Elisabeth von Österreich, geboren als Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie von Wittelsbach, Herzogin in Bayern (* 24. Dezember 1837 in München, Königreich Bayern; † 10. September 1898 in Genf, Schweiz), war eine Prinzessin aus der herzoglichen Nebenlinie Pfalz-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen des Hauses Wittelsbach, durch ihre Heirat mit ihrem Cousin Franz Joseph I. ab 1854 Kaiserin von Österreich und ab 1867 Apostolische Königin von Ungarn. Die Geschwister nannten sie „Sisi“; seit den Ernst-Marischka-Filmen ist sie auch als „Sissi“ bekannt.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria (born Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary by marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I. She was born into the royal Bavarian House of Wittelsbach. Nicknamed Sisi (also Sissi), she enjoyed an informal upbringing before marrying Emperor Franz Joseph I at the age of sixteen. The marriage thrust her into the much more formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and which she found uncongenial. Early in the marriage she was at odds with her mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, who took over the rearing of Elisabeth's daughters, one of whom, Sophie, died in infancy. The birth of the heir apparent, Crown Prince Rudolf, improved her standing at court, but her health suffered under the strain, and she would often visit Hungary for its more relaxed environment. She came to develop a deep kinship with Hungary, and helped to bring about the dual monarchy of Austria–Hungary in 1867.
