Austrian Monarch. Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary from 1848 until 1916. He ascended to the throne following the abdication of Emperor Ferdinand I, and during a time of revolutionary events in all Europe. He had soon to deal with the issue of independence of Lombardy and Veneto. To protect these regions by the expansionist intentions of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, between 1848 and 1866, he has fought three bloody wars, ended with the defeat against Prussia and the loss of those territories in favor of the nascent Italy. In 1867 he instituted the double monarchy to prevent the separation of Hungary . He suffered because of family tragedies that befell his family: the assassination of the younger brother Maximilian in Mexico in 1867, the suicide of son Rudolph in 1889, and the assassination of his wife Elizabeth in 1898. In 1914, following the killing of Crown Prince Archduke Ferdinand, and the aggressive policy of Germany, declared war on Serbia, causing the beginning of World War I, the decline and the subsequent fall of the Empire. His was the sixth longest verifiable reign (67 years, 355 days) of a monarch of a sovereign state.
Austrian Monarch. Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary from 1848 until 1916. He ascended to the throne following the abdication of Emperor Ferdinand I, and during a time of revolutionary events in all Europe. He had soon to deal with the issue of independence of Lombardy and Veneto. To protect these regions by the expansionist intentions of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, between 1848 and 1866, he has fought three bloody wars, ended with the defeat against Prussia and the loss of those territories in favor of the nascent Italy. In 1867 he instituted the double monarchy to prevent the separation of Hungary . He suffered because of family tragedies that befell his family: the assassination of the younger brother Maximilian in Mexico in 1867, the suicide of son Rudolph in 1889, and the assassination of his wife Elizabeth in 1898. In 1914, following the killing of Crown Prince Archduke Ferdinand, and the aggressive policy of Germany, declared war on Serbia, causing the beginning of World War I, the decline and the subsequent fall of the Empire. His was the sixth longest verifiable reign (67 years, 355 days) of a monarch of a sovereign state.
Bio by: Lucy & Chris
Family Members
Parents
Siblings
Advertisement
See more Habsburg memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
