This Painting Covered Up Her Tragic Life
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Check out my coloring book! amzn.to/3R65V4I (ad)
I handmade this book by digitally sketching my favorite Van Gogh pieces. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it!
This piece is called Empress Elizabeth of Austria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Elizabeth, also known an Sisi, lived a complicated life. She married the emperor of Austria at the age of 15. During her time as empress, she was idolized publicly, but in reality, she was a miserable woman struggling to survive. She hated the stuffy Viennese court that contrasted with her free-spirited upbringing. She had an overpowering mother-in-law in Archduchess Sophie, who refused to let her parent all but one of her children. Elizabeth lost control over so many parts of her life, but since she could control her appearance and weight, she funneled all of her energy into it. She spent hours everyday brushing and styling her hair and exercising. She took corset tightlacing to a whole new level. Nowadays, Elisabeth is seen as a modern-day woman, a person who was ahead of her time. What do you think? Thanks for watching!
Credits:
Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Darkest Child by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Smoke effect from Vecteezy
Given her abuse of her own body, it’s quite remarkable that she was 60 years old when assassinated. The tragic story of her only son Rudolph was made into a movie with Omar Sharif, as the son called Mayerling, which is the place that the suicide occurred. As a result of him dying, the heirship went to his cousin Franz Ferdinand who in turn was assasinated resulting in the start of WW1.
I think Franz Ferdinand wasn't even the next heir after Rudolf, there were like 2 others, or something. Franz Joseph kept running out of heirs.
@@cosmosblue772 Most likely not. There are some who think that the assassination of Franz Ferdinand was used as a pretext for war, that was already brewing.
Some says they killed Rudolph who has different political view from his father. He wanted to keep the empire together prolonged by a similar system as the European Union. It could be stronger. He was strong in his opinion and had lot ot friends and helpers - so that people killed him who wanted Austria falling apart.
@@kurucmarianna5054 There are many theories about the death of the Crown Prince, one indeed being that he was murdered and it was made to look like suicide. He probably committed suiced, as one of his former mistresses seemed to have known of his intentions and even notified the police, was but was dismissed. Probably we'll never know the full details, as the investigation was somewhat botched back then.
Very helpful💚
She's a local hero in my village. Her bronze bust is located on our seashore, her gaze forever locked on the sea she loved so dearly. She wrote a beautiful poem after her visit in 1885, only to never return. When reading this poem, it becomes clear that at least she had some moments of happiness here.
Where do you live, may I ask? I would be wonderful to visit your village
@@sereneceline Zandvoort in the Netherlands 👋
@@OU8124TShe also loved Hungary and Greece, she even had a tattoo that symbolized her love of Greece and the sea. It seems she loved being anywhere without a stiff royal court with uptight etiquette where she could just let her hair down and be Sisi instead of the Empress... The current Queen of the Netherlands reminds me of Sisi, a relaxed breath of fresh air compared to stuffy Queens of the past. Like Sisi did prior Queen Max will uphold stuffy royal court etiquette but when on royal events outside of the palace walls you can get the sense that she's much more laid back then her previous predecessors. I also think Princess Diana had this same air of casualness to her personality as well.
So sad
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Fun fact: This portrait was used as inspiration for Christine's gown and hair in the "Think of Me" scene from the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie.
I immediately thought so after seeing the painting! I was about to look it up because Christine looks exactly like this.
Yes, that was quite obvious watching the movie. I couldn't help rolling my eyes.
I immediately thought of that too, and was also going to look it up!
I knew it!!
Yep! Noticed.
The obsessive and rigid routines Sisi established over her appearance, hair, and body reminds me of a driving force behind anorexia. The Victim is trying to establish control over something (eating and weight) because other aspects of their life are so very out of control.
Same, and if not anorexia, some other eating disorder for sure
Interesting 😢😮
I have done this for decades for my husband while keeping the house spotless, and dinner impeccable while having a full-time job. Twitt never cared about the effort until I started asking him to pitch in now that the kids are gone. I m not HIS slave and absolutely hated trying for decades while he got fat and lazier.
Agree and too much self focus. Too bad she could not have been like princess Di trying to help the less fortunate poor girl her own worst enemy
I agree. On top of being depressed, Elizabeth must have been plagued by a type of anxiety disorder, which she tried to quell by controlling every little element of her daily routine. The rest of her life was controlled by duty, the court etiquette, and the omnipotent mother-in-law.
I was assigned to make a presentation on Sissi in history class. It was so tragic to hear everything she was going through and what she was doing to herself. She definitely didn't deserve the treatment that her mother-in-law gave her :((
Her "self harm" wasn't really self harm. Her husband and her mother in law tortured her
@@karenholmes6565 I mean in the way she basically starved herself because of her obsession with self beauty. Because that was pretty rough. But I agree, her mother in law is naturally a part of the cause of her depression. Although I haven't heard how her husband could be involved in that.
By not standing up for his wife.@@pepyyzz
@@pepyyzzby not standing up for his wife, he basically allows his mom to abuse his wife
@@rossy3lo oooohhhhh yea yea that makes sense, thanks!
Hearing her say how she couldn’t have consented to a marriage at 15, it’s so tragic. Also the way her later husband described her “beauty” by emphasizing her pubescence and youth, ugh. 🤢
It's horrible that the first thing that came to my mind was, at least they're almost the same age. A three year difference is better than 30. How many 15 year old's were married off to 45 year old's? Truly sick to have a tradition of rape. 🤢🤮😡🤬
@sapphic.flower - But weren’t they about the same age though?
They were also 1st cousins. I imagine the inbreeding in the family didn't help with her mental illness. Depriving your body of nutrients will mess with your mind as it is. It's probably a combination of everything.
Fraz Joseph was 24 when they were married. How 45 came into?
@@MonicaG_Fraz Joseph was 24 when they were married. How 45 came into?
The epitome of the girl who has everything and nothing. Her sister, Sophie, died in a fire at a charity bazaar the year before Sisi died. Sophie refused to leave until all those working for her had been rescued. She had to be identified by her teeth.
*Edited for spelling
Sophie was supposed to be the bride of Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria. An engagement photograph shows Sophie smiling in the camera while Ludwig is looking into the distance no doubt dreaming of his fantasy castles. The marriage never came to pass and Ludwig was deposed and soon afterwards was mysteriously found drowned in the lake near his castle.
wow
found no info on that. According to wikipedia and other sites she died due to Pneumonia
@@vonirgendwo6267 Did you look here? I think you were looking up the wrong name. There were a lot of Sophies in Sisi's life.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Sophie_Charlotte_in_Bavaria
I though Sophie was her mother in law
If you read some of what her family and friends were writing about her at the time of her assassination, many of them, including her daughter Marie Valerie, believed that her trip to Geneva was suicide. Franz Joseph warned her repeatedly about the dangers of visiting Geneva. There was an uptick of violent assaults on royals and other wealthy people for the months immediately leading up to SiSi’s visit to Switzerland. The grief of her loss was of course immense, but even her husband, and surviving children and grandchildren were somewhat soothed by the fact that SiSi got what she wanted. Her death brought an end to a life of misery and she was also spared the ravages of time - old age and geriatric illnesses. She hated loosing her youth and beauty and would’ve hated becoming old. So it’s not hard to see that she planned this trip with death in mind.
It's believed that her last words might have been "At last,".
Goodness.
The musical about her references this by making Death a character that occasionally flirts with her throughout the story and in the end, they finally get their dance
I mean... She was 60, that's fairly old
How sad😢
The best part of her history is when she was based in Corfu and sailing away in Greece. She even got a tattoo like an old sailor
Awesome lady.
@@garylefevers definitely ahead of her time
What a miserable life
In some way her story is every woman’s.
I get it. I have sailed between Italy, Greece, and Xirfu a few times and never felt such freedom. RIP, SISI. And your daughters were a gift as much as your son was. I wish your life had been sweeter.
People denied youth are often the most afraid of getting old. Mentally, you're still "catching up" (catching down? is that a thing?) because you lost many years of your childhood and life; Being forced to be an adult and to take on responsibilities far beyond your experience. By the time you are actually an adult, it feels like most of your life is over. You're not ready to be old because you never got to be young. Spoken from experience.
It's sad that Cici never got a chance to live beyond her eating disorders and body dysmorphia to find a truly happy life. I'm actually excited about old age and retirement cause I'm EXHAUSTED. Please put me in a old folk's home so I can rest.
Also the exact opposite is a psychological fact also. When one as an adolecent then teen even into their 20s thru middle age, were KEPT (usually in adolecense on) from Becoming a developing person and as time goes on, an adult. By any number of means, a young person can be denied any parental, teachers, even those their own ages peers experience, thinking, and association. No life preperation, experience, or exposure can/does make any later interaction w the world a completely alien and terrifying experience as they virtually have no self confidence, or hopes of accomplishment and acceptance. Many will see that their Only asset, youth and/or beauty as their only redeeming factor thus fearing so much for its loss that the loss of life itself will be preferable. So yeah! btween. they r neither coming or going. Just stagnant! ( the stuff u learn in college can make you like; uhh HUH?
Resting is One thing. But those places arent about Rest! Most r about making you a zombie with meds (I call them Death!), unhealthy, unappetizing food, preventing excersize, hobbies, interactions with life outside and each other. Isolation. invasion, and unecessary medical tests, diagnosis, treatments, 20 diff pills, until your insurance runs out then oh heck no if you Do need a Dr for something. By then u have 4gotten what living was if you can even remember anymore where and why u r at. Ive seen too many older relatives end up in these places. Hell, retire, kick back, sleep late, watch movies/read all night. Get a pet (or 3) make homeade pizza, frybread, make a bowl of cookie dough (Nestlie toll house? Oh Yeah!) learn to draw, paint, join a bowling league, throw knives, write a R rated romance about Love In The Rockies. (my 20 year romance with Bigfoot). But Live! No 6 month old tater tots served with the grossest egg salad for lunch with you 12 noon time meds! Nope! No resthomes. Get your CDL. Drive a semi for xra cash, and decorate the sleeper cab and eat beef jerky and a slimjim while reading youself to sleep w your cat, turtle, and goldfish right beside you! 😅😅❤
@dead2802 Delayed growth and maturity are definitely a thing as well. Just not the case for Cici. She was not allowed to be a child and had very adult responsibilities from a very young age. It wasn't that she wouldn't grow up, mentally, but she had panic and fear of getting physically old, which turned into obsessive thoughts and an eating disorder.
I've personally known many adults who still run around, behaving like teenagers. Can't keep a job, no critical thinking, bad impulse control, very selfish, and hung up on superficial and immature things. They certainly wouldn't be running any countries.
Her name isn’t spelled with two cs it’s with two ses
@@gracio1231 Sisi*
While Marie Valerie was called as "the Hungarian child", at the end she had strong antipathy to Hungary. She had to spend lots of time in Hungary, was taught by a Hungarian bishop, and the servants were allowed to speak Hungarian only in front of her. Being forced to be a Hungarian princess, plus the rumors about her being an illegitimate child of Hungarian prime minister count Gyula Andrássy had a huge impact on her feelings towards Hungary. She worshipped his father and her german roots.
Yes, Elisabeth forced the Hungarian language on her. She was her only child with whom Elisabeth tried to have a close relationship, her other children were somewhat neglected by her, not only because they were basically confiscated by her mother-in-law, but also because Elisabeth seemed to have a certain sense of guilt about the death of her first child, as she insisted that her daughters accompany her to Hungary. At least, I've read such a theory. Those Habsburgs were plagued by bad luck in marriage and family tragedies. Elisabeth suffered a great deal because of her mother-in-law, but later she was supposedly very unkind to her own daughter-in-law. Elisabeth's granddaughter (Rudolf's only child) apparently blackmailed Franz Joseph into allowing her to get married to a nobleman of much lower rank...who was actually in love with someone else. The marriage eventually ended in divorce. Elisabeth's sister-in-law, the Empress of Mexico, went insane after the death of her husband, who was executed by the Mexican revolutionaries.
@@user-qj9en1kp1m the Mexican Habsburg Maximillien did not want to rule. Napoleon pushed him and it was a good occasion escape from Vienna. I read a book about his escape from Mexico as he did not die, just lived a simple lifestyle afterward.
@@kurucmarianna5054 I highly doubt that he faked his death to "live a simple life". As intriguing as that story sounds, one should not confuse historical fiction with history.
@@kurucmarianna5054I absolutely doubt the republican government of Mexico would allow him to live...
@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 I honestly don't like these shows or books with the premise of presenting some wild theories about a historical figure as if they were true, and in order for these to work they ignore 90% of the known, historical facts. Some readers or viewers are going to take them for granted, these books and shows just spread misinformation.
She was indeed beautiful. Such a sad story. I was not aware of the ending, but have watched the Netflix series (Germany) called The Empress. Season one covers the beginning of the story, though it appears fictionalized to some extent. The actress they chose looks very much like her. It sounds like she definitely had an eating disorder, but unlike most young women who suffer from this issue today, she was married off at 15 and thrust into an impossible life. Your presentations are always so well done; succinct and well spoken, with a bit of dry humor. I'm always so irritated by history videos with awful scripts, mispronunciations, and/or those horrible AI voices. You are a breath of fresh air.
The series is very fictional 🤣
It's no better than the old Romy Schneider film
I hate the fact that the Netflix series doesn’t cover her whole life…. I remember reading about her and being fascinated by her . Her assassination was so random though…
@Keesha
I believe that a second season has been confirmed!
THANK YOU! I KNEW THIS SOUNDED SO FAMILIAR
Such is life@@Keesha
Elizabeth obviously suffered from PTSD, exhibiting all the classic symptoms, self-harm, OCD…how sad.
She also manifested anorexia and disordered eating. I also think the control manifested in that hair/beauty routine which was considered extreme even for women of that era. Her wiki page is a dumpster fire of tragedy. And sadly, she became as cruel to her own daughter-in-law as her own MIL had been to her. So she just perpetuated the cycle. But I do get what a horror show that whole situation was. :(
@@athomeinmyhead Yes, OCD, anxiety, depression, anorexia and bulimia, cutting and self-harm even to the point of suicide ARE the class is symptoms. Sadly, I know more about that than I ever wanted to know. If you encounter a young person showing those signs the first thing to explore is the possibility of rape, though not the only thing that can cause that. Wish I had know about that 20 years sooner.
married too young, having children taken away from her, having no control over her own life and being constantly looked at and talked about would ruin most people, you'd have to be a narcasit/sociopath to enjoy that lifestyle
Sissi was from the same family as Ludwig, the "mad" king of Bavaria who spent the nation's money on building the fanciful palaces that are popular German tourist attractions (and cash producers for the state) today.
@@meeeka Did he build Neuschwanstein Castle? The king who built that one was “mad”. It is amazing and cost the taxpayers millions. I have been there and to the schloss (castle) in Heidelberg. Very different from each other but, both fascinating.
The gasp, I gasped when you said Luigi!
The famous diamond stars Elisabeth loved to wear in her hair, which grew to her ankles. Even her riding habits, all of which she had to be sewn into. And the beautiful portrait. She had specially painted for her husband to hang in his chamber often covered as it was considered so provacative. He was a debauched womanizer yet in his way he deeply loved her. Sait on the day of her death, he just felt her presence had left the world, and he collapsed and was unconsolable. So beautiful a lady. So alone and abused by her aunt and court, yet her husband in his own way gave her the freedom, the means, homes, to literally travel and live as she desired. For yesrs, I gave up ever finding a book on her, then 4 yrs ago found a 2 book story on her life by A Pataki. What a sweet lady only to die by that crazy man!😢
...How can you kill a woman who is already dead and call it your crowning achievement?
He probably didn't know what an unhappy woman she was...
@@user-qj9en1kp1mand he wouldn’t care even if he did. I once watched a video about him and he sure had an infinitely more miserable existence than she ever had.
He's an anarchist. Striking down a symbol of the Ancien Regime wherever they are is their life goals. An anarchist assassinated William McKinley in 1902. An anarchist killed the King of Macedonia in 1924. Anarchists assassinated Alexander II of Russia in 1868...
@@fralencemelograno I don't know anything about him, but I assume that he had a difficult life which radicalised him. If his entire life was spent in poverty, then it's no surprise that he hated rich and privileged people and Sissi (for all her troubles and misery) was more privileged than most.
Edit: hardships in life do not justify Lucheni's actions, just to be clear.
How can you call a man Emperor, who upon reaching maturity and gaining the throne, couldn't even stand up to his own mother? He saw how miserable his own wife was, and how horrible his children turned out and he *still* couldn't tell his mother to get effed? What a pathetic use of testosterone!
Sissi's story really speaks to me. I've had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, feeling like my entire life was outside of my control, and the only outlet and control i had was on my appearance. For me it was a healthy escapism from my own mind, and i eventually got better and stuff, but it's true that for a moment i was completely devout to looking good, and when i didn't wear makeup or have a good outfit on i felt misserable. It's a hard balance to make
I felt some commonalities with her, too. And she had to go through it under intense scrutiny at a time when these issues weren't nearly as commonly discussed or treated. In fact, it wasn't until 2 years before she died that Freud opened his practice.
Every blessing to you Mikaela! G Ire
But why not devote the time to be useful with skills? Beauty is important but to make it your whole life (and preferably not to annoy others) is rather annoying
"She was now also enslaved by her own beauty." That hit me like a brick wall.
Who would know from that beautiful painting how difficult her life truly was. Kinda like how you see posts from people online and think how perfect their lives are yet....
She was beautiful, and wanted for nothing. But she was treated with cruelty. To feel that outside of providing heirs that she was worthless. Her story makes me think of Princess Diana.
This has been the destiny, and the bane, of every royal princess: her only role was to provide heirs to ensure the dynasty’s future.
I think she did want for something...an escape from that mother-in-law from Hell!
She wanted for children.
Who wants to be royal what a sad miserable loveless life they have and for what for a title and a crown I'm glad I'm not 😢😢😢😢😢
I don't see that connection at all!!!!
When her son died, she lamented that her mark on Austria died with him. If only she knew that wasn’t true, as she’s one of the most beloved people in Austrian history.
*No, she is not.*
@@veronicagallo2624 She literally is.
@@veronicagallo2624 yes, she is. There was even a cartoon with her as the main character and movies. Even people who are not interested in history know about her! Btw I'm Austrian
In Hungary, legend has it that Sissi's closed smile was due to her losing her teeth because of syphilis, which her husband contracted and passed on to her. Sometimes I think about the Mona Lisa how her smile also gives off this mysterious vibe because of the thinly closed mouth - yet the reason might be oh so very ordinary... Thank you for the great video!
I have never heard of tooth loss being linked with syphilis. Sterility in both sexes can occur yet Sissi had four healthy children. Wealthy people who consumed a lot of sugar were more prone to dental problems than poorer people who rarely ate sweets.
Oh sure, it was her *husband* that contracted syphilis and gave it to her when *she* was the one obsessed with always being f**kable despite the fact that she chose to rarely be around her husband. Who was she trying to be desirable for in all her lone travels?
@@avamasquerade to herself.
Slander!
@@avamasqueradeshe wasn’t trying to sleep with anyone and she never reported having a lover even when her mother-in law was looking for dirt on her. All she actually wanted was to save beautiful because it was the only thing of value to her after everything in her life that she actually had control over. Her husband was the one with the multiple affairs even before they got married, so more likely he had a sexual disease before him and sisi actually got married.
Also why are you trying to knock down already dead women? Or are you trying to defend her husband? Like I don’t get where it coming from
Ugh this poor woman. Eating disorder, self harming, bullied by her MIL, it’s all terrible 😢
Don't forget she became what her mother-in-law is when she raised her youngest child on her own terms. Managed to make her HATE Hungary so much she wouldn't live in it or speak their language the moment she got out of her clutch...
Poor Sissi... she probably thought beauty was the only thing valuable about her, because it was the only positive attention received from people close to her. May she have found peace after death.
God, that sounds so much worst than a nightmare, her life feels more like hell and a nighmare, I hope she rest in peace
I love these art reviews so much!
I appreciate them enormously, too. They really humanize antiquities and art. The technical knowledge is spot on and the sociological elements are thoroughly analyzed. I LOVE that!
@@jabbermocky4520 Me too, that's what I love about this channel
They dropped the ball for not making a movie about this beautiful woman. Thank you for bringing her tragic story to light. I hope the person who revealed she was there know what they did to her for many days. She did not deserve that..Bless her...
Romy Schneider famously portrayed Sissi in more than one film. Her life was also a tragedy...
There are multiple movies about her. 2 series aired recently.
There are several movies about her, a musical and even a Netflix show.
Wrong. There are many movies about her played by Romy Schneider. They may have them on RUclips
There's a musical, though it hasn't been formally translated to English. I rather liked it, even if it's like a weird cross between Labyrinth and the history.
the trilogy "Sissi" which is loosely based on her life is shown every Christmas in Germany, possibly Austria too? The costumes are absolutely georgeous.
She also wrote devastatingly beautiful poems
Romy Schneider 😃
Hungary too.
I love that trilogy! It is for sure *loosely* based.
@@Starry_Night_Sky7455 yeah...
@@Starry_Night_Sky7455 Yeah, Romy Schneider hated the role because it was extremely sugar-coated. She played the Empress in another movie as well, "Ludwig", which supposedly portrays Sissi as a more nuanced, mature person, Romy supposedly preferred that characterisation.
She literally had no control over her life. It’s no wonder she developed an eating disorder and mental health issues. Talk about the mother-in-law from hell…incredible portraits. Another great video.
She had as much control as the Austrian-born French Queen, Marie-Antoinette, her husband's great grand aunt. Poor women.
*She hardly lived near her mother in law. A very selfish, self centered woman.*
Wow... Poor Sisi. :( Amazing video on this! I'm glad I can learn more about paintings instead of just seeing them as "master studies" for doing my own artwork. I love the depth.
I honestly feel so sorry for Sisi. She was seen as a fairytale princess but she was trapped in a nightmare. Her diet and exercise regimen was really the only thing she had any control over.
Brava! One can't truly learn about art without learning the history of the time in which it was created. I have degrees in art history and fine arts, and I learn so much from your channel. Thank you.
It's amazing how random, seemingly innocuous events can have such an effect on history and a personal life. If they hadn't lost their luggage, if she hadn't looked so fabulous in black, if her aunt hadn't been so power-mad... I wonder what her life would have been like if her sister had become empress, as intended.
It's a family tradition to name our pets after famous people/things. Former examples are Genghis Khan, Sputnik, Boudica, and the wild west outlaw Black Bart. But when my parents became parents to a new kitten, they named her SiSi. I love learning about our pets' namesakes. Thanks for this!
Is there a Chairman Meow in your future?
@@erinhowett3630 We only do two critters at a time, and our two newest are just babies. But in the future...? It's kinda fun to dig around for historical characters that fit your pet's personality or breeding.
A groundhog lives under my shed. I call him Pittsburgh Paco. He's not famous like his relative in Punxsutawney. I'm looking at him right now, he's stuffing his face with the seeds I put out for the birds.
Well scared Paco up the hill, we're not friends only neighbors.
My Mom had a dog named Franz Josef
Great video! She is very dear to hungarians. This video also came at a perfect time, since today is the Foundation day in Hungary.
As a child, I remember there was a Sisi cartoon, I used to watch.
She learned the hungarian language, and she spoke to us in hungarian when she was crowned to be the Hungarian queen. The people who she trusted the most were hungarian, Festecsics Mária and also Andássy.
I've seen the painting and the famous hair clips when I went to Wien, I always felt like there was a bigger story to it that what we saw there. Thanks for revealing it
I heard her story before and just wish I could give her a big hug. And give her assassin a biographical account of her life... preferably Clockwork Orange style.
It's horrible that she died for absolutely nothing to a person who didn't even know her.
...And it looked like, from his pictures, that he was damn proud and happy to have been her assassin.
Something missing from the video is that franz and sissi were colonizers. They invaded and colonized a large part of Italy, and it took blood sweat and tears to kick the Austrians out of the country.
The dude's an Anarchist. Him dying because of the assassination is a blessing to him...
I think that's the framing device of the musical...
Damn. Your channel isn't just "about paintings," but a well-rounded and in-depth look at history and human experience. Thank you so much.
Although sad, her life story is truly fascinating. I wrote an entire research paper on this painting in my last year of university and I had such an amazing time researching her life and diving into her mind!
She was so beautiful, just stunning. I hope that she has found peace somewhere.
i've been waiting for a video on this painting! so beautiful, but the story behind it is fascinatingly tragic. thanks! 💗💗
Thank you for always making these so entertaining and rich. I'd say she was cursed by her husband since the begining when he chose her, if only did he stand up for her specially when his mother took his first born away from CeCe I think this whole spiral of suffering would've not been perpetrated for so long.
Absolutely. She learned after losing her child to her MIL that her husband was not her protector or partner. How devastated she must have felt!
her son also had a fascinating life. Rudolf was supposed to have the classic military education with stuff like being woken up by pouring cold water over his face, living on a diet of bread and water and other things that were supposed to toughen him up. But as he was pretty sensitive (and also six years old) he was mainly traumatized and became extremely unhappy. Sisi used what power she had to take charge of his education and went in a radically different direction. His teachers were university professors, jewish men (pretty uncommon back then), multiple teachers of his actually had participated in an attempted democratic revolution right before Rudolf's birth. So Rudolf became a pretty radical anti monarchist and hated the Catholic Church with a passion.
Because of his political views, his father never took him serious or gave him any real power as crown prince. He tried influencing things through conversations with politicians and important people, as he had all the connections. He even wrote anonymous anti-monarchy articles for the most progressive paper in all of Austria - the editor was a good friend of Rudolfs. But even those articles had to be toned down, otherwise they would risk the entire newspaper being shut down.
It never got better, Rudolf was passionate about politics and was looking forward to being emperor (he said in an ideal world he'd be a democratically elected president). So he killed himself. Franz Ferdinand, his cousin, became heir and was shot some years later in Serbia, kickstarting WWI.
He said himself he was very similar to his mother but she was never really there for him. Also his daughter Elisabeth had the nickname of "red erzsi" since she married a socialist.
Elizabeth was related to the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria who unfortunately had a strain of insanity running through it. Mad King Ludwig and his brother Otto basically spent the end of their lives being confined with round the clock doctors and attendants though that didn't prevent Ludwig from being found drowned. He was the last King of Bavaria. He was a first cousin of Elizabeth and they had a very close relationship riding together.
He was looking forward to be an emperor so he killed himself? Am I missing something here?
@@Blackbirdinthedeadofnight I mean it was more complicated than that, including a history of mental illness in the family (his mother most likely had a severe eating disorder and was suicidal). But the core reason, which is usually cited, is he was extremely unhappy in his life, he wanted to do things but couldn't because of his father. At some point he just couldn't take it anymore.
At the core of all this is the extremely strained relationship with his parents. He idolized his mother because she was just like him, yet she was never there. His father thought he was a failure and never took anything he did serious, but Rudolf still desperately craved his fathers approval. For example, Rudolf was super into birds and friend with many famous ornithologists. At some point he went on multiple journeys to catch and catalogue birds with his friends. He wrote an entire book about his travels and the birds, the whole ordeal took at least a year from what I remember. At the book presentation, his father grabbed a copy and famously asked "did my son actually write this introduction?". That is the level of disinterest that happened here.
Right before he killed himself, he had a horrible argument with his father. no one knows what it was about and whether it influenced his decision but it seems to be the last conversation they ever had.
Attachment trauma during the first year of life, like being taken away from your mother at birth to be raised and controlled by narcissistic grandmother, and even modern insecure attachment can absolutely lead to wanting to “unalive” down the line (speaking from personal experience and research). Then add on top all of the other pressures and conflicts… does not surprise me at all but still sad.
I feel like her life would make an amazing movie. Kind of one where you get to see the public perception and then her personal perspective and how she was trying her best, but everyone only had bad things to say.
Truly heartbreaking life
To no longer be desired... That hits home...
The struggles and complexities of Empress Elizabeth's life are truly heartbreaking. Despite her outward beauty and position of power, she grappled with inner turmoil and societal expectations. It's a poignant reminder that appearances can be deceiving, and that true happiness often eludes those trapped in the confines of others' expectations.
I already knew Sissi’s tragic story but hearing it in combination with this painting really hits hard😢
This is such a heartbreaking story. It's one of my favorite paintings and it's wild to realize so many of these works of art have such a dark and painful history of this face. It's a good reminder that not everything is so easily understood. We really don't know what people are going through behind closed doors.
I’ve never been particularly interested in paintings, or “real” art in general…but I love your channel, and finding out the backstories for paintings I’ve never looked twice at before, or never knew existed in the first place. I’m always so excited when a new video is posted!
Perfect timing! I had never heard of Cici until a couple of weeks ago when a documentary on her life popped up in my recommended page on RUclips. Her story fascinated me. Then you post this! ❤
It is spelled Sisi, actually. I have also seen it spelled as Sissi. 😊 Just a small detail.
It’s SI SI NOT CI CI XD
Wow, I really relate to Sisi. As a teen I had undiagnosed ADHD and OCD, and really struggled with math/science and understanding how the heck people work socially. I remember thinking, “I can’t be smart, but at least I can be beautiful.” I have a pretty face, so I worked out constantly and was very severe with myself in Weight Watchers. I was 5’6’’ and roughly 128 lbs. I always wore the cutest clothes I could get my hands on. I felt like everything in my life was confusing and terrifying, but at least I could control how I looked.
I’ve gained weight since then (about 25lbs) and constantly feel like a pig. I don’t wear the pretty clothes anymore and can’t really wear makeup because everything makes my eyes burn (mascara, liner, even eyeshadow sometimes). I’m working on not caring. It feels like such a diva thing to be complaining about, but it stems from a super unhealthy place of feeling out of control, terrified and very alone. I’m trying to feel more comfortable in my skin. But as a result, I’ve had the courage to make more relationships and finally get a feel for who I am, not on how I want people to think about me.
Thanks for sharing! I’m going through my own undiagnosed ADHD realizations and I completely know what you’re going through!! Trust me, you’re going to be so much more at peace! Good luck on your journey 😊
*Sisi's problem was to much self-centered and selfishness. He married an Emperor for goodness sake. She spend most of her life indulging herself, traveling the french rivera and living outside Austria. Not a good mother or wife either.*
That’s lovely really. I have adhd and go through the same struggles on my appearance.
I can relate so much! Except instead of education, I struggled with fitting in, I figured atleast if look pretty it'll make up for my loneliness and lack of friends/social life. Ever since i was 14 I spent hours getting ready everyday and I still do. I have a lot of symptoms of ocd, anxiety, and depression. I also have an eating disorder for about 4 years now, and just got out of a bad relationship, where the only way I could control my surroundings was with self-harm.
Even though I'm told I'm pretty by so many strangers, I still feel not pretty enough, and I want to get back to being 105 lbs.
I learned about Sisi last year when I went to Vienna, and I resonate with her so much, especially the obsession with my looks and spending hours a day on my hair, makeup.
Another great video and longer than usual which is, of course, a bonus! 😊
Thank you!!
When I was about 5-7 years old I adored Sisi so much! I‘m German and there was an animated show of Sissi, idk if it aired in other countries. My parents even drove to Vienna with me, because I was such a big fan of her. But when I was about 12 years old, I learned more about her real life, which was so tragic! But it was also fascinating. I also read her poems, which are very interesting and beautiful. 💕
im not from germany but i watched that show and liked it
You just unlocked a forgotten childhood memory of mine... the opening sequence and song of that show
Lächelnd stehst du da im leisen Abendwind, zärtlich weht er durch dein langes Haar. Wünsche und Gedanken, die wie Winde sind, werden immer größer, werden wahr. Du denkst an all die Jahre die vergangen sind, der weite Weg vom kleinen Kind zur Frau. Keiner kann dir sagen, was der Morgen bringt, doch eines weiß dein Kaiser ganz genau:
Sissi-deine Träume werden wahr sein. Sissi-niemals lässt er dich allein. Ganz egal was auch geschehn mag sagt er immer "ich bin da"
@@claudiam5152 eins der schönsten Intro-Lieder 🥺
@@claudiam5152OMG, I remember that song! I watched that series in Belgium!
This painting inspired the outfit for Christin Daaé in Phantom of the Opera when she’s performing for the in-movie musical “Hannibal”.
I love your videos, please never stop making these. ❤
Thank you for sharing Sisi's story!
The tragedy of how humans can be broken down by others from their early years throughout their lives and restricted to the extremes to stay sane… and how they try questionable coping strategies - interestingly resonates to present practices and mental health problems…
What an incredible story…also very human and sad…
Sissi: The Young Empress, starring Romy Schneider as Sisi and Karlheinz Böhm as Emperor Franz, was one of my favorite movies to see when I was a child. I continued to watch it even though I couldn't understand German. (There was no sub available back then.)
It's showing every year around Christmas time..❤
It’s si si
Surprisingly little here regarding Art, but much of historical interest, and expertly narrated as usual. Thank you
An art and history lesson all in one and I love it!! 🙌🏾
I visited the Hapsburg palace a few years ago. That’s where I first learned of “Sissy”. Her life was so tragic, even with all that wealth. She had exercise rings hanging down from the doorways I’m the palace. Can you imagine her using those in all those big skirts? Hapsburg is the Versailles of Austria. And the museum with it has relics I never dreamed even existed! It’s very underrated and worth a visit .
She was really beautiful for that time especially.
This is the painting that inspired Christine Daae's hair design in the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie, during "Think of Me"!!!
Sissi's cursed life is so intense, it even extended to the actresses that played her.
Ironically she herself was not a good mother in law herself. her son hated his wife and was whoring around a lot where he caught syphilis and passed it to his wife. The poor couple was so unhappy, they even asked the pope for annulment. Which was denied. Her son was a lot like Sissi in character but the harsh militaristic upbringing was the cause of his depression. The pope's answer was the last straw and he ended his life.
A truly fascinating history lesson, beautifully presented.. thank you! 👏👍
Thank you for this video. It's so insightful. I grew up in Europe, and we used to watch a cartoon about her called Sissi. I agree with the ending. I don't know why they called her modern and ahead of her time. She oppressed herself. She was clearly beauty sick. I think she had some undiagnosed mental issues. It's sad and we shouldn't want that for anyone in modern times
I agree with you but It does sounds like the women of modern times you know nowadays everyone has become more obsessed with staying young and doing things to their bodies 😢
I remember that cartoon. It was so pink.
She no doubt suffered from anorexia Nervosa characterized by extreme dieting and excessive exercising. Even today it is life threatening an extremely difficult to treat. Also like alcoholism it is a daily struggle not to relapse even when the person is motivated.
I have read that prior to becoming engaged to the emperor Sisi had been in love with a young man who was below her rank and due to her parents’ disapproval he was sent away so they could forget one another. If I’m not mistaken, she was devastated when he became ill and died (?). And it’s amazing that considering her very strict diet she still had all that hair. One would think that starving yourself would culminate in hair loss 🤨
I just realized Emmy Rossum in Phantom of the Opera has this exact dress and hair decoration on her singing debut onstage. Amazing
This is so sad 😢 Thanks for another great story!
Those few single curls poking out (on her back) are incredible.
For people interested in more, the TV series Fall of Eagles is on RUclips. There's two Sissi episodes: the young Sissi, and the older Empress, at the time of her son's death.
Romy Schneider’s Sissi was unforgettable.
It’s si si
@@gracio1231 sisi is an orange drink Sissi is the film with Romy Schneider.
She’s one of my favorite historical figures! There’s a Netflix show about her now.
Your videos are some of my favorites. You convey your knowledge of art without being haughty. I Get excited when I see you upload.😀
Thank you so much for yet another entertaining and educational video! I love when the context behind an artwork is discussed and you always do it with such storytelling grace.
The stories you tell about the painting makes them so much more intriguing.
Very well researched. I never realized that what I thought were stars in her hair were Edelweiss.
Thank you. Excellent job of creating a concise synopsis covering most pertinent facts of her life. 👏
I am obsessed with Sissi since my teenage years and just recently came accross the musical which is a huge hit in Japan and is performed every few years by various theater companies over there. What a complex fascinating woman Sissi was, just like her cousin Ludwig who died in tragic circumstances as well. I know it's a very romanticezed version of Sissi's life but the only portrayals I accept of Sissi are the ones by Romi Schneider in the Sissi trilogy, but I also love Romi in Ludwig by Luchino Visconti, a more realistic account of both Sissi and her equally tragic cousin's life.
Finally, as I browse through comments someone mentions Ludwig. They parallel each other.
Amazing video, and I’m crying for this lovely lady and for the radiant child she was. 😢 She was obviously a sensitive person who developed a number of mental illnesses due to psychological abuse and being desired by the cutthroat, carnivorous world of royalty.
Holy shit I wasn't expecting it to be this sad. On another note, I like how you provide lots of historical background in your videos. Love your channel
Wow! They got so many things right in the show! Empress
Such a delight to watch and as someone reading so many books and watching her movies and documentaries over and over I‘m happy how accurate this sums up her life
The way you did this video, I was left with a lump in the throat 😢
I felt like I knew her by the end and even know I was familiar with her name I never learned any about her life so everything you said was new to me.
If I ever see any painting (an special the beautiful one the at the end) of her, then because of your video I will have a totally different emotional response than if I never watched it.
Thank you .
My eyes sparkled when I saw it's 18 minutes long... ❤❤❤ i love your videos to bits.
I’m so glad you enjoy the longer videos!
This is the best podcast I have ever seen. Always loved art history. Thank you for your studies and hard work.
I had the Sisi Barbie doll, but no one ever told me her story. I thought she was just beautiful, no idea how sad she was.
Wonderfully narrated, and as always uniquely presented and adored! Thank you!
I knew about her when I stumbled across a trailer of a musical about her in RUclips ( I cannot say the events are wholly accurate, but it is interesting to explore what might have been her relationship with death and mortality)
That portrait of her is so iconic.
They should have prevented her from going to Geneva she would not have been assainated
In some ways, I feel I can relate to her. When I was young, I was 5’9” and a size 3. I didn’t starve myself, I just had a really high metabolism and could eat what I wanted and not gain weight (it was weird and a bit frustrating). I didn’t think much of my looks, but some people said I was pretty… I was definitely curvy at least… In any case, I got married just before I turned 26 to my husband and I almost didn’t for one reason and one reason only… my future in-laws. They didn’t like me and, as I later found out, they didn’t like any of the women their sons married. Over the years, however, I was the only one who stuck around. My oldest brother-in-law is on his third marriage and the middle one was married twice and is now married to his work. My husband and I have only been married to each other, over 24 years. Now I’m 50… I’ve shrunk some due to surgical menopause and osteoporosis. I’m not the thin girl I once was (for the same reason and my metabolism slowing). I’m showing signs of age that I don’t like. I still don’t look 50, but I don’t look like that young girl anymore. And believe me, you realize that other men and even your own husband don’t look at you the way they used to anymore… I know how poor Sisi felt. Worse, she had to put up a good front because she was an empress, so she had to keep up appearances. Then to be stabbed by some idiot on his own crazy crusade when she had never hurt anyone but had been hurt most of her life? That’s just tragic.
Thank you for sharing her story. I like to learn about historical figures and I’d never heard of her before. She’s certainly one I’ll never forget. She’s made her mark and quit the impression on me.
In its own very twisted and convoluted way, her dying is a blessing, of the most obtuse kind and an almost cruel joke. She doesn't have to suffer any more and her death ensure she would never age...
I’m sorry to hear you are going through that. I don’t always feel great about my looks either. I have chronic pain so self care can be tough for me. But I find what helps me is studying history and reading. Finding something that makes you happy and getting better at those areas can help a lot with self esteem and feeling better about yourself.
Can't relate at all... Quite the contrary - I like the way I look even more the older I grow (I'm 53 now) but this can also be due to people bullying me and treating me cruelly for almost my entire life (because of my looks among other things) so maybe I had no choice but developing high self-esteem and genuine self-love...
We visited the royal apartments in Hofburg this winter and it was quite fascinating to get a glimpse of her life - like her exercise room, her chambers and wardrobe room, also the office of her husband with the two private portraits of her, staring lovingly at where he would work.
“The Empress” was a pretty good series about her life. Not sure how accurate it is, but Devrim Lingnau is excellent as Elizabeth. Thanks for the great video!
It is not extremely accurate, especially the costumes seem to be too modern. I watched the series, but there are certain things that don't look very accurate. Like when that lady-in-waiting gets killed, the place looks very deserted for a royal palace. But there are a lot of moments that have been lifted from Sissi's life.
She's beautiful but sad, gorgeous piece
this was such a good video, i always love ur content but with the extra amount of background information this was so refined and an informative experience yet still so entertaining without losing either sides, education n entertainment. thank u for this
Well said.. I totally agree 👍
History and art, a delightful combination. Thank you
Just to say that from your videos, I often read about these people further, and then about all their relatives as well. I end up spending hours in Wikipedia reading about all these folks. This woman's life was not only a tragedy, but her son's life as well, was a really sad story. :(
Marrying sooooo YOUNG, and having children REALLY YOUNG as well, has to do something to the PSYCHY!!!! And her mother- in - law, I'd be DARNEDIF I'D LET HER SNATCH MY BABIES AWAY LIKE THAT!!!! Can you imagine the Pressure on Elizabeth's only son regarding being the Heir to the Throne?! I'm sure it was one of the reasons he took his own life!!!! Rest In Eternal Peace Elizabeth and Family!!!!
A story of what vanity of power and vanity of beauty can do both to yourself and others. It's sad that anyone would look up to such people.
What a sad story, but how interesting.
I’m happy for your channels growth! I really enjoy your videos! Congrats 🎉
I never knew any of this, thank you. If you'd like to learn an equally fascinating story look up Ludwig II of Bavaria, Sisi's cousin and closest confidant.