Franz Joseph I (-German, I. Ferenc József in Hungarian, in English Francis Joseph I, see the name in other languages) (18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916), reigned as Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia etc. and Apostolic King of Hungary from 1848 until 1916.
Franz Joseph was born in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the oldest son of Archduke Franz Karl (the younger son of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II), and his wife Princess Sophie of Bavaria. Be...
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Franz Joseph I (-German, I. Ferenc József in Hungarian, in English Francis Joseph I, see the name in other languages) (18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916), reigned as Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia etc. and Apostolic King of Hungary from 1848 until 1916.
Franz Joseph was born in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the oldest son of Archduke Franz Karl (the younger son of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II), and his wife Princess Sophie of Bavaria. Because his uncle, from 1835 the Emperor Ferdinand, was weak-minded, and his father unambitious and retiring, the young Archduke "Franzl" was brought up by his mother as a future Emperor with emphasis on devotion, responsibility and diligence. Franzl came to idolize his grandfather, der Gute Kaiser Franz, who had died shortly before his fifth birthday, as the ideal monarch. At the age of 13, young Archduke Franz started a career as a colonel in the Austrian army. From that point onward, his fashion was dictated by army style and for the rest of...
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