The Habsburg Queen who gave her heart to the Hungarians

Exactly 125 years ago, when an Italian anarchist murdered Elisabeth Wittelsbach, also known as Sissi, the beloved Queen of Hungary, who considered herself Hungarian. In this article, we will examine the circumstances surrounding the Queen’s murder and explore the cult that formed after her death.

Elisabeth, born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria on 24 December 1837, was both the Empress of Austria and the Queen of Hungary. Empress Elisabeth was the wife of Franz Joseph I, the Habsburg Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Their meeting was love at first sight, yet their 1854 marriage was soon marred by the harsh Viennese court life and the empress’ conflicts with her mother-in-law. To escape court life, Elisabeth travelled often. It was this reason that prompted her fateful trip to Switzerland in 1898, where she was tragically assassinated.

Victim of a misunderstanding

Sissi and her Hungarian companion, Ida Ferenczy, arrived in Geneva, Switzerland in September 1898. An Italian anarchist, Luigi Luccheni, was present in the city during this time with the intention of assassinating Prince Philip of Orleans, who was scheduled to visit.

Luccheni’s goal was to spill the blood of an aristocrat, preferably royalty, regardless of the victim’s identity. The planned trip by the prince was cancelled, leaving the young man in Geneva without direction. He then came across the news that the Empress, Queen of Hungary, was present in Switzerland. Despite attempting to keep a low profile, her presence was reported by the Swiss newspaper in a sensational manner. The Queen’s life was tragically impacted by a tabloid article. Sissi had actually been in Montreux for several weeks for medical treatment. On 9 September, she and her companion travelled to Geneva and stayed overnight.

Luigi Luccheni considered his previous actions fruitless and decided to target Elizabeth instead. On 10 September 1898, while Sissi was aboard a boat crossing Lake Geneva to return to Montreux, the assassin was already observing her. Seizing the moment, he jumped next to her and stabbed her in the chest with a sharp file. It was later discovered that the strike had pierced the Empress’s heart.