Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sisi. Cesarzowa mimo woli | 2015 | Allison Pataki | N/A |
| 2 | The Accidental Empress | 2015 | Allison Pataki | Buy |
| 3 | Sisi | 2016 | Allison Pataki | Buy |
The Accidental Empress opens when fifteen-year-old Elisabeth of Bavaria travels to the Habsburg court with her older sister, who is engaged to the young Emperor Franz Joseph. When Franz Joseph falls for Elisabeth instead, Sisi finds herself thrust into a role she never expected and is not sure she wants.
Sisi: Empress on Her Own picks up later in her life, when Sisi has become one of Europe’s most famous but most restless queens, chafing against the formality of Habsburg court life and carving out a measure of freedom on her own terms.
The two books together give readers a sustained portrait of one of the 19th century’s most compelling figures, drawn from extensive historical research into her life and correspondence.