Piezoelectric micromechanical systems (piezoMEMS) are often subjected to harsh mechanical and electrical loads during operation. This study evaluates the effects of the electrical history of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) layer on the electro-mechanical response and structural limits of multilayer stacks. Electro-mechanical characterization was performed under biaxial bending employing the Ball-on-three Balls (B3B) test on virgin, poled, and DC biased (80 kV/cm) samples. No significant effect on the characteristic strength or Weibull modulus of the stack was observed. However, the crack initiation stress was highest for the virgin samples (σ ₀ ∼ 485 ± 30 MPa); this decreased for both poled samples (σ ₀ ∼ 410 ± 30 MPa), and samples measured under 80 kV/cm (σ ₀ ∼ 433 ± 30 MPa). in situ ε _r and loss tangent measurements suggested electromechanical loading conditions can destabilize the domain structure. Overall, the electrical history and electromechanical loading conditions can reduce the PZT film's fracture resistance.