{"product_id":"the-reluctant-empress-a-biography-of-empress-elisabeth-of-austria","title":"The Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria","description":"\u003cheader class=\"woocommerce-products-header\"\u003e\n\u003ch1 class=\"woocommerce-products-header__title page-title\"\u003eThe Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEmpress Elisabeth of Austria, known to her family as Sisi, belongs to a famous love story of European royalty - in 1853 the Emperor Franz Josef, the most eligible bachelor in Europe, fell in love with her at first sight when she was fifteen; they were married the next year. On the surface, it was a fairytale marriage, all the more poignant, with hindsight, because her death signalled the twilight years of the Habsburg Empire.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the time of its first publication in 1988, Brigitte Hamann's biography, which tells Elisabeth's story from her birth as a member of the Bavarian nobility to her assassination at the hands of an Italian anarchist, led to a revised and deeper understanding of Elisabeth. During her lifetime she was idolised solely for her grace and beauty; now, for the first time, the Empress was portrayed as a stronger character, bitter at her marriage, seeking independence, and struggling against the powerful influence of her mother-in-law, the Archduchess Sophie. Researched by a respected historian, this is the definitive account of Elisabeth's life, death and legacy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/header\u003e","brand":"ALS Malta Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58288427303237,"sku":null,"price":3.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2234\/1249\/files\/Untitled-1_6025a63d-c63a-4a7b-b5e2-f99fc67b16a4.png?v=1781602536","url":"https:\/\/maltaoutlet.com\/products\/the-reluctant-empress-a-biography-of-empress-elisabeth-of-austria","provider":"ALS Malta Store maltaoutlet.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}