Irma Sztáray

Irma Sztáray
Countess Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály
Born	Irma Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály (1863-07-10)10 July 1863 Sztára, Kingdom of Hungary (today Staré, Slovakia)
Died	3 September 1940(1940-09-03) (aged 77) Szobránc, Kingdom of Hungary (today Sobrance, Slovakia)
Father	Count Viktor Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály
Mother	Countess Mária Török de Szendrő

Countess Irma Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály (10 July 1863 – 3 September 1940) was a Hungarian courtier and memoirist. She was the last lady-in-waiting of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and the sole companion traveling with the empress when she was assassinated.

Life

The Hungarian countess Irma was born as the daughter of Count Viktor Stáray de Sztára et Nagymihály (Hu) (1823–1879) and Countess Mária Török de Szendrõ (Hu) (1835–1916). She never married, as she dedicated her whole life to the Empress and the court.

She accompanied Elisabeth during her last four years, from 1894 until 1898, on her journeys to Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Algeria and Greece. Her memoirs Aus den letzten Jahren der Kaiserin Elisabeth, which she wrote many years after Empress Elisabeth's death, were published in German and are a valuable source which gives detailed insights into Sisi's final years.

For her services, Irma Sztáray received a medal of honour from Emperor Franz Joseph I right after Elisabeth's assassination.

In popular culture

The upcoming German-Austrian-Swiss film Sisi & I tells the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria from the point of view of her lady-in-waiting, Sztáray, who is portrayed by German actress Sandra Hüller. The abovementioned book reflects indeed the point of view of the countess and might have given some political ideas to some persons. However, it is certainly not the basis of the movie shot during the 50s in which Romy Schneider played the role of a fictitious young Empress Elisabeth. The Countess describes the last years of Sissi's life.