Sophia's father King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, had succeeded his cousin Karl Theodor as elector of Bavaria in 1799. In January 1806, one year after the twins' birth, Maximilian of Bavaria received the Royal dignity thanks to the alliances with the French Emperor.Napoleon Buonaparte, becoming the first King of Bavaria. Maximilian strengthened his relations with Napoleon when his daughter Augusta married to the Emperor's stepson, Eugene of Beauharnais. From his first marriage with Augusta of Hesse Darmstadt, the King of Bavaria had had several issue; besides Pirncess Augusta, there was Ludwig, who would succeed his father as King of Bavaria as Ludwig I, and Karoline Augusta, who would become the fourth wife of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. From the King's second marriage there were five daughters, by whose marriages their father would strengthened his relations with several thrones in Europe: Elisabeth would married King Frederick William IV of Prussia; her twin sister Amalia would married to King John of Saxony; the twins mentioned above, Maria and Sophia, would married to King Frederick Augustus of Saxony and to the second son of the Austrian Emperor respectively, and Ludovica, born in 1808,who married to Duke Maximilian of Bavaria and would be the mother of the future Empress of Austria, the famous Sissi.
Sophia of Bavaria and Archduke Franz Karl of Austria got married in 1824 when Franz Karl's father, Emperor Franz I, ruled the Austrian Empire. In 1805 Emperor Franz's troops were defeated by Napoleon Buonaparte's French Army in Austerlitz, and as a result, the Austrian Empire lost a great amount of territory. After being defeated several times by the French, Franz I gave her eldest daughter Mare Louise in marriage to Napoleon, who had no legitimate children by his first wife Josephine, whom he had repudiated, and was looking for Royal princess to be his new wife. "Do what he wishes" Franz ordered his daughter, who obediently left for France and married Napoleon on April 2 1810, when she was 19 years old. Marie Louise was blonde, with blue eyes, a rose-coloured skin and small hand and feet; she was quite nervous and a bit silly, and she didn't love Napoleon at al, but the French Empeor achieved to conquered her with tenderness and firmness at a time. By July she was already pregnant and on March 21 1811, after a very dificutl delivey she gave birth to Napoleon's first son and only legitimate son, Napoleon Francois Charles Jospeh, called the King of Rome, as the heirs to the Holy Roman Empire. Marie Louise was not a tendermother with her son but Napoleon adored him; he used to sit the boy on his lap and made funny faces in order to make him laugh.
When the Buonapartist army was defeated in Russia, Napoleon returned to France in low spirits; he was no more the "invincible". His army would have some more victories at Lutzen and Butzen in May 1813 agaisnt Russia and Prussia. Napoleon trusted that his father-in-law, Emperor Franz, would support him against his allied enemies but to his surprise, Austria remianed neutral and on August 12 she joined Russia and Prussia and the three powers declared war to Napoleon, who in October was defeated at Liepzig. On March 31 1814 the three Allied Powers entered Paris and four days later, Napoleon, who was at Fonatinebleu, abdicated in his son's favour, naming him Napoleon II. But it was too late; the boy had been taken out of Paris by his mother: Marie Louise had begged her husband to send her someone to advise her what to do at the foreign invasion, but Napoleon didn't do it. On the evening of April 12, in a last attempt to join with his wife and son, he sent a troop to escort Marie Louise and the King of Rome to Fontainebleu but the Austrian minister, Clemmens von Metternich had already advised her to join her father, Emperor Franz, in Ramboullet and to take her son with her.
Taken by force to Austria, the four year old King of Rome shouted to his granfdfather: "You are the enemy of my father and I don't want to see you; I want to be French, I don't want to be Austrian" But he was made Austrian by force. His name was Germanised to Napoleon Franz Karl Joseph and was called Franz, omitting his father's name; all French books and toys were took away form him; French servants were replaced by Austrians and French speaking was forbidden.
Prince Metternich wanted to restore the stability that had reigned in Europe before the French Revolution and Napoleon's Empire, and had decided to avoid at any price the King of Rome to be installed in the French Throne, So, although being the Austrian Emperor's grandson, Napoleon's son was kept prissoner in Vienna and under stretch vigilance while his father was prissoner at the Isle of Elba. On February 1815 Napoleon escaped fro the Isle of Elba and succesfully returned to Paris installing himslef in the Tulleries. marie Louise hesitated in what to do at her husband's return, but finally she staye din Vienna withourt doing nothing. Napoleon's new glory was ephimerous; it only lasted 100 Days. He was defeated at Waterloo and imprissoned in Sta. Elena, dyig in 1821.. After Napoleon's defeat, Austria recovered the lost territories and Marie Louise was named governess of Parma, one of the Italian provinces under Austrian domain, so she left for Italy leaving her son in Vienna. Little Franz neeeded to have an Austrain title since he was the Emperor's grandson, so he became Duke of Reichstadt since he was six years old.
As he grew up, the Duke of Reichstadt revealed himself as the most intelligent member of the Austrian Imperial family. He was shy and extraordinary wise for his age. He had a delicate and attractive face, much look alike his father, thoughhe possesed an elegance an gracefulness Napoleon lacked. Although he was under a severe vigilance, he managed to know everything about his father. His gradfather, Emperor Franz, loved him more his own sons, Marie Louise's brothers, Crown Prince Ferdinand, who was menthal retarded and epileptic, and Franz Karl, who was stupid and a total nullity and who had married Princess Sophia of Bavaria in 1924, when the Duke of Reichstadt was thirteen years old.
At the end of 1829, after six years of marriage and several miscarriages Sophia became at last pregnant. During all her pregnancy her well-being was Emperor Franz's main concern. Although he had married four times (his fourth and last wife was Sophia's half sister Carolina Augusta) and fathered thirteen children, all offspring of his second wife Maria Theresa of Borbon Naples, only two sons and five daughters had survivied childhood, of whom Crown Prince Ferdinand was feeble minded and Archduchess Marianna, onle five months older than Sophia, had an hideaus desfigurment in her fqace and was menthal retarded. The Emperor's hopes were in Sophia's child and he had a growing fear the baby could suffer any deformity, madness or epilepsy so Sophia spent most of her pregnancy in the pleasentest wing of Schoenbrumn Palace. Her child was born on Wednesday August 18 1830. Sophia's half sister, Empress Caroline Augusta brought the Emperor the happy news: "It's a son, she said, and a healthy and well formed child too". This son would be the future Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.
During the summer of 1831, Sophia's friendship with the Duke of Reichstadt intensified. He was now twenty years old, she was twenty six. They spent long hours together and gave long walks through then palace's gardens. Sophia was the only one in whom the Duke trusted for talking about his father and the admiration he felt for him. Although they met amost everyday, it is hard to say how deep was their intimacy. Almost any evidence exists between the correspondence between them, which was maybe destroyed by Sophia after the Duke's death; only a few notes survived: "I kiss you with all my heart. She who loves you deeply."
By October Sophia was pregnant again. Rumours ran through Vienna that the father of the child she was expecting was the Duke of Reichstadt. No evidence exists to prove this to be more than a rumour.
During the last days of 1831, Napoleon's son learned he had tuberculosis.In his attempt to be robust, a worthy son to a great father, he tried to dissimulate his illness. His grandftaher gave him the command of a regiment, and he was so proud that he overtaxed his strenght in order to carry out his duties. He got up after a fever attack to appear in a parade, when snow was already on the ground. An obvious remedy for improving his health,would have been to leave for a warmer climate, but no one suggested it, except Sophia, but no one heard her. She was in great anxiety for her friend's health and she wrote: "It is tragic to see someone so young and beautiful slowly wasting away, so that at times he looks like an old man".
The Dukes's health deteriorated each day; he was constantly sweating and coughing and he was so weak thathe could barely stand alone. He was gradually dying and soon Sophia had to face the truth. She agreed that the dying Duke must be given the Last Sacraments. On June 20 she took him to the chapel of Schönbrunn where they prayed together. When he kneeled before the priest, he was ´ractically spported by Sophia.
Sophia saw Reichstadt for the last time on July 4th. The next day, when she did not appear in his room, the Duke asked for her. He was told that the Archduchess's confinement had begun since her delivery was inminent. The next day, July 6 1832, Sophia gave birth to her second son, Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph. When the Duke was given the news of Maixmilian's birth he smiled. Sophia was still confinedwhen he died on July 22. His mother Maire Louise, who had just arrived form Parma, and Sophia's husband, Franz Karl were with him at the moment of his death. His last words were: "Get the horses, I've got to join my father!". The Duke was interred in the Capuchines cript of the church of St. Agustin.
Sophia for her part dismayed when her husband told her the news of Reichsatdt's death and remained unconciuos for several hours. Her character changed radically; her cheerfulness dissapeared and became a hard and bitter woman. From then on she rarely spoke of Reichsatdt or of herself and she devoted all her energies to rise her children. In 1833 she gave birth to a third son, Karl Ludwig and in 1835 she gave birth to a girl who was christened Anna. Sophia's three sos were normal and healthy but Anna soon showed symptoms of inherited epilepsy; she died before she was five, and her desolated mother became frightened of having another baby. Anyway, two years after Anna's death, Sophia gave birth to a fourth son, named Ludwig Viktor and known as Bubi in the family.
The feeble-minded Ferdinand was now Emperor of Austria. At his deathbed, Emperor Franz had signed two documents addressed to his son and succesor. One demanded ferdinand to "defend and upholñd the free activityu of the Roman Catholic Church" and the other was his political testament in which he insisted that Ferdinand "should not displace the basic structure of the State and should take no decision on public affairs withoiut cosulting Prince Metternich". He also designed his brother, Archduke Ludwig, to preside over the Council of State that was to gevern in Ferdinan's name. This was a quite surprising decision since from the Emperor0's six surviving brothers, three were far more able than the Emperor himself, Archduke Karl was a respectable military commander, Archduke Joseph had showed himself as a tactfull governor of Hungary and Archduke Johann was abrave soldier and a patron of arts at Graz, Franz I instead had chosen the most incapable of his brothers to guide his successor througout his reign. This gave Prince Metternich free hand to govern since the three Archdukes whio had opposed him were put aside.
Sophia's husband, Archduke Franz Karl, was also put aside from the Council of State and she was shocked with this fact; it was not because she had any illusions on her husband's ability, but she wanted him at the centre of the affairs as trustee of Franz Joseph's interests. But aal she could do by the moment was to wait until his children grew up to manhood, and meanwhile she devoted herself to their education. She tried them to make them beleive that the Habsburg Empire was the centre of the civilized world, which was not easy since their uncle the Emperor, although kind and gentle, was a pathetic figure wearing his sovereign robes, with his face distorted by his constant epileptic attacks. In the question of her sons's education, Sophia didn't reluy in anyone but on herself. Franz Karl was a fine father in the nursery but he did it poorly in the school room. This fact forced Sophia to turn for advise to Prince Metternich. Although she disliked him because the bad treatment he had given to the Duke of Reichsatdt and because of having exclude Franz Karl from the Council of Statye, she recognized the Prince was a great politician. "It's a pleasure, she said of him, to talk to someone who has such a wealth of experience, such a consumate knowledge of the world and at the same time is such an agreeable sompanion and such a delightful conversationalist".
For his part, Prince Metternich began to court Sophia since she was probably a future Empress and with much certaninty she would be the mother of a future Emperor. As a result of this new friendship between the Chancellor and the Archduchess, Franz Karl entered the Council of State and two of Metternichs's best freinds, Count Henri Bombelles and Count Coronini-Hochberg, were appointed governors of Sophia's sons.
The four young archdules were quite different one from another. Franz Jospeh was the more handsome and the most intelligent; he had a storng character and self-discipline. Maximilian was tender and romantic; he was Sophia's favourite. Franz Jospeh was her strenght, Maximilian was her delight. The third son, Karl Ludwig, was the one who most resemble his father in character; he was a dull boy of regular intelligence, he was lazy and greedy. The youngest son, Ludwig Viktor, was nine years younger than Karl Ludwig; he was his mother's spilt pet and was weak and effeminate.
The boys had a happy childhood. The spring and autumn months were spent at Schönbrun ad Laxenburg. Franz Jospeh and Karl Ludwig prefered Laxenburg where they went out shooting with their father wild ducks and rabbits. Maximilian instead prefered Schönbrum, with its zoo full of strange animals and its conservatorie with exhuberant and scented tropical plants.
The family spent the summer in Ischl, a little mountain resort in the Salzkammergut. There they lived in a rented villa by the RiverTraun. Sophia firmly believed in the therapeutic qualities of the Salzkammergut's saline springs. According to her, they had helped her became pregnant after years of miscarriages. The boys were happy there. Franz Karl drank beer and Sophia ordered the local food which wa never served at the Imperial table.
