Karl Franz Joseph Habsburg I (1887-1922)

Austrian Emperor. Born at Persenbeug Castle, Austria, on October 21, 1911 he married Princess Zita de Bourbon-Parma. Upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I on November 21, 1916, he became Emperor of Austria during World War I. On December 30, 1916 he was crowned Apostolic King of Hungary in Budapest. He strove ceaselessly to bring an end to the war but his efforts were in vain. In 1918 he renounced his participation in the government of Austria-Hungary and in 1919 went into exile. In 1949, his cause for sainthood was introduced in the Catholic Church. On April 1, 1972, the fiftieth anniversary of his death, his coffin was opened by an commission consisting of ecclesiastical authorities and members of the family. They discovered that his body had been preserved intact. He was been found to have possessed "heroic virtue," and a miracle, which has held up to ecclesiastical scrutiny, has been documented. In the little parish church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, high above Funchal's scenic harbor, there is a small chapel filled with the bright sunshine of Madeira. His coffin rests in plain view on a stone block, beneath a large crucifix.

Bio by: Matyas