ELISABETH, Empress of Austria, was born 175 years ago on 24 December 1837. At the age of 15 she accompanied her sister Helene to meet their cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph. The Emperor's domineering mother, Archduchess Sophie, wanted her son to marry Helene but Franz Joseph became infatuated with the beautiful and intelligent Elisabeth instead. They were married on 24 April 1854.
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