Franz Joseph was crowned King of Hungary and Sisi became queen. Rudolf, depressed and disappointed by politics, had multiple extramarital affairs, and contracted a venereal disease that he transmitted to his wife, rendering her unable to conceive again. [85] In the book she published Rudolf's last letter to her, and proclaimed that (in her view) he and Baroness Vetsera had made a suicide pact. [8], Trapp's mother was Hedwig Wepler. In March 1880 Rudolf was invited to the Belgian court at the insistence of Leopold II. Sisi, on the other hand, was so nervous during the courtship that she was unable to eat. Stphanie left Hungary for Vienna, where the Emperor died of bronchitis and pneumonia at the age of 86 on 21 November 1916 after a reign of 68 years. [55] Stphanie became a widow at the age of 24 when, on 30 January 1889, her husband was found dead in strange circumstances with his mistress Baroness Vetsera, both shot dead, at the Mayerling hunting lodge. It was during this conversation that she also revealed to Maria that the Captain was in love with her. | Whenever theres something to see they come running, for the monkey dancing at the hurdy-gurdy just as much for me.. Platinum Author With her liberal, progressive son dead, she knew that the creaking empire of Austria-Hungary could not last. [66], On 22 March 1900 at Miramare Castle and after eleven years of widowhood, Stphanie married Count Elemr Lnyay de Nagy-Lnya and Vsros-Namny. They discover that the Nazis have closed the border and they have no avenue of escape. We always forget about Helene: it's much easier to remember an Empress than a Princess of Thurn and Taxis. The von Trapps traveled to Italy, not Switzerland. Some sources incorrectly credit Zdenko Hudeek with being the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of the war. She has always been seen as the suspicious fiance who urged Capt von Trapp to accept Nazi rule, but Baroness Schrder is about to undergo a dramatic transformation, courtesy of the BBC in a new. . If she could have only seen then all the service she would offer in her life, Im sure she would have been thrilled! Gradually, they withdrew to their estate where they led a more secluded existence, punctuated by religious exercises. By the time the Third Reich annexed Austria, Maria had been with the Trapp family for ten years. In 1944, she disinherited her daughter, who had divorced to live with a socialist deputy and whom she had not seen since 1925. A few months later, in September, while staying in London, Stphanie learned of the death of her mother, Queen Marie Henriette, who was living withdrawn from the Belgian court. Undeterred, they head into the Alps and cross into Switzerland, escaping the Nazis and beginning their new life. [61] In Austria, Stphanie devoted herself to singing or went to the theater and concerts during her stays in her residences in Laxenburg and at the Hofburg. The British government rejected Whitehead's invention, but Austrian Emperor Franz Josef invited him to open a torpedo factory in Fiume. Maria and Georg married in 1927, 11 years before the family left Austria, not right before the Nazi takeover of Austria. As daughter Maria said in a 2003 interview printed in. Georg von Trapp had died almost twenty years before the musical was released and as such never saw Christopher Plummers stern portrayal of his character. Lets find out! The inclusion of the Captains whistle was also a point of consternation for the family. [49], In order to take care of himself, Rudolf left to stay on the island of Lokrum, where he took Stphanie. The following 183 pages are in this category, out of 183 total. Though both Rudolf and Vetsera left behind notes, the circumstances surrounding their deaths remained a mystery; rumors of a double murder persisted. They returned to Austria on two occasions while they were on tour in Europe before the outbreak of the Second World War forced them back to America. Upon their refusal to sing at a celebration of Adolf Hitlers birthday party, the family realised their position was untenable and von Trapp decided it was time for them to leave. Thereafter, mother and daughter did not see each other at all. The empress frequently spoke of suicide to a terrified Franz Joseph, and turned to mediums and psychics to help cure her mental anguish. [8][27][bettersourceneeded] They had three children: Rosmarie, born on 8 February 1929,[28] Eleonore (called Lorli), born 14 May 1931, and Johannes, born 17 January 1939 in Pennsylvania. Before rushing to judgment on the lives of German nobility, it should be known that the photographer behind this image was the children's mother, Princess Marianne Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. (Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images). They received many guests there, including Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his morganatic wife, still ostracized by the court of Vienna, and writers, such as the pacifist Bertha von Suttner. She was given the name "Mamarazza" based on the word "paparazzo" as a nickname from Princess Caroline of Monaco, who once said to her: "Manni, you are a real Mamarazza." With her ambivalence to public duties and reluctance to marry, the young bride recalled another royal born at the Hofburg almost exactly 100 years before, Marie Antoinette. [2], Stphanie had two older siblings: Louise (born 18 February 1858), and Leopold, Count of Hainaut (born 12 June 1859). He gave her, too, an extremely lively answer, in which he even hinted that she had better not interfere in matters which did not concern her". But you may have wondered, Was there a real Baroness Schraeder, and if so, what wasshe like?. [50] From that moment, feeling betrayed by her own husband, Stphanie harbored resentment and bitterness towards Rudolf. [8] As part of their required education, all naval cadets were taught to play a musical instrument; Georg von Trapp selected the violin. Princess Manni was born in Salzburg in 1919, the daughter of Friedrich Baron Mayr-Melnhof and his wife Maria Anna Countess von Meran. They leave under the cover of darkness but gasp! In real life and in the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, written by his second wife Maria Augusta Trapp, the Captain has been described as being a warm and loving father who was always around. [73] He also deliberately concealed property included in his estate in shell companies in Germany and France, not only to deprive his daughters of it, but also to allow his town-planning projects to continue. In the years following the end of the World War I, Elisabeth Marie (who resided with her family in Schnau an der Triesting, Lower Austria) and her mother still had strong feelings for each other. We have chosen you to be Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. From there, they traveled to Norway to begin the trip back to the United States in September 1939, just after World War II broke out. In 1896 he and his brother Gbor were raised to the dignity of Count. A few things stood in the way of her permanency there, however. [35] As a part of the wedding celebrations, the Emperor bestowed Walthere Frere-Orban with the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary and the Empress bestowed several ladies with the Order of the Starry Cross. I had never before seen her so imposing. Concerned that her sudden removal might stir the Captains affections for her, Princess Yvonne convinced Maria to stay at least until the wedding and the start of the school term. But have you ever wondered how much of story told In "The Sound of Music" is exactly as it happened in real life? When the von Trapps moved to Salzburg they hadnt gone through the red tape of repatriation, a technicality which protected them from any Nazi retaliation after the Anschluss. In 1889, Rudolf and his mistress Mary Vetsera were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide pact at the imperial hunting lodge at Mayerling in the Vienna Woods. Widowed since 1881, he was Chamberlain at the court of Vienna and a life member of the House of Lords in the Austrian Parliament. This was how Stphanie discovered the features of the one who would become her fianc. The hope was that after a year of living halfway between the altitude of her childhood and that of the convent, she would be able to return and take her vows without any medical issues. Yvonne at an event hosted by the AAOE. Your email address will not be published. Maria came to the von Trapp family in 1926 as a tutor for one of the children, Maria, who was recovering from scarlet fever, not as governess to all the children. If youd like to see a video of the dress which was posted by A Needle Pulling Thread, click here. Princess Yvonne has nothing of a princess about her: she is ugly, apathetic and taciturn. Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp[a][3][4] (4 April 1880 30 May 1947) was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who later became the patriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. But the war cut their tours short at least. Crown Princess Stphanie, consort to Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, by Hans Canon (c. 1884). Lives in Aba, Abia. Another publishing house, John Murray of London, also rejected the text received. [25], The betrothal was formalized on 7 March 1880, when Stphanie was not yet 16 years old. The church was so crowded that the wedding procession was hampered in its progress. Queen Victoria's letter had missed its mark. A particularly stern letter from Maria to the Captain had him break things off with the Princess and return home. In The Sound of Music, the Captain was portrayed as stern, distant, and unyielding. Be good to the poor little one who is the only thing left of me. Both Stphanie and Rudolf were sure it would be a boy; they even spoke of the future child by calling him "Wenceslaus" (Wacaw), a Czech first name reflecting the sympathies of the Crown Prince for the Slavic populations of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From 1874, Stphanie (who until then had a nanny, the Viennese Antoinette Polsterer) was placed under the direction of her sister Louise's governess, Mademoiselle Legrand. After the death of her father in 1909, Stphanie joined her older sister Louise to claim from the Belgian courts the share of the inheritance of which they both felt they had been stripped. Stphanie worked as a nurse in her residence.[78]. The Broadway musical was first performed in 1959, based off Maria Trapps first book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers published in 1949. She chose to address herself by letter, in October 1899, to Queen Victoria who supported her. Until World War II, Count and Countess Lnyay (elevated to the princely rank in 1917) peacefully spent their lives at Rusovce Mansion in Slovakia. "[4], Baroness Marianne married Ludwig, 6th Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn on 12 March 1942 in Glanegg, who was born in 1915 and died accidentally at Sayn in 1962. In this 1955 photograph, thirteen-year-old Princess Yvonne of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn in Germany is shown tipping back a bottle of Dry Sack sherry as her twelve-year-old brother Prince Alexander sits calmly by, his cigarette nearly finished. [30][31] Around 1936, Lotte Lehmann heard the family sing, and she suggested they perform paid concerts. May not be republished or reproduced online or any other form. However, in May, Stphanie (suffering from heart disease) and her husband left their residence to take refuge in the Pannonhalma Archabbey, protected by the International Committee of the Red Cross. One of their guests, Father Wasner, was experienced in musical direction and began teaching the family formal singing techniques and arrangements. Trapp sought to help a friend in the banking business, Auguste Caroline Lammer (18851937), so he withdrew most of his money from London and deposited it in an Austrian bank. Sometimes they joined the King and Queen at breakfast time. Instead, they became Italians. Sources conflict on whether the marriage took place in January 1911 or January 1912. [Map 3], On 3 September 1922, Agathe von Trapp died of scarlet fever contracted from her daughter Agathe. Heeresgeschichtliches Museum / Militrhistorisches Institut (Hrsg. When the Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg heard them on the radio, he invited them to perform in Vienna. How does anyone know what to believe of the story Marias story cant really be backed up (not to say she is lying but there is little proof including proof she was a novice to become a num)I am glad for all the good that happened to their family but from what I read the children werent all that happy to continue per infinitum to stay at home, Most of them never married, the older children seem nervous and less than happy. To keep refusing would inevitably land them in one of the many concentration camps theyd been hearing about, regardless of their citizenship. Foreign princes (among them the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his nephew, the future German Emperor Wilhelm II) and members of the imperial family attended the celebrations, alongside members of the diplomatic corps and the Knights of the Golden Fleece. [89] The year 1944 brought new worries to Stphanie and her husband because the German Army wanted to transform their residence into a military hospital for war wounded, a project which was rejected at the last minute. Reality: The Real Story of the von Trapp Family", "Maria von Trapp, whose life was 'Sound of Music', is Dead", "So long, farewell: Von Trapp daughter dies, aged 97", "Obituary: Kindergarten teacher Agathe von Trapp was the real Liesl of The Sound of Music", "Maria Trapp: Letztes Mitglied der singenden Familie tot", "Maria von Trapp, last member of Sound of Music family, dies", "Maria von Trapp: last member of family group that inspired Sound of Music dies. Neither her daughter nor any of her descendants were present at her funeral. In 1897, he resigned from the foreign service and retired from the public service. In March 1919, the whole imperial family had to leave Austria. From her eccentric father, Duke Maximilian Joseph, she inherited a belief in progressive democratic ideals and pacifism, uncommon for royalty at the time. On April 25, 1854, a shy and melancholy bride married into a major European royal house. [34] In The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (1949), Maria von Trapp pointed out that there was a high incidence of lung cancer among World War I U-Boat crews, due to the diesel and gasoline fumes and poor ventilation, and that his death could be considered service-related. [64], Stphanie did not dare to forewarn her father of her marriage plans. All Rights Reserved. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration The villa remains standing and can be visited as a tourist attraction while the sale of it funded the construction of the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, which is still run by the Trapp family through Johannes Trapp, the son Maria was pregnant with when the family fled Austria. Captain von Trapp himself played several instruments and hired various music teachers for his children, many of whom lived at the villa at different points. After the recovery of their daughter, Lopold II and Marie Henriette took her and her sister to make her convalescence in Biarritz, making a stopover in Paris.[7]. For her part in the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, Sisi was beloved by the Hungarian people. Alexander Konrad Friedrich Heinrich, Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, (born 22 November 1943 in Salzburg, Austria ), a German businessman, MBA HBS '68, is member of the house of Sayn-Wittgenstein and as 7th Prince (German: Frst) zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn head of the Princely House Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. After the First World War, the Austrian city of Trieste became part of Italy and its citizens lost their Austrian citizenship. Zadar became part of Italy in 1920, and Georg was thus an Italian citizen, and his wife and children as well. Media related to Princess Stphanie of Belgium at Wikimedia Commons. For she is their joy, their idol., Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known for her long hair. Later generations are included although Austrian titles of nobility were abolished and outlawed in 1919. [58] Stephanie had to obey and obtained permission to stay for four months at Miramare Castle, near Trieste. They had one child, Archduchess Elisabeth Marie. The end came on September 10, 1898, when the empress was visiting Geneva under an assumed name. After all, whats there to like about her? The following year, Elisabeth Marie participated in her mother's silver wedding anniversary. I was the Crown Princess of Austria-Hungary!". Struck in the heart by the death of her son, my mother had changed a lot: this child had been the goal of her life, he had reconciled her with the fate that had fallen to her". Empress Elisabeth of Austria, 1857. The reaction of Rudolf's parents was mixed while Empress Elisabeth was deeply disappointed with the match as the Belgian monarchy dated only from 1830 and did not compare to the Habsburgs in terms of seniority, even though its royal house was a branch of the House of Wettin (one of the oldest ruling houses in Europe), Emperor Franz Joseph I was pleased. Princess Yvonne. After his death in 1947, the family home in Stowe, Vermont, became a ski lodge, the Trapp Family Lodge. After reading the story of William Tell, the teacher decided to teach her pupil about the power and grandeur of the House of Habsburg and illustrated her words by showing her an engraving published in a magazine depicting the Crown Prince in hunting costume. The Trapp family evades them by performing at the Salzburg Folk Festival. [34] Stphanie remembered, "Both of us pronounced the sacramental 'yes'. From there, their opportunities grew. It was historically accurate at least, the Villa Trapp was extensive and with so many children, the Captain had decided it was easier to summon them by use of a musical whistle than from calling them. [45], On 8 August, Queen Marie Henriette visited her daughter in anticipation of her childbirth. So he approached Sisi as she walked along a dock to board a ship, attacking her with a small triangular file. She remembers: "The Emperor greeted me cordially. 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