Good morning!  Today’s documentary is going to be about Empress Elisabeth of Austria.  This is a documentary found on the DW History and Culture YouTube Channel.  I have used documentaries from a similar channel and found it had some good documentaries.  The History of Royal Women did a year of Empress Sisi on their blog here.  The run time for this documentary is 52:29.  It is called Sisi’s Legacy.

It was 1955 when Romy Schneider portrayed Empress Elisabeth of Austria. It was a series of three films that told a fairytale version of the Empress known as Sisi.  It idealized her as a devoted mother to her children and hid the true Elisabeth.   So who was the real Sisi?  She was a renowned beauty.  She would become Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary.  She would also leave a mark on European aristocratic circles.  She was a woman who still fascinates the public today.

The story begins with Archduchess Gisela arriving at an Austrian Palace in light of the sudden death of her mother.  The narrator talks about the Empress and her image.  Elisabeth carefully cultivated her image as an aloof beauty.  She was a very distant mother, who had no idea what do to with her children.  She would have four children, and only two children would survive her. 

Sisi would become pregnant after his marriage to Franz Joseph.  This pregnancy would cause conflict between her and her mother-in-law.  Sisi would rather hide out in the palace, while her mother-in-law wanted her out in public so people would see her pregnant belly.  Sisi was a naturally shy person and did not like being on display for the public.  She would eventually give birth to her first daughter, named for her mother-in-law Sophie.  One year later a second daughter was presented to the emperor. 

The children were set up in suits that were distant from their parents.  The job of raising children was left in the hands of others and it was not appropriate for the Emperor and Empress to raise their children.  They would be trained to be proper princesses and perhaps rulers themselves.  The family would make their way to Hungary with their two children.  Franz Joseph’s mother warned them not to take their children to Hungary, but Sisi persisted.  The young princess Sophie would die in Sisi’s eyes.  Eventually, Sisi would fulfill her imperial duty and give birth to a son.

After giving birth, Sisi would travel and leave Austria for long periods.  Viennese society would feel sorry for the Emperor with his absent wife.  Gisela and Rudolph would become close and would remain close to each other when Rudolph started his training to become emperor.  Franz Joseph was determined that Rudolph should become a soldier.  However, he was a bright boy and was no soldier.  He was forced to exercise in the snow and was woken up by gunshots.  Empress Elisabeth put a stop to how Rudolph was educated.

After these short-lived maternal feelings, she fled to Hungary.  She would meet with Hungarian revolutionaries.  This would lead to her becoming Queen of Hungary, which would be the only time she would allow herself to be used by the Imperial family.  She would then return to her travels.  There would be another child: Marie Valarie who would become her mother's confident.  Marie Valarie knew this and would eventually distance herself from her mother and would become close to her father.  This section reminded me of Queen Victoria’s relationship with Princess Beatrice.  Queen Victoria did not want Princess Beatrice to marry much like Empress Sisi did not want to Marie-Valarie to marry.  After Marie Valarie married, Sisi would continue to travel far and wide.    To learn more about Sisi and her relationship with her children continue to watch the rest of the documentary to find out.

This was a really good documentary.  It was very cool to see some of the Hapsburgs speak in the documentary.  The recreations were very well done and it was also enjoyable to see the castles.  I walked away feeling that Marie Valarie deserved her documentary.  It was also surprising to learn about Crown Prince Rudolph and his secret writings.  He could have his documentary too.  This would be a very good documentary for research purposes.  I would also show this to a history class.

Did Marie Antoinette's partying and spending lead to the French Revolution?  Lucy Worsley explores the Myths that surround this queen and the French Revolution.  She explores the Marie Antoinette and her personality and why she was blamed for the suffering of the French people.

Her foreignness and perceived extravagance was blamed for the suffering of the French people.  Worsley blows up the story that "let them eat cake" was ascribed to Marie Antoinette.  Marie Antoinette tried to fight back against the slander.  She explores the real reasons for the French Revolution such as the French debt and the failure of the aristocracy to compromise with the changes that needed to be made in France.  She explores the Tennis Court oath and how things started to go wrong for the Royal Family after they attempted to flee.

This is the third episode in the series and at this time is available on YouTube.  It had aired on PBS as part of their Royal specials towards the end of the year.

You can use this episode of the series in the classroom when there is a sub in the room.  Unless you want to use it as a supplement for a lecture in a history classroom.

You can highlight, copy, and paste the questions into a Word, GoogleDoc or Google Classroom document for use in school or home school.  Format it the way you want to.  All questions after formatting should fit onto one page.

You can find the link to the YouTube video here.

Royal Myths Marie Antoinette Questions:

1. Who was to blame for France’s problems?
2. How old did she get married?
3. Why was she blamed?
4. What phrase was she alleged to have said?
5. Who really said that phrase?
6. How did Marie Antoinette fight back?
7. What really caused the French Revolution?
8. Who took a softer stand towards the revolution?
9. What prison was stormed as part of the Revolution?
10. What do the colors in the tricolor stand for?

Royal Myths Marie Antoinette Answers:

1. Who was to blame for France’s problems? - Marie Antoinette
2. How old did she get married? -14
3. Why was she blamed? - She was a foreigner, she loved to spend money and have parties
4. What phrase was she alleged to have said? - Let them eat cake
5. Who really said that phrase? - Wife of Louis XIV
6. How did Marie Antoinette fight back? - Cultivated a more responsible image
7. What really caused the French Revolution? - Debts from the American Revolution
8. Who took a softer stand towards the revolution? - The King, King Louis
9. What prison was stormed as part of the Revolution? - Bastille
10. What do the colors in the tricolor stand for? - Red: Paris / White: Bourbons / Blue: Paris