Franz Joseph I and his family. Thanks for not making it

era of government Franz Joseph, which lasted almost seven decades, became the period of decline of the great Austrian Empire.

Franz Joseph ascended the throne of the Austrian Empire at the age of eighteen, at a time when the 1848 revolution was raging in the country. His uncle Emperor Ferdinand I, abdicated the throne, and the father, Archduke Franz Karl, renounced the rights of inheritance, which opened the way for Franz Joseph to the imperial crown.

Portrait of the family of Franz Joseph I (1861). commons.wikimedia.org

The position of the Austrian Empire during this period was critical, and only the intervention of the Russian troops, who assisted in the suppression of the revolution in Hungary, helped to prolong the existence of the Habsburg monarchy as a whole.

The weakness of power in the Austrian Empire forced Franz Joseph I to make political compromises, giving the national regions more and more rights.

In 1866, Austria was defeated in the war with Prussia, thus losing the opportunity to become the center of the unification of the German world.

In March 1867, the Austrian Empire became the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a constitutional dualistic monarchy. This decision was reached as a result of a compromise with a powerful national movement in Hungary.

Franz Joseph I was extremely skeptical of parliamentarism and adhered to conservative views, but the situation forced him to make more and more concessions. The emperor considered it the most important task to avoid military conflicts that could finally destroy the monarchy.

Franz Joseph I (1851). commons.wikimedia.org

Time for big problems

Franz Joseph managed to achieve this goal: from 1866 until the outbreak of the First World War, Austria did not participate in military conflicts. The emperor tried to support the development of industry, science and culture, and preserved the outward splendor of the ancient monarchy.

In the 1870s, Austria-Hungary entered into a military-political alliance with Germany, which allowed it to somewhat restore its influence in European politics. After the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, Austria-Hungary makes its last territorial acquisition, first by occupying and in 1908 annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina.

These actions of Austria-Hungary spoiled the country's relations with Russia and especially Serbia. On the territory inhabited by the Slavic peoples of Austria-Hungary, pan-Slavic organizations supported by Serbia were actively operating, seeking independence from Vienna.

Franz Joseph in 1855. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

An additional problem in relations with the Slavic population of the empire was that Franz Joseph I was a zealous Catholic who had close relations with the papacy, and many of his subjects professed Orthodoxy. It was extremely difficult to keep the situation under control under these conditions.

The fact that Franz Joseph had no direct heirs did not add to the stability of the monarchy. In 1889 his only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, committed suicide. Died earlier brother of Franz Joseph, Maximilian proclaimed emperor of Mexico.

became heir to the throne Franz Joseph's nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The emperor treated his nephew aloofly, did not bring him closer to him and did not seek to devote him to state affairs.

Assassination attempt on Franz Joseph I (1853). Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Franz Joseph was not close to the ideas of Franz Ferdinand about turning Austria-Hungary into the "United States of Austria-Hungary" with the expansion of the rights of the nations living in the state.

In addition, Franz Ferdinand was a categorical opponent of a military conflict with Russia, and at that time a “war party” formed around Franz Joseph, who believed that a military solution to the conflict with Serbia was possible, as well as a military clash with Serbia’s ally Russia with the help of Germany.

lust for war

The Austrian War Party was led by Chief of the General Staff of Austria-Hungary Konrad von Hetzendorf, who called for war with Serbia, despite the possible intervention of Russia as early as 1908, immediately after the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Franz Joseph I and Hungarian Prime Minister István Tisza (1905). Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

This position was strengthened after in 1909 Russia, wanting to avoid war with Germany and Austria-Hungary, actually forced Serbia to recognize the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The smoldering Balkan crisis erupted in June 1914, when the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife died at the hands of a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo.

84-year-old Franz Joseph, who survived another of his heirs, supported the "war party", which intended to use the assassination in Sarajevo as a pretext for a military solution to the "Serbian problem". Despite the fact that immediately after the death of Franz Ferdinand, the Austrian government and personally Emperor Franz Joseph hastened to assure Russia that they did not intend to take any military actions, three weeks later Serbia was presented with an obviously impossible ultimatum. After Serbia rejected a number of his points, Franz Joseph I declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914 and began to mobilize the army.

A few days later, the ensuing chain reaction of the allies of both sides turned into the beginning of the First World War.

Thanks for not making it

Emperor Franz Joseph, formally retaining the reins of government in his hands, appointed his commander-in-chief of the Austro-Hungarian troops brother, Archduke Friedrich. According to Franz Joseph, Frederick had to "not interfere" with the main supporter of the war - Chief of the General Staff Konrad von Hetzendorf.

However, the first months of the war showed that the Austro-Hungarian military leaders overestimated the power of their army. Austria-Hungary could not for a long time overcome the Serbian army, which was many times inferior in number, and the crushing defeat from the Russian army in the Battle of Galicia completely forced the military leaders to subsequently carry out operations only together with Germany, and not on their own.

The further the war went on, the more obvious its disastrous consequences for Austria-Hungary became. However, Franz Joseph I did not catch the last act of the drama of his empire. His health was deteriorating, and on November 21, 1916, in the midst of the war, the 86-year-old emperor died.

German king in 1745-1764 Holy Roman Emperor

empire in 1745-1765. Son of Duke Leopold of Lorraine and Elisabeth

(future queen of Hungary and Bohemia), daughter of Emperor Charles VI (born 1717)

Franz belonged to an ancient French family. According to his father, he was

grandson of the glorious Duke Charles of Lorraine, who shared with Jan Sobieski

glory of the famous victory over the Turks near Vienna in 1683. His mother was

niece of Louis XIV, daughter of his brother, the Duke of Orléans. He was born in

France, and at the age of thirteen he was brought to Vienna, where he grew up before his eyes.

future wife. In 1729, on the death of his father, Franz became duke

Lorraine. Seven years later Charles VI married him to his daughter Mary

Theresia, who was to eventually inherit all of his possessions. AT

1737, after the War of the Polish Succession, the young prince ceded

Lorraine of France, and in return received the Duchy of Tuscany, in which

the glorious family of the Medici was cut short. Finally, his wife, having become the ruler

Austria, delivered him in 1745 the title of Roman emperor.

Franz liked great freedom in his habits and communication. FROM

he approached those close to him easily, and in everything that concerned him personally,

forever discarded all etiquette. He introduced at the Austrian court, where before that

prim Spanish orders, French manners, French

taste, French costumes and French language (he himself never could

learn to speak German well, so that high society willy-nilly

had to learn the native language of the emperor). Unfortunately he was so bad

to passion, billiards, ball game, dice and pharaoh. During the Turkish Wars

1737 and 1738, in which he took a personal part, Franz was used to

appreciate the valor of the Hungarians and since then has always distinguished them and patronized

them. He had little influence on political affairs. Maria Theresa was very

power-hungry and did not want to share her rights with anyone. Although she

forced to choose Franz as emperor and declared him her co-ruler, this

was nothing more than courtesy on her part. Franz, however, was so timid,

who obediently endured his position. According to the Prussian diplomat Count

Podeville, the emperor had a very vivid imagination, an excellent memory and

common sense, but by nature he was so inert that he could not at all

do something seriously. He hated work and was completely deprived

ambition. In life, Franz valued pleasures most of all, and the hardships of government

willingly gave to his wife. At state councils, he was usually silent.

It is said that he once dared to express an opinion contrary to that of Mary

Theresa. The haughty Empress told her husband to be quiet, adding that "he

reason to interfere in such matters of which he has not the slightest idea.

Although Franz was far from always being faithful to his wife, she was tenderly and passionately

loved him. When the emperor suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 57

during the wedding celebrations of his son Leopold, it was a terrible blow for

Maria Theresa. We can say that after that she no longer lived, but only

eked out existence.

August 18, 1830 was born Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, who ruled for 68 years. He was at the head of the multinational power of the Habsburgs at the age of 18. During the seven decades of the reign of Franz Joseph I, the Austrian Empire came to a complete collapse as a result of the First World War.

The life of the imperial family has repeatedly become the subject of gossip and scandals.

failed marriage

In 1854, Franz Joseph I married the Bavarian princess Elisabeth, known in the home circle as Sisi. Her relationship with the emperor's mother, Archduchess Sophia of Bavaria, did not work out, which soon turned into a nervous breakdown for Elizabeth. From the 1860s, the Empress spent her time traveling, rarely seeing her husband and hardly ever seeing her children.

Sisi mostly traveled, rarely seeing her husband and children.

Emperor's Mistresses

At least two long-term love affairs of the emperor are known: with Anna Nagowski and Katharina Schratt.

Franz Joseph I met the first one by chance during a morning walk in the park of Schönbrunn Palace. Their relationship lasted 14 years. From the emperor, Nagowski received from time to time an envelope tightly stuffed with money.

Anna Nagowski's relationship with Franz Joseph I lasted 14 years

It is believed that Franz Joseph I was the father of two Nagowski children. Daughter Helena married the composer Alban Berg. And the son of Franz, on the day of the centenary of the emperor, cut off the little finger of his left hand and laid it on the grave of Franz Joseph I, after which he was declared insane and placed in a clinic.

The illegitimate son of Franz Joseph I cut off his little finger in honor of his father

The relationship between Nagowski and the emperor was brought to an end by the acquaintance of Franz Joseph I with the actress Katharina Schratt at the ball of industrialists in 1885. After a theatrical performance in honor of the Russian Tsar Alexander III, the troupe was invited to the monarchs for a dinner party. There, Katarina Schratt first met Empress Elisabeth, who decided to facilitate communication between the actress and the emperor. Close and trusting relations connected Katharina Schratt and Emperor Franz Joseph I, with some interruptions until his death in 1916.

Katarina Schratt loved to live in grand style and was fond of gambling, and the emperor constantly provided the actress with financial assistance to pay off her debts. The emperor also presented her with valuable jewelry as a gift, gave her a villa on the Gloriettengasse in Vienna and a three-story Königswarter palace on the Kärntner ring opposite the opera house.

Execution of a brother

In the early 1860s, the younger brother of Franz Joseph I, Maximilian, with the support of the French Emperor Napoleon III, received the title and crown of Emperor of Mexico. In the very near future, Maximilian faced opposition from the Republicans, led by Benito Juarez. Maximilian wrote a letter to Juarez with a proposal to join forces in bringing the country out of the crisis, but was refused. And later, a completely strong political opponent, who was supported by the United States.

After Napoleon III was forced to withdraw the French Expeditionary Force from Mexico, Maximilian's fate was sealed. The military confrontation that began with Juarez ended in victory for the latter.
The emperor was captured. Despite the requests of all European monarchs, US President Andrew Johnson, J. Garibaldi and Victor Hugo, Juarez, in accordance with the legal order, left the fate of Maximilian in the hands of a military court, which sentenced him to death.

Brother is homosexual

Archduke Ludwig Victor Joseph Anton of Austria was the younger brother of Franz Joseph I. He abandoned his ambition to expand the power of the dynasty and devoted himself to collecting art and building palaces. The most famous are the Renaissance palace of Ludwig Victor on Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna, designed by the architect Heinrich von Ferstel, and the Klesheim Palace near Salzburg. In his palace, Ludwig Victor arranged feasts, preferring male society.

Brother of Franz Joseph I was expelled from Vienna for association with homosexuals

Ludwig Victor is credited with numerous extravagant antics. For participation in a fight between homosexuals in the central baths of Vienna, Ludwig Victor was exiled by his brother-emperor to Salzburg in 1864. There Ludwig Victor continued to build palaces, was engaged in charity and patronage. In the last years of his life, Ludwig Victor suffered from a mental disorder.

Assassination of Elizabeth

Elizabeth did not care about her personal safety, she refused to be guarded, which drove her ladies-in-waiting and the police to despair. Fate, in the person of the anarchist Luigi Lukeni, lay in wait for her on the morning of Saturday, September 10, 1898, when Elizabeth, accompanied by one of her ladies-in-waiting, Countess Irma Sharay, walked along the Geneva embankment. The blow of the anarchist's sharpening knocked her down, but Elizabeth did not feel a wound in the heart and did not understand the true meaning of what had happened.

Thinking that the attacker just wanted to rip out her jewelry, she got up and tried to continue her walk. Only a few minutes later she felt an acute weakness, sank to the ground and lost consciousness. Her wish, expressed after the death of her son, was fulfilled: “I would also like to die from a small wound in my heart through which my soul will fly, but I want this to happen away from those I love.”

Suicide of an heir

The only son and heir of Franz Joseph I, Crown Prince Rudolf, according to one version, shot himself in 1889 at Mayerling Castle, having killed his beloved Baroness Maria Vechera before, and according to another version, he became the victim of a carefully planned political assassination.

The son of Franz Joseph I, according to one version, shot himself

After the strange death of Rudolph, the emperor's nephew Franz Ferdinand became the new heir to the throne. In 1914, the new heir to the throne was killed along with his wife in Sarajevo by the Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip. The heir to the throne was the son of Otto Franz, the younger brother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Karl Joseph, who was Franz Ferdinand's nephew.

Ivan Stychinsky

Franz Joseph I ( Franz Joseph I) was born on August 18, 1830 in Laxenburg. His father, Archduke Franz Karl, was a rather insignificant and ordinary figure. Franz Joseph owes many of his qualities, as well as succession to the throne, to his mother, the Bavarian princess Sophia. This smart and extremely energetic woman, " the only man in the imperial family”, gave her son a very good thoughtful education, dreaming of further elevating him to the throne. The young archduke from childhood showed remarkable abilities, especially for foreign languages. In addition to French, English and Latin, he knew Hungarian very well and was fluent in Polish, Czech and Italian. Much attention in his education was given to the military sciences. This left a certain imprint on his character: all his life, Franz Joseph retained a love of order, discipline, uniforms and strict observance of subordination. On the contrary, music, poetry, art played an insignificant role in his life.

Emperor Franz Joseph I The Emperor wears the white "holiday" uniform of German generals. Among the awards are the Military Medal, the Officer's Service Badge, the Russian Military Order of St. George IV degree, the stars of the highest degrees of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, the Order of St. Stephen, the Order of Leopold and the Order of the Iron Crown. A ribbon of the Military Order of Maria Theresa is worn over the shoulder

By nature, Franz Joseph had a sociable, cheerful disposition, he loved the simplicity of life and relationships. In the field of state and legal sciences, he did not have time to gain fundamental knowledge, since his studies were interrupted by the revolution.

In December 1848, Emperor Ferdinand was forced to abdicate in favor of his nephew. From that moment on, Franz Joseph becomes emperor. His full title is: His Imperial and Apostolic Majesty Franz Joseph I, by the grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia, King of Lombard and Dalmatian, Croatian, Galician and Illyrian, King of Jerusalem, etc.; Archduke of Austria; Grand Duke of Tuscany and Krakow; Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styrian, Carinthian, Carniolian and Bukovinian; Grand Duke of Transylvania; Margrave of Moravia; Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia, Modena, Parma, Piacenza and Guastal, and Zatora; Teshinsky, Friulian, and; sovereign count of Habsburg and Tyrol, Kyburg, Gorits and Gradish; prince of Trent and Brixen; Margrave of Upper and Lower Puddles and Istria; Count, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonneber, etc.; sovereign of Trieste, Kotor and the Vendian brand; Great, and so on, and so on, and so on.

Becoming emperor, he married his cousin Elizabeth, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria.

The long reign of Franz Joseph was filled with many upheavals, both external and internal. He stood at the helm of a vast empire torn apart by social and national contradictions. The first three years of his reign, the emperor had to reckon with the Constitution, but after 1849 the Russian troops suppressed the Hungarian revolution and the positions of the Habsburgs strengthened so much that in December 1851 Franz Joseph canceled the constitution and restored absolutism. After the death in 1859 of Prime Minister Prince Alfred Windischgrätz, who headed the liberal cabinet and played an important role in the beginning of the emperor's reign, power was finally concentrated in the hands of Franz Joseph. During these years, he saw his main task in maintaining the unity and strengthening the power of the empire, in creating a strong centralized state in which the boundaries between the various lands of the Habsburg monarchy would be erased. To this end, Franz Joseph tried to introduce a unified administrative, judicial and customs system throughout the state, to unify finances, taxation and the education system. However, many insurmountable difficulties eventually forced the emperor to abandon this policy.

The Crimean War was the first serious test for his system. Franz Joseph in these years firmly opposed Russia. He wrote to his mother: Our future is in the east, and we will drive the power and influence of Russia into those limits beyond which it has gone only because of weakness and confusion in our camp. Slowly, preferably imperceptibly for Tsar Nicholas, but surely, we will bring Russian policy to collapse. Of course, it is not good to oppose old friends, but in politics it is impossible otherwise, and our natural enemy in the east is Russia.". This letter shows that Franz Joseph was hardly aware of the fundamental importance of the old "Holy Alliance" for the preservation of his own empire. The Italian war, which began in 1859, turned out to be a bitter epiphany for the emperor. In three battles, the Austrian army is defeated by French and Sardinian troops. The emperor himself found himself in the same position in which he shortly before put Nicholas I. The former allies left him in the most insidious way: France fought on the side of Sardinia, and Prussia " didn't even lift a finger calmly watching the gross trampling» rights of Austria. In November, a peace was signed in Zurich, according to which Lombardy came under the rule of the Savoy dynasty; but it turned out that the emperor had not yet completely drunk the cup of humiliation. In 1866, Austria suffered a crushing defeat from the Prussian troops at Sadovaya. She had to leave Germany, which a few years later was united under the leadership of Prussia. Immediately after this, a powerful uprising began in Hungary, threatening the final collapse of the Habsburg monarchy. Franz Joseph realized that the previous course would bring him nothing but defeat. To preserve the unity of the state, it was necessary to make significant concessions to the national and liberal movement.

As early as 1861, Franz Joseph agreed to the introduction of a constitution in Austria. In 1867 a very liberal constitution was given to the Hungarians. She gave them complete autonomy, equalized their rights with the Austrians, organized the entire internal government of the country on a national basis and allowed them to have their own army. In the same year, Franz Joseph was crowned King of Hungary in Budapest. Following that, full autonomy was introduced in Galicia and partial - in the Czech Republic. Throughout the empire, a jury was established and the irremovability of judges was recognized. The following years have shown that the policy of reforms, despite all its moderation, gives good results. With the introduction of universal conscription, the army was strengthened. Strengthened finances. The construction of numerous railways led to an industrial boom. Equality of religions was declared. Great strides have been made in the field of education. Vienna and other cities expanded and were adorned with fine buildings. Alienation with Prussia after 1866 was overcome in 1878, when Austria-Hungary received at the Berlin Congress the right to temporarily occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In these and subsequent years, Franz Joseph strengthened his reputation as a balanced, tactful, benevolent monarch. He never imposed his will, but on the contrary, he tried to be a sensitive and skillful administrator. The emperor himself took care of the management affairs. He tried to cover the whole range of problems and delve into every little detail, devoting a lot of time to reviewing papers. Schönbrunn was his favorite residence throughout his life. The emperor got up very early - already at four o'clock in the morning he was on his feet, dressed in a general's uniform, drank a cup of coffee and set to work, which he did until 10 o'clock with remarkable diligence and accuracy. This was followed by audiences and meetings with ministers. He never held collegiate meetings of the Council of Ministers, but always dealt with each minister separately. At one o'clock it was time for breakfast. It was served right in the office so that the emperor would not be distracted from his affairs. At three o'clock the work was interrupted. After the walk, Franz Joseph left for Vienna. At 6 o'clock he returned to Schönbrunn, dined in a narrow circle of guests. At half past eight the emperor went to bed. This measured routine has not been broken for many years. Now they say that Austrians, Hungarians and Czechs get up early and go to bed early, respectively, life in cities begins and ends earlier. Franz Joseph, the former "lark", accustomed the whole empire to his routine.

The personal life of the emperor was unhappy. He never had many friends, and he was close to his wife only in the first years after the wedding. In the future, Elizabeth almost did not live in Austria, preferring Hungary and other countries to her. In 1898, she was killed by an Italian anarchist who did not even know who he was trying to kill. The eldest son and heir of the emperor Rudolph, a bright but nervous nature, unexpectedly committed suicide in 1889. The younger brother Maximilian, having become the Mexican emperor, was shot by rebels in 1867. The emperor's second brother, Karl Ludwig, died in 1896. His son Franz Ferdinand was declared heir to the throne. The emperor treated his nephew aloof, did not approach himself and did not seek to initiate him into state affairs. In 1908, Franz Joseph celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of his reign.

On June 28, 1914, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo. The killer was Serb Gavrilo Princip. As you know, this murder marked the beginning of the First World War. Despite his unwillingness to get involved in an international conflict (especially since he was extremely pessimistic about the prospects for war), Franz Joseph agreed with the representatives of the "war party" - c. including Chief of the General Staff Gen. Franz Konrad von Hetzendorf and L. Berchtold - and began the escalation of the conflict. In the early days, the emperor said: If the monarchy is destined to perish, then it must at least die with dignity.". With the outbreak of war, the emperor did not stand at the head of the army, but appointed his brother Archduke Friedrich as commander. For another two years, the emperor tried to keep all the threads of government in his hands, but then his condition deteriorated sharply and on November 21, 1916, Franz Joseph I died in Schönbrunn.

In his honor, the archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, which now belongs to the Russian Federation, was named Franz Josef Land, discovered by Austrian researchers in 1873.

The head of the dual state of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the Emperor of the Austrian Empire and the King of Bohemia, Franz Joseph 1, during the years of his reign, did not distinguish himself with a special greatness of deeds, but took an honorable place in European history due to ... long reign - he was on the throne for 68 years! In honor of the emperor in the Arctic Ocean, the Russian island of Franz Josef Land, discovered in 1873 by a polar Austrian expedition, is named.

The conservative emperor had a habit of going to bed early and getting up early, for which the common people called him "lark". Over the long years of his reign, Hungarians, Czechs and Austrians well learned this habit of his. The Germans adopted it from the latter. For which everyone was grateful to him - an active life in cities begins early and ends early, more free time is left for the family, for personal life. This habit has continued to this day.

The emperor was a pedant in everything: in clothes, ceremonies, etiquette. He was stingy and conservative, did not want a telephone to be brought to his palace, and hardly agreed to electricity. He knew his weaknesses and called himself "the last monarch of the old school". Franz Joseph loved the army, parades, uniforms. You will love our Japanese tea sets in a variety of colors and configurations. And in everything he tried to observe strict order and subordination, but by nature he was cheerful and sociable in the circle of his closest people.

Franz Joseph was a decent, intelligent and educated man. From childhood, he showed excellent abilities for languages, he was fluent in French, English, spoke Hungarian, Polish, Czech and Italian ...

Franz Joseph I began to rule in 1848. During the Austrian revolution, his uncle abdicated, and his father renounced inheritance rights, and 18-year-old Franz Joseph 1 was at the head of the multinational power of the Habsburgs. At this time in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and neighboring states, including, above all, Italy, it was restless. Somewhere social revolutions were brewing, somewhere the people, as in Italy, tried to get rid of the newcomers-invaders of the Austrians.

Franz Joseph was not a strategist, although he studied military sciences. But it was necessary to find a place for Austria among European states, create military alliances, go to conflicts, achieve victories for their subjects. He didn't do any of that. He saw his main enemy ... in the Russian Empire. This was his big mistake. Neither France nor Prussia became his reliable allies. He was losing previously conquered territories, in particular Lombardy in Italy. The Habsburg monarchy was in danger of collapse.

The bitter experience of the war and the uprising in Hungary and the Czech Republic forced him to make liberal concessions, Franz Joseph declared freedom of religion, began to actively engage in the economy, build railways, and contributed to the education of the population. In 1878, at the Berlin Congress, Austria-Hungary received a substantial increase - Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is possible that Franz Joseph would have achieved more significant results during his reign, if not for family adversity. He had a young and beautiful wife, the Bavarian princess Elisabeth Sissi, whom the Austrians adored, but the couple cooled off towards each other. In 1867, his younger brother, Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, was shot dead in Mexico. In 1872, his mother Sophia of Bavaria, whom he greatly revered, died, and six years later, his father, Franz Karl. In 1889, his only son and heir, Rudolf, who had previously killed his bride, shot himself. In 1898, an Italian anarchist killed his wife, Elisabeth. And in 19N, the new heir to the throne, the nephew of Franz Joseph, Franz Ferdinand, was shot dead in Sarajevo, which served as a pretext for the First World War. These were heavy losses for the emperor. They ruined his health. Franz Joseph died two years later at the age of 86.