

This left Franz Ferdinand's father, Karl Ludwig, as first in line to the throne. His cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling. In 1889, Franz Ferdinand's life changed dramatically. Franz Ferdinand thus became one of the wealthiest men in Austria. In 1875, when he was eleven years old, his cousin Francis V, Duke of Modena, died, naming Franz Ferdinand his heir on condition that he add the name "Este" to his own. Biography Early lifeįranz Ferdinand was born in Graz, Austria, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria (the younger brother of Franz Joseph and Maximilian) and of his second wife, Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
#Karl franz wife series
Franz Ferdinand's assassination led to the July Crisis and precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia, which in turn triggered a series of events that eventually led – four weeks after his death – to Austria-Hungary's allies and Serbia's allies declaring war on each other, starting World War I. On 28 June 1914, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo by the 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a member of Young Bosnia. Franz Ferdinand held significant influence over the military, and in 1913 he was appointed inspector general of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces.

His courtship of Sophie Chotek, a lady-in-waiting, caused conflict within the imperial household, and their morganatic marriage in 1900 was only allowed after he renounced his descendants' rights to the throne. Following the death of Crown Prince Rudolf in 1889 and the death of Karl Ludwig in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.įranz Ferdinand was the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
#Karl franz wife archive
Digital image Internet Archive : viewed 20 August 2017. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Gothaischer Genealogischer Hofkalender nebst Diplomatisch-Statistischem Jahrbuche.įamily, Kaiser 1 November 21, 1916, Abdicated November 09,1918. The death of Carl's father, Otto, on 1 November 1906 and the assassination of his uncle Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 now placed Carl as heir to his great uncle Franz Joseph, and he succeeded him as Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary and King of Bohemia on 21 November 1916. Franz Ferdinand's decision to undertake what was considered a morganatic marriage and renounce for his children and descendants any dynastic rights or privileges on 28 June 1900 meant that Carl moved one step closer to the throne. However the death of Franz Joseph's only son Rudolf in 1889, followed by Karl Ludwig in 1896, placed Carl's uncle Franz Ferdinand as the next heir. Heir to throneĪt his birth Carl seemed to be destined to the life of a younger member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, his paternal grandfather Karl Ludwig, being a younger brother of Franz Joseph I, the Emperor of Austria. Join: European Royals and Aristocrats Project Discuss: euroaristoĬarl (or Karl) Franz Joseph Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Maria, Erzherzog von Österreich-Este (Archduke of Austria-Este) was born 17 August 1887 at Schloss Persenbeug, in Lower Austria, the eldest of the two sons of Otto Franz Joseph Karl Ludwig Maria, Erzherzog von Österreich of the house of Habsburg-Lothringen (Habsburg-Lorraine) and his wife, Maria Josepha, Prinzessin von Sachsen (Princess of Saxony). Charles (Habsburg-Lorraine) of Habsburg-Lorraine was a member of aristocracy in Europe.
