Franz joseph i died
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Franz Joseph: The most beloved emperor of the Habsburg Monarchy
By Tracy A. Burns
Born on August 18, 1830, in Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace, Franz Joseph was the oldest son of Archduke Franz Karl and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. He would become the most respected and most beloved member of the Habsburg dynasty, ruling the Austrian Empire and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 68 years, the third-longest reign in the history of Europe.
Childhood
As a child Franz Joseph worshipped his grandfather, who died when he was almost five years old. He had three younger brothers – Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian (born 1832), Archduke Karl Ludwig (born 1833), and Archduke Ludwig Viktor (born 1842). His sister, Maria Anna, passed away when she was only four. Franz Joseph’s childhood was brief – at age 13 he had already taken up the position of colonel in the Austrian army, for which he fought on the Front in Italy in May of 1848. Soon, though, he joined his family in Innsbruck, where they had taken refuge from the demonstrations and rebellions in Vienna. He first met his future wife, his cous
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Franz Joseph: what you need to know
One royal name pops up more than most as you wander around Vienna: Emperor Franz Joseph. So here’s your quick primer on why this is…
- One of the longest-serving monarchs in history
- Driving force behind numerous important buildings
- Married to the iconic Sisi (Empress Elisabeth)
- Famous inhabitant at Schönbrunn palace and the Hofburg
- Fan of traditional Viennese dishes still eaten today
- Book a guided tour* of the Habsburg’s Hofburg
- See also:
Who was Franz Joseph?
(Emperor Franz Joseph, sporting his trademark moustache and sideburns. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)
Born in 1830, Franz Joseph became Emperor of Austria in 1848 and went on to reign for almost 70 years until his death in 1916. He was the last “great” monarch of the Habsburg family dynasty.
This extended period of rule gave him ample opportunity to stamp his mark on Vienna, the empire’s de facto capital.
Inevitably, plenty happened during Franz Joseph’s reign. For example, he only came to power because his childless un
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Franz Joseph: childhood and upbringing
Emperor Franz I, the proud grandfather, had been on the throne for 38 years when the little boy was born. His son (Franz Joseph’s uncle), the heir designate Crown Prince Ferdinand, was physically and mentally enfeebled, and was regarded as unfit to rule. Although he was married, it was thought very unlikely that the union would result in offspring.
The task of continuing the dynasty thus fell to Ferdinand’s next eldest brother, Archduke Franz Karl, and his wife, Archduchess Sophie. As Sophie had already suffered several miscarriages, the birth of this healthy, long-desired male infant came as a huge relief.
From his earliest childhood Franz Joseph was groomed as a potential successor to the imperial throne by his mother, who played a dominant role within the family and had a major influence on political events.
Franz Joseph was thus the centre of attention both of the family and of the whole court. His proud mother Sophie painstakingly recorded every detail of the physical and mental development of her first-born in her diaries – the
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