Marriages and Issue
On 22 April 1850, she married, in Dresden Cathedral, Prince Ferdinand, 1st Duke of Genoa, second son of King Charles Albert of Sardinia and Maria Theresa of Austria and Tuscany. Their marriage was a dynastic arrangement, and it was generally held to be loveless.
The couple had two children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margherita of Savoy | Palazzo Chiablese, 1851 | 1926 | married Umberto I of Italy; had issue |
| Thomas, 2nd Duke of Genoa | 1854 | 1931 | married Princess Isabella of Bavaria; had issue |
On 10 February 1855 her husband died in Turin, leaving Elizabeth a widow at the age of 25.
Before her first year of widowhood had ended, she remarried on 4 October 1856 with her chamberlain Niccolò, Marchese Rapallo. They married secretly, before her period of official mourning was over. This act so infuritated her brother-in-law Victor Emmanuel II of Italy that he ordered her into virtual exile and disallowed her from seeing her two children. They were later reunited however.
In 1882, her second husband committed suicide. Court gossip had often hinted that their marriage was unhappy, and his suicide added fuel to these stories. Elisabeth had no children from her second marriage.
Read more about this topic: Princess Elisabeth Of Saxony
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—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
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