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Franz Joseph I

 

The last powerful Habsburg and one of the longest serving monarchs in European history spent 68 years ruling the Empire. A passionate bureaucrat, punctual soldier and an austere emperor – he owed all of this to his upbringing. Son of Archduke Franz Karl and Archduchess Sophie, he was always treated differently than his siblings. He entered the army when he was only 13 years old and always wore a uniform.
His marriage to young Elizabeth, Princess of Bavaria, known for her beauty and love for Hungarian culture, turned out to be very unhappy, and Sissi, as they called her, separated from her husband. Their only son, Prince Rudolph, was mentally ill, something very common in the Habsburg dynasty caused by a long history in inbreeding. He killed his mistress, Baroness of Vetsera, and then himself in the infamous Mayerling affair. Sissi herself was murdered by an Italian anarchist.
Franz Joseph succeeded his uncle, Ferdinand I, who abdicated after a series of revolutions in 1848. He found his inspiration in the enlightened absolutism of the 18th century and chose a severe partner to help him – minister Alexander Bach, who built a net of secret agents and denunciators. The state control was very strong, censorship and fear infiltrated the society. Sensing the end to an Empire too large to be controlled by one person, Franz agreed with the Austro-Hungarian dualism. There were rumors that his beautiful wife was responsible for this unexpected step, because of her friendship with Count Andrassi, the spokesman for Hungarian initiative.
The same year, the so-called December Constitution turned the Empire into a constitutional monarchy. Bach was no longer minister and his ineffective methods were officially condemned. The new constitution guaranteed free press and justice for everyone.
Franz Joseph was very conservative in every aspect of his personality. He respected the old ways and when presented with the suggestion that the army should be equipped with newly-developed tanks, he famously said: “Absolutely not, the horses will be startled!” Franz Joseph died in 1916, at the rise of a conflict leading to a world war.

 




 

 


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