Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich
| Marie Larisch von Moennich | |
|---|---|
Countess Marie Larisch (L) and Baroness Mary Vetsera (R)
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| Born |
Marie Louise Elizabeth Mendel 24 February 1858 Augsburg, Bavaria |
| Died | 4 July 1940 (aged 82) Augsburg, Bavaria |
| Spouse(s) |
Count Georg Larisch of Moennich (m. 1877–96) Otto Brucks (m. 1897–1914) William H. Meyers (m. 1924–28) |
| Parent(s) |
Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke in Bavaria Henriette Mendel, Baroness von Wallersee |
Countess Marie Louise Larisch von Moennich (also known as Countess Marie Louise Larisch-Wallersee and Countess Marie Larisch) (24 February 1858 - 4 July 1940) was the niece and confidante of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. She was a go-between for her married cousin Crown Prince Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, a friend of hers. A scandal known as the Mayerling Incident broke in 1889 upon the discovery of the bodies of the two lovers at Rudolf's hunting lodge at Mayerling, Austria. With the revelation of her role in this the Countess was shunned in particular by the Empress and the rest of the Imperial Family. As a consequence she was also snubbed by society. Later in life she was nominally the author of a series of ghostwritten books about the Imperial household.
The Countess was born Marie Louise Elizabeth Mendel on 24 February 1858 in Augsburg, Bavaria, the illegitimate daughter of actress Henriette Mendel, Baroness von Wallersee (1833–1891). Her father, Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke in Bavaria (1831–1920) was the eldest son of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria and had the title of Duke in Bavaria (German: Herzog in Bayern). He was properly addressed as "His Royal Highness," as a member of the cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach in Bavaria. Ludwig Wilhelm was the first cousin of King Maximilian II of Bavaria and also of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria whose mother, Princess Sophie of Bavaria, was a daughter of Maximilian I. One of Ludwig Wilhelm's younger sisters, Elisabeth, married Emperor Franz Joseph and another, Maria Sophie, married Francis II of the Two Sicilies just before he became king. Yet her father renounced, on 9 March 1859, his rights as firstborn son, and Henriette (or Henrietta) Mendel was created Baroness of Wallersee (Freifrau von Wallersee) on 19 May 1859 in preparation for their morganatic marriage on 28 May 1859 in Augsburg. From 28 May 1859, Marie was thus a Baroness of Wallersee (Freiin von Wallersee).
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