What if Empress Elisabeth of Austria would have been more interested in politics?

After enjoying an informal and unstructured childhood, Elisabeth, who was shy and introverted by nature, and more so among the stifling formality of Habsburg court life, had difficulty adapting to the Hofburg and its rigid protocols and strict etiquette.

Archduchess Sophie of Austria, who often referred to Elisabeth as a "silly young mother", not only named the first child of Elisabeth (after herself) without consulting the mother, but took complete charge of the baby, refusing to allow Elisabeth to breastfeed or otherwise care for her own child.
When a second daughter, Archduchess Gisela of Austria (1856–1932), was born a year later, the Archduchess took the baby away from Elisabeth as well.

In 1857 Elisabeth visited Hungary for the first time with her husband and two daughters, and it left a deep and lasting impression upon her,
probably because in Hungary she found a welcome respite from the constraints of Austrian court life.
The same trip proved tragic as both of Elisabeth's children became ill with diarrhea. While Gisela recovered quickly, two-year-old Sophie grew steadily weaker, then died in her arms.
It is generally assumed today that she died of typhus. Her death pushed Elisabeth, who was already prone to bouts of melancholy, into periods of heavy depression, which would haunt her for the rest of her life. She turned away from her living daughter, began neglecting her, and their relationship never recovered.

When Elisabeth finally gave birth to an heir, Rudolf (1858–1889), this signaled an increase in her influence at court. This, combined with her sympathy toward Hungary, made Elisabeth an ideal mediator between the Magyars and the emperor. Her interest in politics had developed as she matured; she was liberal, and placed herself decisively on the Hungarian side in the increasing conflict of nationalities within the empire.


What if Empress Elisabeth of Austria would not have fallen into her live long melancholy and heavy depression (because her daughter had survived the typhus) and instead faced and openly opposed her mother-in-law and made clear WHO is the empress in the country, winning the battle with her mother-in-law for dominance in rearing her children and taking control of her family education in her own hands.
With additional emotional and mental power finding the will to support her husband in ruling the empire and taking active steps in politics (like she did only once in her live in OTL with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867), could Elisabeth change the fate of the sunset of the Austria-Hungarian Empire by implementing strongly needed reforms in inner state politics for which her lonly ruling husband was to weak to do alone and also taking care of international relationships (like to england, where she was often traveling too)?

Her husband Franz Joseph was passionately in love with his wife, Elisabeth was famous for beeing the most beauty woman in her time and was having an extreme sporty livestyle.
All great preconditions to be an active and successful political leader of the empire.
She could have repeated forcing compromises with the other ethics in the empire to avoid raising national tensions.

With the family matters in her hand, her son, the Crown Prince Archduke Rudolf of Austria, maybe would not commit suicide in 1831, but become the hope of the empire for a liberal and modern future emperor.
In contrast with his deeply conservative father, Rudolf held liberal views, that were closer to those of his mother.

Could the breaking appart of the Austrian-Hungary be prevented, monarchy continue existing and outbreak of WW1 avoided?
 
Is it possible and likely that Franz Joseph would have resigned from the throne by himselve in lifetime to spend more time with his lovely wife, so that Rudolf could become Emperor around 1890?
It seems that Franz Joseph continued in OLT beeing the emperor to compensate his personal family tragedy, which blocked all required reforms for the cracking empire.
 
Your vastly overestimating the power of a consort in the 1800s and underestimating the role Franz Josef played. Elisabeth, and I'm saying this as someone who finds her fascinating, wasn't all that bright and could be partially blamed for the Austro-Hungarian compromise that eventually brought down the empire. Elisabeth more interested in politics would probably be a disaster that involves her meandering into policies and favoring the Hungarians over the other nationalities of the Monarchy. As for abdication, hell no. Abdication before the mid 20th century meant that a monarch had failed so bad and that there was no way for he or she to continue ruling. Franz would never reach that point.
 
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