Elizabeth: The Empress of Austria

Description: Lovely Princess, admired Empress, lonely woman. Empress Elizabeth of Austria was one of the most fascinating women of the 19th century. She was considered as the most beautiful woman in Europe. When the Empress was murdered in 1898, many people wished to learn more about her, and soon after her death Alborough De Burgh published one of the very first books about Elizabeth’s life. Alborough De Burgh, who knew the Empress personally and talked to her friends and companions, wrote about Elizabeth’s happy childhood in Bavaria, her challenging time in Vienna and her tragical death in Switzerland.
Look inside: The Empress was walking, attended by a lady-in-waiting and followed at some distance by a footman, from the Beau Rivage to the landing-stage. When she was near the stage of the Quai du Mont Blanc, there came from the opposite direction a young man, accompanied by another, who was distinguished by a heavy grey beard. When quite near Her Majesty, the former suddenly threw himself upon her and stabbed her through the heart. The Empress Elizabeth fell to the ground, but with the assistance of her lady and some passengers who were near she was able to rise again, and walked to the landing-bridge and reached the steamer. But she had hardly arrived there when she seemed to become suddenly ill, and with a weak voice she said, ‚What has happened?’ and then became unconscious. M. Teisset, a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Geneva, carried Her Majesty in his arms to her cabin after she had fainted on deck. (…) Very shortly afterwards it was noticed, to the terror of all, that the Empress seemed unable to recover her consciousness. (…) She sighed twice deeply: these were the last signs of life. She lay on the stretcher as if asleep, and with no outward show of pain. (…) She was evidently dead.
Please note: The book was first published in 1899. Now a new edition is available – with the original text and eighteen carefully restored photographs!