She prevented war and death on an immense scale, in acts that could earn the Nobel Peace Prize today. But History enshrined Sisi, Empress of Austria, as a vain beauty queen. The smear campaign was personal, not political: it started with her own tyrannical mother-in-law. Can Sisi conquer her own self-doubt, and drag draconian Austria into the modern world?

Our guest is Nancy Goldstone, author of The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugenie of France, Power and Glamor in the Struggle for Europe.

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Music in the episode includes works by Johann Strauss, Joseph Suk, Giuseppe Verdi, Bedrich Smetana, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, and Kevin MacLeod.

Join us on our women's history tours! What'sHerName listeners make the best travel buddies.

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