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| Kaiser-Kiraly Franz Josef I of A-H |
| Franz Josef von Habsburg can perhaps best be described by his own words, he called himself, "the last monarch of the old school". He had the distinction of being one of the longest serving heads of state in European history, of one of the world's oldest and most well respected dynasties; the Habsburg-Lothringen (Hapsburg-Lorraine). He came to the throne as Kaiser (Emperor) of Austria on December 2, 1848 when liberal revolutions were rampant across Europe. Kaiser Ferdinand had abdicated in his favor as soon as Franz Josef turned 18. During his 68 years on the throne Kaiser Franz Joseph proved to be a monarch of the same traditional, Christian and conservative quality of Charles V and Philip II. The Kaiser first took action to put down the rebellions that were threatening to tear his country apart. To do this, he was forced to appeal to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, the "gendarme of Europe" to end the fighting in Hungary. Joseph Graf von Radetzky then suppressed the revolution in Italy. Franz Josef also enacted far-reaching reforms in the government of Austria. Checks and balances were established between the courts and the government, trial by jury was established, internal passports were done away with, a more just system of taxation was established, the requirement that peasants give a certain amount of unpaid labor to their landlord was abolished, education was reformed and government positions were opened based on merit rather than social standing. Austria was industrialized but with protection for the workers, ensuring that the abuses seen in Britain and America did not happen in Austria. Kaiser Franz Josef was a very traditional monarch, he preserved strictly the protocol of court, with all of the pomp and ceremony in order to emphasize the importance of the monarchy to the people, and to the duty of the monarchy itself. His toleration toward the Jews caused them to call him by one of the old titles of the Holy Roman Emperor, "the King of Jerusalem". During the Crimean War Franz Josef aroused the anger of France, Britain and Russia by refusing to participate on either side during this aggressive war. As an offshoot of this conflict, Austria was driven into war by Italy. Franz Josef took personal command of his army, and could have handled the Italians were it not for the interference of the Bonaparte Napoleon III of France. Liberal politicians stripping of the military budget caused the Austrian army to be outmatched and during the Seven Weeks War with Prussia, Bismarck ejected Austria from her role toward the rest of Germany. After these defeats, Franz Josef headed off the liberal movement in Hungary by granting that nation self-government and equal partner status with Austria. He then took the title of Kiraly or King of Hungary, and the Austrian Empire became the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Kaiser was then faced with another great tragedy, when his younger brother Maximilian, the Emperor of Mexico, was murdered by republican guerillas. In 1879 Franz Josef joined an alliance with his old enemy Bismarck, and later Italy, to defend against the increasing aggression of Russia in the Balkans. Following these conflicts, Franz Josef managed to keep his country at peace for 48 years. Personal tragedy was destined to plague the Emperor even more. In 1889 his only son, the romantic and liberal Crown Prince Rudolf, committed suicide at Mayerling jagdschloss. In September of 1898, his beloved wife, the Empress Elisabeth was assassinated by an Italian anarchist in Switzerland. When the Kaiser heard the news he cried, "Nothing has been spared me in this world. Nobody knows how much we loved each other." Only a few years later the Kaiser's successor, his brother the Archduke Karl Ludwig, died in the Holy Land from drinking contaminated water from the Jordan River while on a pilgrimage. However, Franz Josef remained respected, and a source of peace and stability in his country and the region. In 1914 the Emperor's nephew and heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian terrorist. Franz Josef was outraged but against responding with full scale war. Unfortunately, the unscrupulous Count von Berchtold told the Emperor that Serbia was attacking Austria 'as they spoke' and so military action was ordered. This, as you probably know, led to World War I, and ultimately the end of the Hapsburg Dynasty. Perhaps fortunately, Kaiser Franz Josef did not live to see the end of the conflict, having died in 1916 while Austria was still holding her own. Emperor Franz Joseph I had lived his life by tradition and Christian principles, setting an example for all people to follow. Perhaps my favorite words of his is what he told President Teddy Roosevelt his role was as monarch, "to protect my people from their governments". Surely we could use a few more just like him still today. |
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| Music is "Gott Erhalte Unser Kaiser" |