Francis Joseph I

August 18, 1830 (age 86)

Schönbrunn Palace, Hietzing, Vienna, Austria

His long reign began in the stormy days of the revolutions of 1848 and ended in the midst of World War I. In that troubled period of growing nationalism, he held the many peoples of his empire together. He subdued Hungary (1849) and in the same year defeated Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia. In the Italian War of 1859, in which he faced Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel, he lost Lombardy to Sardinia by the Treaty of Villafranca di Verona. In the Austro-Prussian War (1866) his only territorial loss was that of Venetia to Italy, but his crushing defeat resulted in the loss of Austrian influence over German affairs and in the ascendancy of Prussia. Constant pressure from Hungary led to the reorganization (1867) of the empire as a dual monarchy - the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. In 1879, Francis Joseph joined Germany in an alliance that later also included Italy (Triple Alliance and Triple Entente). His reign, although it brought material prosperity, was disturbed by the discontent of the national minorities, notably the Slavs. When Russian Pan-Slavism backed Serbia, particularly after the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1908), a situation was created that helped bring on World War I. In 1914, his nephew, the heir apparent, Francis Ferdinand, was assassinated, and his death was the spark that set off World War I. Francis Joseph died on November 21, 1916, before the empire actually fell apart under the impact of military defeat, as it did under his successor, Charles I.

Francis Joseph I Edit Profile

also known as Franz Joseph I, Franz Josef I

statesman

Background

Francis Joseph I was born on August 18, 1830, at Schönbrunn, in Vienna, the elder son of Archduke Francis Charles, who was the second son of Holy Roman emperor Francis II, and his wife Princess Sophie of Bavaria. Francis Joseph was not in direct line of succession.

Education

Yet, because his mentally impaired uncle Ferdinand I proved childless, Francis was immediately viewed and educated as an heir presumptive.

The young boy had a huge amount of material to absorb. One of the main emphases was on languages, starting with German and French, which was the lingua franca of the political and social elite during those times. Early on Czech and Hungarian were added, to be followed by Italian and Polish, ensuring that all the major languages within the Monarchy were covered. In addition, Franz Joseph also had tuition in Latin and Greek. He was also instructed in the general knowledge that was usual for those times and in arts subjects such as drawing – for which he demonstrated a striking aptitude – and music, which failed to kindle much enthusiasm in him.

Other important aspects included physical education (gymnastics, swimming, fencing, riding and dancing) and an introduction to the basics of military strategy in preparation for the officer training he was later to undergo.

Career

His long reign began in the stormy days of the revolutions of 1848 and ended in the midst of World War I. In that troubled period of growing nationalism, he held the many peoples of his empire together. He subdued Hungary (1849) and in the same year defeated Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia. In the Italian War of 1859, in which he faced Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel, he lost Lombardy to Sardinia by the Treaty of Villafranca di Verona. In the Austro-Prussian War (1866) his only territorial loss was that of Venetia to Italy, but his crushing defeat resulted in the loss of Austrian influence over German affairs and in the ascendancy of Prussia. Constant pressure from Hungary led to the reorganization (1867) of the empire as a dual monarchy - the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

In 1879, Francis Joseph joined Germany in an alliance that later also included Italy (Triple Alliance and Triple Entente). His reign, although it brought material prosperity, was disturbed by the discontent of the national minorities, notably the Slavs. When Russian Pan-Slavism backed Serbia, particularly after the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1908), a situation was created that helped bring on World War I.

In 1914, his nephew, the heir apparent, Francis Ferdinand, was assassinated, and his death was the spark that set off World War I. Francis Joseph died on November 21, 1916, before the empire actually fell apart under the impact of military defeat, as it did under his successor, Charles I.

Achievements

Francis Joseph I was an influential emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, who divided his empire into the Dual Monarchy, in which Austria and Hungary coexisted as equal partners.

Francis Joseph I was awarded numerous medals and honors during his lifetime : the Military William Order (June 21, 1849, Kingdom of the Netherlands), the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (September 6, 1849, Duchy of Parma), the Royal Order of Kamehameha I (1849, Kingdom of Hawaii), the Order of the Garter (1867, United Kingdom), the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (1869, Kingdom of Italy), the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1869, Kingdom of Italy), the Order of the Crown of Italy (1869, Kingdom of Italy), the Royal Order of Kalākaua (1878, Kingdom of Hawaii), the Royal Victorian Chain (1904, United Kingdom), the Order of the Golden Fleece (Austria-Hungary), the Military Order of Maria Theresa (Austria-Hungary), the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen (Hungary), the Order of Leopold (Austria), the Order of the Iron Crown (Austria), the War Medal (Austria), the Cross of Honour, the Military Cross, the Military Order of Max Joseph (Kingdom of Bavaria), the Order of Leopold (Kingdom of Belgium), the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Bulgaria), the Ludwig Order (Grand Duchy of Hesse), the Order of the Black Eagle (Kingdom of Prussia), the Order of the Red Eagle (Kingdom of Prussia), the Pour le Mérite (Kingdom of Prussia), the House Order of Hohenzollern (Kingdom of Prussia), the Order of Prince Danilo I (Kingdom of Montenegro), the Order of the Norwegian Lion (Norway), the Military Order of St. Henry (Kingdom of Saxony), the Order of Milosh the Great (Kingdom of Serbia), the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called (Russian Empire), the Order of St. George, 4th class (Russian Empire), the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (Kingdom of Italy), the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Vatican City) and the Royal Victorian Order (United Kingdom).

In addition, he founded the Order of Franz Joseph in 1849, and the Order of Elizabeth in 1898.

The archipelago Franz Josef Land in the Russian high Arctic was named in his honour in 1873 by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition. The Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand's South Island also bears his name.

In certain areas, celebrations are still being held in remembrance of Franz Joseph's birthday.

Views

Quotations: "The midwife of history is violence."

"Nothing has been spared in this world."

Personality

Francis Joseph was a man of simple tastes. He was basically a benevolent despot, unable to grasp the meaning and purpose of modern ideologies and popular political institutions. At the same time he was devoted to duty, to honor and to the welfare of his people.

Connections

On April 24, 1854, in Vienna, Francis Joseph I married Elisabeth of Bavaria. The couple had four children. Their marriage would prove to be an unhappy one; though Franz Joseph was passionately in love with his wife, the feeling was not mutual and Elisabeth never truly acclimatised to life at court, frequently having disagreements with the imperial family.

In 1885, Francis Joseph met Katharina Schratt, a leading actress of the Vienna stage, and she became his mistress and confidante.