Chapter Page I The Diamond Wedding 11 II Birth and Childhood of Elizabeth of Bavaria 19 III Betrothal of Princess Elizabeth 25 IV The Wedding Ceremonies 32 V First Troubles 40 VI Travels and Sorrows 46 VII Birth of Crown Prince Rudolf 53 VIII Elizabeth’s Illness and Sojourn in Madeira 58 IX The Express’ Flight from Vienna 63 X The Coronation in Hungary 67 XI The Archduchess Marie Valerie 72 XII The Castle of Gödöllö 77 XIII The Empress in Vienna 83 XIV Marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf 88 XV King Ludwig Second of Bavaria 96 XVI The Empress’ Travels 101 XVII The Empress’ Literary Tastes 110 XVIII Daily Life of the Empress 114 XIX Death of Crown Prince Rudolf 119 XX Death of the Empress 128 Appendix 139 Illustrations Elizabeth as the young Empress _Frontispiece_ Emperor Franz Joseph in his twenty-eighth year 34 Crown Prince Rudolf 90 Empress Elizabeth in later years 122 Elizabeth Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary Chapter I The Diamond Wedding On the ninth of September, 1888, an unusual event occurred in the princely house of Wittelsbach. Maximilian Joseph, the head of the ducal line of Vorpfalz-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, and his wife Ludovica (Louise), daughter of King Maximilian First of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden, celebrated on that day their diamond wedding, both bride and groom having been barely twenty years old at the time of their marriage.