Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
One of the most popular royals of the nineteenth century met a tragic end on 10 September 1898. It was the day when Empress Elisabeth of Austria was assassinated.
Empress Elisabeth, more commonly known as Sisi, was a beloved royal. She was known for being exceptionally beautiful and was a fashion trendsetter for decades. However, she also suffered from severe mental health issues that were only exacerbated by a rigid Austrian court and an unforgiving mother-in-law.
Sisi was travelling incognito in Geneva, Switzerland on 10 September with her lady-in-waiting and was walking to board a steamship heading to Montreux. A 25 year old Italian anarchist, Luigi Luchni, stumbled and stabbed the Empress with a ten centimetre needle.
Sisi immediately collapsed but was helped onto the ship. Her lady-in-waiting loosened her corset to help her breathe and helped transport her back to the hotel but it was too late- the Empress was dead.
Although Lucheni fled, he was almost immediately caught and arrested. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. He died by suicide in 1910.
There was a massive outpouring of grief for Sisi. Her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph founded the Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth, a chivalric order for women, in her honour.