Bayern:Women made history
Siblings of Empress Elisabeth in Stieler’s sketch from 1854.
(Photo: Private possession, Darmstadt. With the kind permission of Ketterer Kunst.)
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In the upcoming state exhibition “Götterdämmerung II – The Last Monarchs” in Regensburg, women will play a central role.
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By Hans Kratzer, Regensburg
First and foremost, men have dominated the course of Bavarian national history. But that does not mean that women always and everywhere subordinate themselves like good guys. Let’s just take a look at Princess Theodolinde, who became famous as early as the 6th century. In May 589 she married the Longobard king Authari. As queen, she pursued a clever policy and thus acquired fame that has remained unbroken to this day.
The heroine series could be continued at will. The upcoming state exhibition “Götterdämmerung II – The Last Monarchs” in Regensburg is following this plan. Although the title only mentions monarchs, women will play a central role in the show. For example, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, stylized as a myth. An oil sketch by Joseph Karl Stieler (1781-1858) from her early days can be seen, a study for a picture that King Ludwig I commissioned as a wedding present for Elisabeth. The sketch shows Elisabeth and her siblings, which also included Helene and Marie. One was a scandalous but combat-ready Queen of Naples-Sicily, the other a successful entrepreneur.
Because of her commitment to women’s rights, Therese von Bayern will also be honored in the exhibition. Therese, daughter of the Prince Regent Luitpold, took over the role of first lady at the court after the early death of her mother. Research trips took her on the most adventurous routes around the globe. In 1892 she became the first and to this day only female honorary member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. And she campaigned for women to be allowed to study. Anita Augspurg and her partner Sophia Goudstikker caused a stir in the early 20th century. They were heard as independent women who wore short hair and reformed clothes and loudly demanded access to education and a job for women. The organizers of the exhibition also want to present many other outstanding biographies and fates from the period around 1900 (June 23, 2021 to January 16, 2022, House of Bavarian History, Regensburg).
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