Franz Joseph (1830-1916), also spelled Franz Josef, was the aged ruler of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary at the beginning of World War I (1914-1918). Franz Joseph ruled as emperor of Austria for 68 years. His popularity, as well as military force, held the widely different elements of the dual monarchy together. When his heir and nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in 1914, Franz Joseph declared war on Serbia. This led to World War I (see Serbia ; World War I ).
Franz Joseph was born on Oct. 18, 1830. He became emperor of Austria in 1848, a year of national revolutions. He was a member of the ancient ruling family of Habsburg (see Habsburg, House of ).
During Franz Joseph’s long reign, Austria prospered. However, it suffered several military defeats. In the war against Sardinia and France in 1859, Austria lost the province of Lombardy (see Sardinia, Kingdom of ). Prussia defeated Austria and three smaller German states in the Seven Weeks’ War of 1866. As a result, Austria lost much of its influence in Germany (see Seven Weeks’ War ). Franz Joseph then adopted more liberal internal policies, granting the Hungarians their own government. This brought about the Austro-Hungarian empire, and Franz Joseph took the additional title of king of Hungary in 1867 (see Austria-Hungary ).
Franz Joseph’s only son, Archduke Rudolph, committed suicide in 1889. An Italian anarchist killed Franz Joseph’s wife, Elisabeth, in 1898. Franz Joseph died on Nov. 21, 1916. A great-nephew, Charles I, succeeded him as emperor (see Charles I ).
