!!!Franz Joseph I

b. Vienna-Schoenbrunn, Aug. 18, 1830, 
d. Vienna-Schoenbrunn, Nov. 21, 1916, eldest son of Archduke  Franz 
Karl and Princess Sophie of Bavaria; from Dec. 2, 1848 Emperor of 
Austria. On his accession to the throne he adopted the double name F. 
J. (his original name was Franz). In his youth under the strong 
influence of his mother and other advisers. He showed a pronounced 
sense of duty and was very much aware of his mission. On April 24, 
1854 he married Princess  Elisabeth in Bavaria. The couple had four 
children, but had very difficult times during their marriage. 
Influenced by his wife, F. J. agreed to the  Austro-Hungarian 
Compromise (Ausgleich) of 1867. Although he started his reign as an 
absolutist monarch, he later respected all duties laid down in the 
constitution and reigned as a constitutional monarch. Rendered 
cautious by a series of wrong political decisions and under the 
impression of personal tragedies within his family (execution of his 
brother  Maximilian in Mexiko in 1867, suicide of his son  Rudolf in 
1889, assassination of his wife in 1898), he concentrated more on his 
duties as a monarch rather than on his personal life. He became the 
symbol par excellence of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. After his 
marriage had failed, he had a close relationship with the actress K.  
Schratt.

\\
During the last 20 years of his life he advocated political 
integration and was the unifying figure within a multinational state, 
and many of his contemporaries considered him to be the only guarantor 
of the country's cohesion. In old age, he displayed a certain 
stubbornness and opposed all reforms, but finally signed the ultimatum 
issued to Serbia and the declaration of war against Serbia in 1914. He 
regarded himself first and foremost as a civil servant and a soldier 
and was a devout, but tolerant Catholic. Although cultural 
achievements reached a zenith during his era ( Ringstrasse), F. J. 
showed little interest in the arts.

!Literature
E. C. Conte Corti, Ks. F. J., 3 vols., 1950-1955; F. 
Herre, Ks. F. J. von Oe., 1978; Ks. F. J. und seine Zeit, exhibition 
catalogue, Grafenegg 1984; Ks. F. J. in seiner Zeit, exhibition 
catalogue, Grafenegg 1987; E. C. Conte Corti and H. Sokoll, F. J., 
%%sup 6/%1990; B. Hamann, Die Habsburger, %%sup 4/%1993; A. Palmer, F. 
J., 1995.



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