Marriage Empress Elisabeth of Austria

engraving depicting hungarian royal family @ gödöllő palace (circa 1870)

franz joseph passionately in love wife, did not reciprocate feelings , felt increasingly stifled rigidness of court life. unimaginative , sober man, political reactionary still guided mother , adherence strict spanish court ceremonial (spanisches hofzeremoniell) regarding both public , domestic life, whereas elisabeth inhabited different world altogether. restless point of hyperactivity, naturally introverted, , emotionally distant husband, fled him duties of life @ court, avoiding them both as could. indulged wanderings, , unsuccessfully tried tempt more domestic life him.

elisabeth slept little , spent hours reading , writing @ night, , took smoking, shocking habit women made further subject of avid gossip. had special interest in history, philosophy, , literature, , developed profound reverence german lyric poet , radical political thinker, heinrich heine, letters collected.

she tried make name herself writing heine-inspired poetry. referring herself titania, shakespeare s fairy queen, elisabeth expressed intimate thoughts , desires in large number of romantic poems, served type of secret diary. of poetry relates journeys, classical greek , romantic themes, , ironic commentary on habsburg dynasty. wanderlust defined own work:

o er thee, thine own sea birds// ll circle without rest//for me earth holds no corner//to build lasting nest.

elisabeth emotionally complex woman, , perhaps due melancholy , eccentricity considered given characteristic of wittelsbach lineage (the best-known member of family being favorite cousin, eccentric ludwig ii of bavaria), interested in treatment of mentally ill. in 1871, when emperor asked gift saint s day, listed young tiger , medallion, but: ...a equipped lunatic asylum please me .