Career
She was baptised with the names Elisabeth Wilhelmine Luise. The purpose of this was to make her the future wife of Joseph II"s nephew Francis, the future emperor. In Vienna on 6 January 1788, Elisabeth and Francis were married.
At this time, Emperor Joseph was in ill health.
The young archduchess was close to the emperor and brightened his last years with her youthful charm. At the end of 1789, Elisabeth became pregnant.
However, her condition was very delicate, caused in part by concern for the deteriorating health of the Emperor. Joseph received the Anointing of the Sick on 15 February 1790 and the scene overwhelmed the young Archduchess: she fainted upon seeing the terminally ill emperor.
On the night of 18 February, she prematurely gave birth to Archduchess Ludovika Elisabeth of Austria, who lived for only 16 months.
Elisabeth didn"t survive the childbirth, which lasted more than 24 hours, and died, despite an emergency operation to save her life. Two days later, Emperor Joseph also died. Elisabeth never became Empress because she predeceased her father-in-law, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold World War II She is buried in the Imperial Crypt, in Vienna.
Archduchess Ludovika Elisabeth of Austria (18 February 1790 - 24 June 1791) died in infancy.
Titles and styles
21 April 1767 – 6 January 1788 Her Highness Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg
6 January 1788 – 18 February 1790 Her Royal Highness Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia.
