Franz Joseph I – Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph I (August 18, 1830 – November 21, 1916) was an Emperor of the Austrian Empire and King of Bohemia from December 2, 1848, Apostolic king of Hungary from December 2, 1848 to April 14, 1849 (1st time) and 13 August 1849 (the 2nd tim...
a factor in theJuly Crisisof 1914. Ultimately Russia entered into an alliance with France and Britain ranged against Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, feeling no lingering loyalty to Austria-Hungary.
Ascent:Franz Josef was crowned Emperor of Austria in 1848 at age 18. By the summer of 1914 he would be in the 66th year of his reign. He was also crowned King of Hungary in 1867 in an attempt to calm the situation with the problematic Magyars (Hungarians). This worked and the Dual...
(June 28, 1914), whose children were barred from succession because of hismorganatic marriage. After his accession, Charles, a peace-loving man, made attempts to takeAustria-Hungaryout ofWorld War Ithrough secret overtures to the Allied powers, the most promising being through his brother-in-...
William was the eldest child of Crown Prince Frederick (later EmperorFrederick III) and ofVictoria, the eldest child of Britain’s QueenVictoria. He was born with a damaged left arm. The limb never grew to full size and some historians have claimed this disability as a clue to understanding...
Henry II Jasomirgott was the first duke of Austria, a member of the House of Babenberg who increased the dynasty’s power in Austria by obtaining the Privilegium Minus (a grant of special privileges and a reduction of obligations toward the empire) from
Béla III was the king of Hungary (1173–96) under whom Hungary became the leading power of south-central Europe. Béla was educated at the Byzantine court and placed on the throne by force of arms by the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus in 1173. He m
Joseph II(born March 13, 1741,Vienna, Austria—died Feb. 20, 1790, Vienna) was theHoly Roman emperor(1765–90), at first coruler with his mother,Maria Theresa(1765–80), and then sole ruler (1780–90) of the Austrian Habsburg dominions. An “enlightened despot,” he sought to introduc...
Maximilian I was the archduke of Austria, German king, and Holy Roman emperor (1493–1519) who made his family, the Habsburgs, dominant in 16th-century Europe. He added vast lands to the traditional Austrian holdings, securing the Netherlands by his own
Charles I was a courtly, pious king of Hungary who restored his kingdom to the status of a great power and enriched and civilized it. Charles was the son of Charles Martel of Anjou-Naples and Clemencia of Habsburg, daughter of the Holy Roman emperor Rudo