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 a niece and lady-in-waiting of

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and List of Hungarian consorts, Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austri ...

and a

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

descendant of

Dukes in Bavaria Duke in Bavaria () was a title used among others since 1506, when primogeniture was established, by all members of the House of Wittelsbach, with the exception of the Duke ''of'' Bavaria which began to be a unique position. So reads for instance ...

, collateral branch of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

. She was implicated in the

Mayerling Incident The Mayerling incident is the series of events surrounding the apparent murder–suicide suicide pact, pact of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and his mistress, baroness Mary Vetsera. They were found dead on 30 January 1889 in an imperial ...

which resulted in the death of her married cousin

Crown Prince Rudolf Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (Rudolf Franz Karl Josef; 21 August 1858 – 30 January 1889) was the only son and third child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. He was heir apparent to the imperial throne of the Austro ...

and his mistress

Baroness Mary Vetsera Baroness Marie Alexandrine "Mary" von Vetsera (19 March 1871 – 30 January 1889) was an Austrian nobility, Austrian noblewoman and the Mistress (lover), mistress of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria. Vetsera and the crown prince were found dead ...

, who was also her friend. She published several books with a ghostwriter about the Imperial household.

Early life

The Countess was born Marie Louise Elizabeth Mendel on 24 February 1858 in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, the illegitimate daughter of

Duke Ludwig Wilhelm in Bavaria Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

(1831–1920) and an actress, Henriette Mendel (1833–1891). Her father, Ludwig Wilhelm, was the eldest son of

Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria (4 December 1808 – 15 November 1888), known informally as Max in Bayern, was a member of a Duke in Bavaria, junior branch of the royal House of Wittelsbach who were Kings of Bavaria, and a promoter of Bavarian f ...

and

Princess Ludovika of Bavaria Princess Ludovika of Bavaria (Marie Ludovika Wilhelmine; ''Mary Louise Wilhelmina''; 30 August 1808 – 25 January 1892) was the fifth child of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Caroline of Baden. She was the mother of Empress ...

and had the title of

Duke in Bavaria Duke in Bavaria () was a title used among others since 1506, when primogeniture was established, by all members of the House of Wittelsbach, with the exception of the Duke ''of'' Bavaria which began to be a unique position. So reads for instance ...

(German: ''Herzog in Bayern''). He was properly addressed as "His Royal Highness," as a member of the

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the

- the royal house in Bavaria. Ludwig Wilhelm was the

first cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the lineal kinship, kinship system used in the English-s ...

of King

Maximilian II of Bavaria Maximilian II (28 November 1811 – 10 March 1864) reigned as King of Bavaria between 1848 and 1864. Unlike his father, King Ludwig I, "King Max" was very popular and took a greater interest in the business of Government than in personal ext ...

and also of Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

, whose mother,

Princess Sophie of Bavaria Princess Sophie of Bavaria (Sophie Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmine; 27 January 1805 – 28 May 1872) was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden. The identical twin sister of Queen Maria Anna of ...

, was a daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria. One of Ludwig Wilhelm's younger sisters, Elisabeth, married Emperor Franz Joseph and another, Maria Sophie, married

Francis II of the Two Sicilies Francis II ( Neapolitan and , ; christened ''Francesco d'Assisi Maria Leopoldo''; 16 January 1836 – 27 December 1894) was King of the Two Sicilies. He was the last King of the Two Sicilies as successive invasions by Giuseppe Garibaldi and Vict ...

just before he became king. Henriette (or Henrietta) Mendel was created Baroness of Wallersee (''Freifrau von Wallersee'') on 19 May 1859 in preparation for her

morganatic marriage Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spou ...

with Ludwig Wilhelm on 28 May 1859 in Augsburg. Marie was thus a Baroness of Wallersee (''Freiin von Wallersee'') at birth. Marie became a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

and confidante of her aunt,

Early adulthood

Marie received financial support from her cousin Crown Prince Rudolf. On 30 January 1889, Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera and committed suicide - a scandal known as the Mayerling Incident that destabilised the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

. It was subsequently revealed that Marie Larisch had acted as go-between for Rudolf and Mary Vetsera - once exposed, she was banished from the court. Moreover, she had used the situation to extort money from Rudolf through Mary. After the incident, she became distanced from Empress Elisabeth and the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, and moved to Bavaria.

Writer

From 1898, Marie began to write about her experiences with the Empress and other Imperial and Royal relatives. The Imperial house paid her "

hush money Hush money is an arrangement in which one person or party offers another money or other enticement, in exchange for remaining silent about some illegal, stigmatized, or shameful behavior, action, or other fact about the person or party who has m ...

" not to publish her

memoirs A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobio ...

. However, in 1913, she published her memoirs, ''My Past'', despite her contract with the Imperial house. She later published a series of other

ghost-written A ghostwriter is a person hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often hir ...

works.

World War I and its aftermath

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

she worked at the front as a nurse. In 1921, she portrayed herself in a silent film, ''Kaiserin Elisabeth von Österreich'', about Empress Elisabeth that she co-authored.

Personal life

On 20 October 1877, at Jagdschloß

Gödöllő Gödöllő, officially the City of Gödöllő, is a city in Pest County, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary, about northeast from the outskirts of Budapest. Its population is 34,396 according to the 2010 census and is growing rapidly. It can b ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, she married Count Georg Larisch von Moennich, Baron of Ellgoth and Karwin (1855–1928), second child and the only son of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Leo Larisch von Mönnich (1824-1872) and his Romanian wife, Princess Irina Stirbey (1831-1864). The marriage had been arranged by the Empress. They had 5 children: * Count Franz Joseph Larisch von Möennich (1878-1937); married to Maria Satterfield (1879-1947) and had issue * Countess Marie Valerie Larisch von Möennich (1879-1907) * Countess Marie Henriette Larisch von Möennich (1884-1907); her biological father was Heinrich Baltazzi (1858-1929) * Count Heinrich Georg Larisch von Möennich (1886-1909); his biological father was also Heinrich Baltazzi (1858-1929) * Count Friedrich Karl Larisch von Möennich (1894-1929); his biological father was Karl Ernst von Otto-Kreckwitz (1861-1938) After divorcing Count Larisch on 3 December 1896, she married musician Otto Brucks (1854–1914) in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

on 15 May 1897. They had one child, Otto (1899–1977). Her second husband's career foundered due to his association with "that Countess Larisch" and his dependency on alcohol. In 1906, her second husband became director of the theatre of

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

. He died in 1914. On 2 September 1924, she married for the third time

naturopath Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...

William H. Meyers (1859-1930) in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. In 1924, an article was published in New York claiming that she would marry anybody who would pay her and her son the fare to America. In 1926, she fled to

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, to work as a housemaid. She returned to Germany in 1929.

Death

Marie died in 1940 in a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

and was buried in the Ostfriedhof in

Works

*1913: ''My Past'' *1934: ''Secrets of a Royal House'' *1936: ''My Royal Relatives''. In this work she claims to have been the daughter of Marie, Queen of the Two Sicilies by "Count Armand de Lavaÿss"

Legacy

Marie met and conversed with the poet

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

, and part of their conversation found its way into his epochal poem ''

The Waste Land ''The Waste Land'' is a poem by T. S. Eliot, widely regarded as one of the most important English-language poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry. Published in 1922, the 434-line poem first appeared in the United ...

''. :And when we were children, staying at the archduke's, :My cousin's, he took me out on a sled, :And I was frightened. He said, Marie, :Marie, hold on tight. And down we went. :In the mountains, there you feel free. :I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.

Notes

References

External links

Online version of ''My Past''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larisch Von Moennich, Marie Grafin 1858 births 1940 deaths Nobility from the Austrian Empire Burials at the Ostfriedhof (Munich) Austrian memoirists People from the Kingdom of Bavaria People from Austria-Hungary