Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis was born on 28 May 1860 as the daughter of Princess Helene, Duchess in Bavaria and Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis. I assume she was named after her famous aunt, the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, or Sisi. Her parents had a happy but short marriage as her father suffered from kidney disease and he died tragically young at the age of 35 in 1867. Her two younger brothers would become the 7th and 8th Prince of Thurn and Taxis respectively.
Elisabeth was only 17 when she married the Miguelist claimant to the Portuguese throne, Miguel, Duke of Braganza in 1877. She was thus titular Queen consort of Portugal from the moment she married. Miguel was seven years older than she was.
Miguel and Elisabeth had three children in quick succession:
- Prince Miguel of Braganza, Duke of Viseu (1878–1923), married Anita Stewart, had issue.
- Prince Francis Joseph of Braganza (1879–1919), never married, no issue.
- Princess Maria Teresa of Braganza (1881–1945), married Prince Karl Ludwig of Thurn and Taxis, had issue.
Elisabeth’s health had been affected since the birth of her first child though we do not know exactly what she suffered from. It might have been related to a traumatic birth since the health issues began after the first birth. Elisabeth would die two weeks after the birth of Maria Teresa. She is buried in Kloster Engelberg in Grossheubach in Germany. Her husband would remarry to Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, and they would have a further eight children.
It’s an interesting article but allow me to correct a little mistake in the last sentence. Miguel stayed a widower for twelve years an remarried in 1893.
In meantime he considered baroness Mary Vetsera as possible bride (her mother was very excited abut the prospect of such fine marriage, so she tried to conceal her daughterś affair with crown prince Rudolph and end this unperspective relationship). Miguel certainly didn’t know this about Mary but was enchanted by her sweet face – Mary slightly resembled Elisabeth.