The Ornamented Being

“Sisi fell to the ground, but was helped up by the Countess. “It was nothing”, she said to calm the lady down, and they went on board. Shortly after that she fainted. “It is nothing but the fright”, she insisted. But once they were sailing the Leman waters she felt a Sharp pain in her chest.

 The Countess unbuttoned her dress and saw a stain of blood the size of a coin. The wound looked insignificant, the awl had just pierced her left ventricle, causing a slight bleeding, the blood was falling drop by drop on her pericardium, causing a slow heart failure.

Only then she identified herself to the ship’s captain, who immediately turned around towards Geneva. She was taken to her hotel where she died an hour later, without complaints. Death was perhaps liberating to her.

When Lucheni, who would be sentenced to life, found out about her personality during his trial, he said in dismay: “And for me to think I had killed a person who was arrogantly happy.”

He then committed suicide.”

The murder weapon on display at the Vienna Sissi Museum

“Death was perhaps liberating to her.” It is so tragic to think that she would have blithely embraced death to escape from such an unhappy life. My hearts mourns for her. No person should leave this Earth feeling so unloved. 

 Due to her husband’s short reign in Bohemia, Elizabeth is often referred to as the Winter Queen as her tenure lasted only from 4 November 1619 – 8 November 1620. 

Look at how intricate and lovely her collar is! The crest woven in with the fleur-de-lis.