No Marie Antoinette fans who want to play around with this idea?
Okay, well here's what I think MIGHT happen. Being beautiful and vivacious (albeit possessed of a sharp tongue), Elisabeth might enchant LXV as much as her sister did. She's a one-eighty from the late queen. Ergo, unless she makes inroads by displaying the famed Habsburg piety, her stepchildren aren't going to have a good relationship with her - they might see her as a coquette to replace a saint.
Also, the anti-Austrian vibe was concentrated on MA because there was no one else to take it. Here, her sister might help split the difference - but its a jump from insulting the queen (& your stepmother) to insulting your nephew, the heir to the throne's wife. Also, it might take some of the heat off Antoonette when she arrives in France since they've had some time to get used to an Austrian queen.
As to children, Louis XV was still fathering bastards well into his 60s so why not one or two legitimate children. OTOH Elisabeth could emulate her niece, the Electress of Bavaria, and refuse to have relations with her husband since she feared catching STDs.
First the first Austrian Queen was Marie Elisabeth, wife of Charles IX, back in the 16th century. But it would be something of a coup for the Austrians and such a marriage would cause a bit of a scandal. Typically Kings (and Queens) of France didn't remarry after the death of their spouse and I can't see the breaking of this tradition being well received. Another mark against the Austrians. And the court is more likely to focus any anger and/or ill feelings towards the first lady of France, here being Elisabeth instead of Marie Antoinette, then the Dauphine. That in itself would be a huge help to the future Queen.
As for the feelings of the King's daughters, well they didn't like anyone really so that will be relatively minor in the long run. Also such a double marriage would strengthen the Austrian party at Versailles, maybe to the point that they'll remain a power in politics throughout the 1770s and early 1780s.
And towards children, very unlikely. He only had one acknowledged illegitimate child, who was born in 1754. So looking at that there's not a big chance on having a second family. Maybe one or two children but thats the highest I'm willing to go.
Am I the only one who thinks that having more than one set of half-Habsburg Bourbon kids running around Versailles would be interesting? Also, would French policy take a more pro-Austrian bent? And would Elisabeth be recalled to Vienna after LXV's death - perhaps to marry again? Or would MT/Josef II respect her rights as dowager queen (and what would those rights be)?
Out of curiosity, her niece, Marie Thérèse found her an extremely forbidding personality when she stayed with her en route to Vienna, does anyone know what was/will be her relationship with MA, considering that MA's closest friend in the family after Caroline left for Naples, was Josef's daughter, Maria Theresia Elisabeth ("Titi")
To Elisabeth remarrying, that would be a MAJOR no-no. Remember the famous words of Blanche of Navarre, widow of Philippe VI:
Les reines de France ne se remarient point or The Queens of France never remarried. So any attempt to force that would cause large friction between Versailles and Vienna. As for rights of a Queen Dowager, well thats debatable. The last Queen Dowager was Louise of Lorraine, Henri III's wife. So going by what she was provided with after her husbands death, she would have her jointure and Dower lands as provided in the marriage contract. And she would still be second lady of the Court (outranking her step granddaughters-in-law the Comtesses de Provence et d'Artois) so I doubt she would completely retire from Versailles either. But I would imagine that there would be much friction between the two sisters, especially if the Queen has a son while Madame la Dauphine remains childless like OTL.