A closer look at Empress Elisabeth of Austria's children's family tree reveals their significant roles in the Habsburg dynasty and European history.

Married at 16 to the emperor of Austria, Elisabeth—nicknamed Sisi—was a reluctant empress, struggling with royal life and sympathetic to the democratic struggles of the people in her new nation.

Sisi however, was a dark blonde, meaning the color suited the 15-year-old better. (Later, her chair would turn into her signature chestnut.) “Franz Joseph met his cousins at afternoon tea.