Sofia Austrian

Birth

Sophia Frederic Dorothea Maria Joseph was born on March 5, 1855. Her parents - the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I and the Bavarian princess Elizabeth - were married for two months, when it became clear that the empress was in position. Sofia's parents were cousins ​​- their mothers were sisters and daughters of the Bavarian king Maximilian I and Carolina of Baden . The girl received her first name in honor of her grandmother on the father of Sofia Bavarian . The baptism of the young Archduke took place without the knowledge of the mother ^{[1] [2] [3]} .

The following year, Empress Elizabeth gave birth to a second daughter, Gisela . Both girls, immediately after birth, were taken under the care of Granny Sofia, who had a difficult relationship with her daughter-in-law. The emperor’s mother considered her too young to raise her own children ^[1] . Sophia called her daughter-in-law a "stupid young mother." The empress herself wanted to breastfeed the child, but even this mother-in-law forbade her, referring to the traditions of the imperial family. Elizabeth later wrote in her diary about her mother-in-law’s act: “She [Sofia of Bavaria] took my children right after they were born. I was allowed to see them only with her consent. She was always there when I visited the children. In the end, I had to come to terms and only occasionally see them ” ^{[1] [4]} .

Elizabeth asked her husband to pick up the children from her mother in law; she wanted to spend more time with them, but her aspirations did not find support from the emperor. After some time, the emperor relented and discussed this issue with his mother. Elizabeth was allowed to see the girls more often, she even began to take them with her for walks ^[1] .

Death and Consequences

Elizabeth all her life loved Hungary, her people and language. She invited her husband to go on a trip to this country, taking with her two daughters. The young empress will regret this act for the rest of her life. Franz Joseph agreed with the desire of his wife and in the early spring of 1857 they went to Hungary. While the imperial couple were in Budapest, diarrhea and the subsequent fever started near Sofia and Gisela. Gizela, ten months old, was quickly recovering. Two-year-old Sofia died on May 29, 1857 at 21:15 in her mother’s arms, probably due to dehydration or seizures due to high temperature. Later it was suggested that Sofia died of typhus . However, this has not been proven. Elizabeth blamed herself for the death of her daughter, she fell into a deep depression, rode on horseback, walked alone, did not want to see anyone except her husband ^{[5] [1]} .

Sofia's body was transported to Vienna and buried in the Imperial Crypt in its southwestern part, called the "Arch of Ferdinand." Subsequently, the empress was born the son of Crown Prince Rudolph and daughter Maria Valeria . The death of the eldest granddaughter gave Sofia Bavarsky more rights to raise children: she took from her mother Rudolph and Maria Valeria ^[1] . For the rest of her life, Elizabeth wore a bracelet with an image of her dead daughter ^[6] ; in her chambers hung a portrait of Sofia ^[7] .

• Hotbauer, Renate. Empress Elisabeth of Austria: The fate of a woman under the yoke of the Imperial Court: [ eng. ] . - Vienna: Austria Imperial, 1998 .-- P. 30-33. - 128 p. - ISBN 3-902196-01-7 .
• Corti, Egon. Elizabeth I of Austria: [ Russian ] . - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 1998 .-- P. 80, 103-104. - 608 p. - (Mark on history). - ISBN 5-222-00196-2 .
• Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. Burke's Royal Families of the World, Volume 1: Europe & Latin America: [ eng. ] . - London: Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1977 .-- P. 30. - 594 p.

• Sophie Erzherzogin von Österreich (English) . - Profile on Thepeerage.com.