Rudolph Rustimo - Birgitte Breemerkamp

Studio portrait of Crown Prince Rudolf wearing the uniform of an ocean liner captain, together with his godson and servant, Rustimo, c. 1877. National Library of Austria, Vienna, Pk 499, 3/49.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Hungary was known for her eccentric fads. After trying to keep monkeys (unsuccessfully), a young African crippled dwarf named Rustimo made his appearance in Vienna. Born around 1861, probably in Sudan, he is believed to have been a gift from the Shah of Persia.[1] Brigitte Hamann remarks there are different versions of the story about how the boy came to Vienna, so the exact circumstances are uncertain. Elisabeth was no stranger to Africans: her father, Max of Bavaria, had “surrounded himself with four negroes to frighten the Munich burghers.”[2]

Elisabeth, always out to stir controversy, figured Rustimo would make a nice playmate for her youngest daughter, Marie Valerie. This decision outraged the Viennese court, as the emperial family was not allowed to interact with ‘heathens’. Therefore, Elisabeth had Rustimo baptised on 26 May 1878, with her son Rudolf acting as his godfather. His Christian name became Rudolph Rustimo.[3] In Bad Ischl Rustimo received some lessons in German and calculus. When he was older, he worked as a page or servant at the court.[4]

Sisi's youngest daughter, Archduchess Marie Valerie (1868 - 1924), playing a board game with Rudolph Rustimo, undated. — Sisi’s youngest daughter, Archduchess Marie Valerie (1868 – 1924), playing a board game with Rudolph Rustimo, undated. National Library of Austria, Vienna, NB 519.326 – B.

In her biography The Reluctant Empress Brigitte Hamann writes that Elisabeth treated the boy as a toy, just as she had previously done with her monkeys. She’d give him some attention by taking him onto her lap, then lose interest and drop him onto the floor after a few minutes. Rustimo’s main attraction appeared to have been the shock factor: his appearance frightened and shocked the people at court. In 1881 Elisabeth visited her cousin, King Ludwig II of Bavaria and brought Rustimo as her retinue. This way, she could be alone with Ludwig without causing a stir.[5]

As with all her fads, Elisabeth at some point lost interest in Rustimo. He was dismissed from the court in Vienna and ended up living in Ybbs, where he worked as a book binder. Rudolph Rustimo died in a poorhouse in Ybbs in 1892.[6]

Pen drawing depicting 11 scenes, dated c. 1885. 1) Hotel Strauch in Feldafing 2) Starnberger See and Dampfer 3) Castle Schloss Possenhofen (Elisabeth's childhood home); 4) Schloss Berg (one of King Ludwig II of Bavaria's castles); 5) Rudolph Rustimo (?); 6) Empress Elisabeth horseriding; 7) Empress Elisabeth seated in a carriage with her daughter Marie Valerie; 8) Unknown; 9) Unknown; 10) Fishermen's huts; 11) Unknown. — Pen drawing depicting 11 scenes, dated c. 1885. 1) Hotel Strauch in Feldafing 2) Starnberger See and Dampfer 3) Castle Schloss Possenhofen (Elisabeth’s childhood home); 4) Schloss Berg (one of King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s castles); 5) Rudolph Rustimo (?); 6) Empress Elisabeth horseriding; 7) Empress Elisabeth seated in a carriage with her daughter Marie Valerie; 8) Unknown; 9) Unknown; 10) Fishermen’s huts; 11) Unknown. National Library of Austria, Vienna, Pk 501, 5.

Bibliography

[1] http://www.kiralyikastely.hu/page.58.elisabeth_and_godollo

[2] Brigitte Hamann, The Reluctant Empress: Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Online: https://books.google.nl/books?id=TycC_OQQ6QQC&lpg=PP1&dq=brigitte%20hamann%20elisabeth%20reluctant%20empress&hl=nl&pg=PP307#v=onepage&q=Rustimo&f=false

[3] https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Rustimo

[4] Ibid.

[5] Brigitte Hamann, The Reluctant Empress: Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Online: https://books.google.nl/books?id=TycC_OQQ6QQC&lpg=PP1&dq=brigitte%20hamann%20elisabeth%20reluctant%20empress&hl=nl&pg=PP307#v=onepage&q=Rustimo&f=false

[6] http://www.afro-karibik-festival.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ausstellung_auf_dem_Afrika-Karibik-Festival_2017.pdf