
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, and monarch of many other states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from 2 December 1848 to his death. From 1 May 1850 to 24 August 1866 he was also President of the German Confederation…
What did Francis Joseph do in 1910?
Franz Joseph was the emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916). He divided his empire into the Dual Monarchy, in which Austria and Hungary coexisted as equal partners. In 1879 he formed an alliance with Prussian-led Germany. In 1914 his ultimatum to Serbia led Austria and Germany into World War I.
How good was Francis Joseph of France?
Franz Joseph was the emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916). He divided his empire into the Dual Monarchy, in which Austria and Hungary coexisted as equal partners. In 1879 he formed an alliance with Prussian-led Germany. In 1914 his ultimatum to Serbia led Austria and Germany into World War I.
What did Francis Joseph do for Austria?
What did Franz Josef do? Franz Joseph was the emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916). He divided his empire into the Dual Monarchy, in which Austria and Hungary coexisted as equal partners.
What was the policy of Francis Joseph?
For the full article, see Franz Joseph . Francis Joseph, German Franz Josef, (born Aug. 18, 1830, Schloss Schönbrunn, near Vienna—died Nov. 21, 1916, Schloss Schönbrunn), Emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916). He became emperor during the Revolutions of 1848 after the abdication of his uncle, Ferdinand I.
See more
Franz Joseph was the emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916). He divided his empire into the Dual Monarchy, in which Austria and Hungary coexisted as equal partners. In 1879 he formed an alliance with Prussian-led Germany.

What did Francis Joseph hope to achieve?
Was Franz Josef a good emperor?
How did Francis Joseph maintain power?
Who was in charge of Austria-Hungary during ww1?
Emperor Franz Joseph I (2 December 1848 – 21 November 1916)
Who killed emperor Franz Joseph?
Who was Franz Joseph's wife?
Who was Francis Joseph what actions did he take to maintain power How did this backfire?
What actions did francis joseph take to maintain power? Joseph set 3 objectives to restore leadership: regain great-power status; counter Prussian moves in S Germany; and avoid war.
What reforms did Francis Joseph Institute after the empire's defeat by France and Sardinia?
Who was the last Habsburg emperor?
How did Archduke Franz Ferdinand get assassinated?
Why was Prince Ferdinand assassinated?
Why did Hungary and Austria split?
Why is Franz Joseph important?
Franz Joseph was the emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916). He divided his empire into the Dual Monarchy, in which Austria...
What was Franz Joseph’s childhood like?
Franz Joseph was the eldest son of Archduke Francis Charles and Sophia, daughter of Maximilian I of Bavaria. As his uncle Emperor Ferdinand (I) was...
What was Franz Joseph’s family like?
Franz Joseph was married to his cousin Elisabeth of Bavaria, who was regarded as the most beautiful princess in Europe. They had four children: Sop...
What was Franz Joseph’s legacy?
Franz Joseph was emperor for 68 years. He ran a civil administration that was highly regarded throughout Europe, but, while the creation of the Dua...
neo-absolutism
Francis Joseph was made emperor of Austria on 2 December 1848, after the forced abdication of his uncle Ferdinand I (r. 1835–1848), as a response by the Habsburg family and its advisors to the 1848 revolutions.
dualist constitutionalism
From 1860 Francis Joseph was forced to undertake a complete overhaul of the governing structures of his monarchy, which meant a return to a form of the constitutionalism that he had proudly abolished in 1851. At first a conservative-federalist structure (October Manifesto of 1860) was tried, then a liberal-centralist one (February Patent of 1861).
nationalism and (german) imperialism
Francis Joseph's relative success in the 1880s did not last.
Further Reading
The best works about Francis Joseph are the products of Austro-German historiography. Fortunately, a number of them have also appeared in English. Of these, Josef Redlich, Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria: A Biography (1929), is undoubtedly the best and most readily available account.
What was Francis Joseph's contribution to World War I?
He was consistent to a fault. Once he had decided on war, he never looked back. His most amazing contribution to World War I politics was his willingness to risk a war with Italy rather than attempt to bribe her into continued neutrality. That was a gamble that paid off. Austria did not go down to defeat in 1915 as almost everyone had predicted. Thus, the emperor was unable to enjoy his empire’s last moment of glory, from Tarnow-Gorlice to the defeat of Serbia.
Where was Francis Joseph born?
Born 18 August 1830 in Schönbrunn Palace, Austria. Died 21 November 1916 in Schönbrunn Palace, Austria. Under the terms of the 1867 constitution, Francis Joseph retained his prerogatives in foreign policy. His decision to opt for war in 1914 was largely a result of the frustrations of Austria’s policy during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13.
Who was the Emperor of Austria in 1830?
Francis Joseph I , Emperor of Austria (1830-1916) experienced his share of war during the early years of his reign. During the revolutionary upheavals of 1848, he served for a few weeks with Josef Graf Radetzky’s (1766-1856) army in Italy and took part in the campaign against Hungary, famously entering Györ over a wooden bridge still smoldering ...
Why did Francis Joseph choose to go to war?
His decision to opt for war in 1914 was largely a result of the frustrations of Austria’s policy during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. Francis Joseph supported the high-handed policy of the military against his better judgment, but moved to curtail Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf’s position when he opted for the creation of a unified command in the east. He was a firm believer in the Dual Alliance, but opposed attempts to browbeat him into a Mitteleuropa and resented German efforts to buy off Italy at the expense of Austria in 1915.
When did Austria become a monarchy?
Austria was turned into Austria-Hungary in 1867 and “neo-absolutism” into constitutional monarchy, with the trend towards parliamentary government gaining speed in Hungary, but being stopped in its tracks in Austria after the 1890s. However, since 1867, foreign policy and army administration were subject to scrutiny by a toothless parliamentary ...
Why did Franz Joseph seek help from Russia?
Sensing a need to secure his right to rule, Franz Joseph sought help from Russia, requesting the intervention of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, in order "to prevent the Hungarian insurrection developing into a European calamity".
What was Franz Joseph's main goal?
However, Franz Joseph's desire to retain the non-German territories of the Habsburg Austrian Empire in the event of German unification proved problematic.
Who was Franz Joseph?
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( German: Franz Josef Karl, Hungarian: Ferenc József; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, and monarch of other states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from 2 December 1848 until his death.
What happened to Franz Ferdinand?
On 28 June 1914, the assassination of his nephew 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. That activated a system of alliances which resulted in World War I.
Where was Franz Joseph born?
Franz Joseph was born 18 August 1830 in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna (on the 65th anniversary of the death of Francis of Lorraine) as the eldest son of Archduke Franz Karl (the younger son of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II ), and his wife Princess Sophie of Bavaria.
Who was the emperor of Austria in 1914?
Relationship with Franz Ferdinand. The emperor and his great-grandnephew Otto von Habsburg, in September 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand became heir presumptive ( Thronfolger) to the throne of Austria-Hungary in 1896, after the deaths of his cousin Rudolf (in 1889) and his father Karl Ludwig (in 1896).
Who was the heir to the throne of Austria?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand became heir presumptive ( Thronfolger) to the throne of Austria-Hungary in 1896, after the deaths of his cousin Rudolf (in 1889) and his father Karl Ludwig (in 1896). 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. The emperor would not even consider giving his blessing to the union, as Sophie was merely of noble rank, not dynastic rank.

Neo-Absolutism
- Francis Joseph was made emperor of Austria on 2 December 1848, after the forced abdication of his uncle Ferdinand I (r. 1835–1848), as a response by the Habsburg family and its advisors to the 1848 revolutions. Raised by his mother, Sophie of Bavaria (1805–1872), to be a champion of divine-right absolutism in the spirit of his grandfather, Francis ...
Dualist Constitutionalism
- From 1860 Francis Joseph was forced to undertake a complete overhaul of the governing structures of his monarchy, which meant a return to a form of the constitutionalism that he had proudly abolished in 1851. At first a conservative-federalist structure (October Manifesto of 1860) was tried, then a liberal-centralist one (February Patent of 1861). Then the failed attempt to reas…
Nationalism and (German) Imperialism
- Francis Joseph's relative success in the 1880s did not last. The death of his only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in the legendarily murky murder-suicide at Mayerling on 30 January 1889, was not only a major state crisis and a personal tragedy for the emperor, but also ushered in a period that saw the collapse of the political status quo in both halves of the Monarchy. The failure of the Bo…
Bibliography
- Beller, Steven. Francis Joseph. London and New York, 1996. Corti, Egon C. Vom Kind zum Kaiser.Graz, Austria, 1950. ——. Mensch und Herrscher.Graz, Austria, 1952. ——. Der alte Kaiser.Written with Hans Sokol. Graz, Austria, 1955. Comprehensive three-volume biography. Sked, Alan. The Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire, 1815–1918.London, 1989. Steed, Henr…