Újraértelmezett szerepvállalások avagy Erzsébet császárné alak-változásai 1866-ban
Roles reinterpreted or Empress Elisabeth’s metamorphosis in 1866

Summary/Abstract: It was during the 1866 sojourn of the imperial couple in Hungary that Empress Elisabeth's change of character occurred, as she left behind the role of “accessory” at the side of her husband. This period is the early, transitional stage of her cult, which is characterized by a shift from the previous rhetoric of reverence in connection with the rise from nadir of the popularity of the imperial family due to the effects of political change, and the basic elements of the cult were consolidated and remained constant from that time on. As a spectacular result of the Court's change of image, that of the empress gradually transformed as well and, step by step, morphed into a positive image of an empress consort. This turn came about in two phases during Elizabeth's 1866 stay in Hungary and was started by the visit examined in detail in this paper. The perception of the empress shifted from forced reverence to a cult attitude which in the first phase met the expectations of both the Court and the political elite seeking an agreement, and in a second phase found its way to lower classes, constantly widening its public of reception.

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