Emperor Franz Joseph
Ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Apr 15, 2009 William Silvester
The Habsburgs must have felt that the longevity of their dynasty was assured when Franz Joseph was born in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna on August 18, 1830. The first son of Archduke Franz Karl and his Bavarian wife, Princess Sophie, it appeared that the Habsburg hold on the Austria-Hungarian Empire was secure
Emperor Ferdinand
Franz Joseph was only five years old when his father became a member of the council that ruled in place of his mentally deficient brother, the Emperor Ferdinand. Following the abdication of Ferdinand in December 1848 and with the urging of his wife, Franz Karl renounced his claim to the throne in favor of his 18-year-old son Franz Joseph.
Duchess Elizabeth of Bavaria
Fortunately, the young Emperor had been brought up by his mother and trained to rule. Once on the throne he abolished the constitution and proclaimed himself a sovereign monarch in 1852. Two years later he married Duchess Elizabeth of Bavaria (known as ‘Sissi’). Tragically the young couple suffered the loss of their first daughter Sophie in 1857. A second daughter, Gisela, was born in 1856, a son and heir, Rudolf in 1858 and a third daughter, Marie-Valerie in 1868.
In an effort to calm of situation with the discontented Magyars in his kingdom, Franz Joseph had been crowned King of Hungary in 1867. The solution was viable and the Dual Monarchy would last until his death.
Erosion of the Austrian Empire
It appeared that more than a strong hand was needed to restore Austria’s former glory or even to hold the multi-faceted empire together. The Austro-Sardinian War in 1859 and the continued conflicts against France eroded Austria’s dominance of eastern European politics. Defeat in the Austro-Prussian War in1866 and the unification of the German states in 1871 relegated Austria to a junior position. Italian unification also resulted in losses to the Austrian Empire including Lombardy and Venetia.
The Emperor was very sensitive to the eroding of his empire but was able to do little about it. Generally speaking, however, he was loved and respected by the majority of his people due mainly to the high standard of living they enjoyed under his reign.
Mayerling Affair
The tragedy with the most far reaching consequences was the death in 1889 of his 30 year old son and heir Crown Prince Rudolf. The Prince and his mistress, 18 year old, Baroness Marie Vetsera were found dead in the Prince’s hunting lodge at Mayerling victims of what appeared to be a murder-suicide. The dynastic result of his death was that Karl Ludwig, the former emperor’s brother now became heir to the throne with his son, Franz Ferdinand close behind. The death of Rudolf also led to the collapse of the marriage of Franz Joseph and Elizabeth.
Unfortunately, Karl Ludwig fell ill after drinking water during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and died in 1896. Two years later, the Empress Elizabeth was vacationing in Geneva Switzerland, when a man with a needle file fatally stabbed her.
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
On the international front, tensions between Russia and Austria-Hungary continued to escalate. During the Second Balkan War in 1913 after Serbian had invaded Albania, Austria-Hungary demanded the withdrawal of Serbs from the area. The Serbs agreed but tension remained high in the area. Archduke Franz Ferdinand took this opportunity to visit Sarajevo where, on June 28, 1914 a Serbian nationalist assassinated him and his wife.
Believing that the Serbian government was responsible for the assassination, the Austrian crown council issued an unacceptable ultimatum to Serbia. The Serbs were evasive about the ultimatum leading to Austria declaring war on July 28. Germany backed Austria by declaring war on Russia on August 1. Over the next few days France, Belgium, Great Britain and France were all drawn into the war that would become known as the First World War.
Death at Schonbrunn
The Emperor left the conduct of the war to his military people. He would live for another two years, spending most of it in Schonbrunn Palace but by 1916 feared that his empire would not survive. Franz Joseph died on November 21, 1916. He was succeeded by his grand-nephew Karl I who had the unenviable task of watching his empire fall to ruin.
Bibliography
Alan Palmer – Twlight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph – Weidenfeld & Nicholson – 1995
John Van der Kiste - Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire – Sutton - 2005.
Franz Joseph in 1916
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