from poor health that resisted every treatment. She was sent to the south for cure, always accompanied by her mother, but nothing ever helped. In 1909, Matilda had to say her final goodbye to her only child. Devastated by this loss, Matilda traveled all over Europe, always looking for a distraction, until World War I broke out. She spent the years of war mainly in Switzerland with her sister Mary, with whom she would spend the rest of her life with. After the war, they lost their status and some of their estate, which left them unable to carry on with their lavish lifestyle. Eventually, their sister settled down in Bavaria, where Matilda spent her last years, riddled with disease. In 1925, Matilda died at almost 80 years. She was laid to rest in Munich, next to a former lady-in-waiting, almost forgotten by society. Sophie Charlotte was born at the Postenhof in Kassel in 1847, as the youngest daughter. The girl grew up to be a great beauty, and being a sister of Empress Elizabeth, she was a desired candidate for marriage. Many suitors made their offers to Sophie's parents, but all of them were refused, supposedly by Sophie herself. In 1866, the Bavarian King Ludwig II started courting the young Duchess. He showered her with love letters and gifts, but made no concrete move to propose to Sophie. Pressured by her parents, Ludwig was persuaded into engagement with Sophie, which was officially announced in January 1867. Immediately, wedding preparations were initiated. Dressmakers, sculptors and so on were frequently in the Bavarian court, and everything was bound to set up a wedding date, but the Bavarian King wouldn't specify. Sophie's family grew more impatient over time, and it dawned on them that the King was about to withdraw from their agreement. After months of being put off, King Ludwig finally broke off the engagement in October 1867. The Bavarian Duke's family was snubbed, and so was Sophie, however only her ego was hurt, not her heart. At the same time the engagement to Ludwig was announced, Sophie fell in love with the court photographer Edgar Hampstein. The liaison ended when Sophie was sent to stay with her aunt Amalia Augusta, the Queen of Saxony. Here she met Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon, grandson of the late King Louis-Philip of France. The charming young Duke was good-looking and instantly took interest in Sophie. In September 1868, the couple was married in Postenhofen Castle. After the wedding, the couple took residency in Bushey House, outside of London. During the summertime, Sophie was busy with visiting the neighbouring nobles, hunting and dinner parties. However, when the rainy fall in England came, Sophie became lethargic and melancholic for months at a time. Her husband was desperate to help Sophie, but she would remain in her apathetic state despite his efforts. Even the birth of their daughter in 1869 couldn't ease Sophie's sufferings. Eventually, Ferdinand decided to relocate to Sicily, hoping the sunny weather and beautiful landscapes would lift his well-being. Upon arriving in Palermo, Sophie wouldn't leave the house, but after a few weeks she brightened up and went on to explore the island with her husband. Two months into their stay, the couple had to leave Sicily abruptly, as they were not welcomed by neither the locals nor the government, due to their relations to the former rulers of both Sicilies. Ferdinand and Sophie travelled to Rome, where her sister Mary and Matilda were living in exile. With all that the big city had to offer to a beautiful and wealthy young woman, Sophie remained unhappy here as well. While her husband tried to have a career in the French military, Sophie couldn't find a fulfilling purpose in life. In 1872 she gave birth to son Philip and soon after her family relocated to Vincennes in France, where Ferdinand served in the military. Sophie seemed to enjoy herself here while also taking great interest in the children. However, their stay here would be short-lived yet again, since Ferdinand was laid off his position. The family moved to Paris, but the capital wasn't welcoming to members of the French aristocracy either, so the family switched locations all over Europe, but mainly staying in Bavaria. All the turmoil led to Sophie falling back into bouts of depression, now worse than ever. In 1887 she began an affair with Swiss doctor Glaser. When the liaison became public, Sophie fled with her lover to Italy, where they were tracked down and split up. The Duchess was brought back to Bavaria, where her desperate husband was at a loss of what to do. On the advice of Sophie's brother Karl, who was an experienced doctor, Sophie was admitted to the sanatorium of Glaser. Her Bavarian family was convinced that Sophie had gone mad, and was appalled by her leaving her children and husband behind. After undergoing treatment for seven months, she was allowed back into her family. From then on, Sophie turned to charity work. She joined the Dominican Order and focused especially on helping single mothers. Sophie seemed to have found some sort of purpose in her life, even though bouts of melancholy would haunt her every now and then. In the 1890s, Sophie saw her children marrying into respected noble families, and she welcomed her first grandchildren. As a member of the Dominican Order, Sophie was heavily involved in planning the Bazaar de la Charité in Paris in 1897. The annual charity event was held in a wooden warehouse this time around. Sophie herself sewed embroidery at a stall at the Bazaar. Her husband accompanied her to Paris, as it was a huge social event. One of its main attractions was a cinematograph installation, which functioned with ether lamps. On the afternoon of May 4th, the projectionist's equipment caught fire, which eventually spread through the whole building. Duke Ferdinand had just left the room where Sophie worked, as he realized that the building had caught fire. He tried to run back to his wife's stall, but panic had already broken out. Ferdinand was injured while trying to push back against the masses to save his wife, but to no avail. Eyewitnesses report Sophie refusing to leave the burning building before her colleagues go rescue first. She was last seen by a fellow nun down on her knees and praying. 126 people lost their lives, and amongst them was Sophie. In the aftermath, Sophie had to be identified by her dentist, as the victims of the fire were unrecognizable. Sophie was later asked at the Chapel's Summary in Troyes, France.