34 Facts About Franz Joseph I of Austria

Largely considered to be a reactionary, Franz Joseph spent his early reign resisting constitutionalism in his domains.

Franz Joseph I of Austria concluded the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which granted greater autonomy to Hungary and created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary.

Franz Joseph I of Austria ruled peacefully for the next 45 years, but personally suffered the tragedies of the execution of his brother Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico in 1867, the suicide of his son Rudolf in 1889, and the assassinations of his wife Elisabeth in 1898 and his nephew and heir presumptive, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in 1914.

On 28 June 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo resulted in Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against the Kingdom of Serbia, which was an ally of the Russian Empire.

On his 13th birthday, Franz Joseph was appointed Colonel-Inhaber of Dragoon Regiment No 3 and the focus of his training shifted to imparting basic strategic and tactical knowledge.

The name "Franz Joseph" was chosen to bring back memories of the new Emperor's great-granduncle, Emperor Joseph II, remembered as a modernising reformer.

Franz Joseph was almost immediately faced with a renewal of the fighting in Italy, with King Charles Albert of Sardinia taking advantage of setbacks in Hungary to resume the war in March 1849.

On 18 February 1853, Franz Joseph survived an assassination attempt by Hungarian nationalist Janos Libenyi.

Franz Joseph I of Austria immediately struck the emperor from behind with a knife straight at the neck.

Franz Joseph I of Austria was executed on the Simmeringer Heide.

The survival of Franz Joseph was commemorated in Prague by erecting a new statue of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the emperor, on Charles Bridge.

Under Schwarzenberg's guidance, Franz Joseph I of Austria was able to stymie Prussian scheming to create a new German Federation under Prussian leadership, excluding Franz Joseph I of Austria.

Franz Joseph I of Austria was one of the most prominent Roman Catholic rulers in Europe, and a fierce enemy of Freemasonry.

Fluent in Hungarian and deeply sympathetic to the Hungarian cause, Elisabeth fostered close relationships with Hungarian leaders, including Count Gyula Andrassy, and worked behind the scenes to persuade Francis Franz Joseph I of Austria to adopt a more conciliatory approach.

Franz Joseph I of Austria's influence helped build the trust necessary for successful negotiations, and her personal popularity in Hungary significantly bolstered the monarchy's legitimacy in the region.

Political difficulties in Franz Joseph I of Austria mounted continuously through the late 19th century and into the 20th century.

However, Franz Joseph remained immensely respected; the emperor's patriarchal authority held the Empire together while the politicians squabbled among themselves.

When Franz Joseph returned to constitutional rule after the debacles in Italy at Magenta and Solferino and summoned the diets of his lands, the question of his coronation as king of Bohemia again returned to the agenda, as it had not since 1848.

On 14 April 1861, Emperor Franz Joseph received a delegation from the Bohemian Diet with his words :.

In contrast to his predecessor Emperor Ferdinand, Franz Joseph was never crowned separately as king of Bohemia.

The main foreign policy goal of Franz Joseph had been the unification of Germany under the House of Habsburg.

The champions of a lesser Germany argued against the inclusion of Austria on the grounds that it was a multi-nation state, not a German one, and that its inclusion would bring millions of non-Germans into the German nation state.

In 1873, two years after the unification of Germany, Franz Joseph entered into the League of Three Emperors with Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany and Emperor Alexander II of Russia, who was succeeded by Tsar Alexander III in 1881.

Tsar Alexander II of Russia, wanting to intervene against the Ottomans, sought and obtained an agreement with Austria-Hungary.

Franz Joseph died in the Schonbrunn Palace on the evening of 21 November 1916, at the age of 86.

Franz Joseph I of Austria's death was a result of developing pneumonia of the right lung several days after catching a cold while walking in Schonbrunn Park with King Ludwig III of Bavaria.

Franz Joseph I of Austria is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

However, Franz Joseph fell deeply in love with Nene's younger sister Elisabeth, a beautiful girl of 15, and insisted on marrying her instead.

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

Franz Joseph built Villa Schratt in Bad Ischl for her, and provided her with a small palace in Vienna.

Franz Joseph I of Austria was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist in 1898 while on a visit to Geneva.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand became heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary in 1896 after the deaths of his cousin Rudolf and his father Karl Ludwig.

The relationship between him and Franz Joseph had always been a fairly contentious one, which was further exacerbated when Franz Ferdinand announced his desire to marry Countess Sophie Chotek.

Franz Joseph I of Austria finally gave his consent in 1900.