He succeeded to the throne upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1916.įuneral Procession for Emperor Franz Joseph, in front: Zita and Karl with their oldest son Otto Credit – WikipediaĪt the end of World War I, the armistice required that the Austrian-Hungarian Empire allow for autonomy and self-determination of the government of its various ethnic populations. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Karl became the heir. Archduke Franz Ferdinand had been allowed to make a morganatic marriage with the condition that the children of the marriage would not have succession rights. When Karl Ludwig died in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir to his uncle’s throne.Īrchduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir until his assassination on June 28, 1914, an event that was one of the causes of World War I. He was only three years younger than Franz Joseph and not a realistic choice. However, an act of renunciation was never formally signed and Karl Ludwig was never officially designated heir to the throne. There have been suggestions that Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Franz Ferdinand. In 1889, after the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I, the next heir was Karl’s grandfather Archduke Karl Ludwig, with his elder son Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Karl and Zita with their children Photo Credit – Wikipedia Guardian: Pope to beatify ‘buffoon’ who was Austria’s last emperor.Deutsche Welt: Historians Question the Beatification of Blessed Charles.Catholic Online: Miracle – Florida woman’s cure may lead to sainthood for Blessed Karl of Austria.Blessed Karl of Austria Beatification and Canonization Site.The websites below illustrate the different points of view. The Roman Catholic Church’s view is that Karl showed “heroic virtue” by being the only leader during World War I to put his faith first when making political decisions. Furthermore, after the war, Karl attempted twice to regain the throne of Hungary which he had also formerly held, resulting in the deaths of many in street fighting. However, the French published letters from him proving his involvement. When news of this was leaked, Karl denied all involvement. As the war ended, Karl deserted Austria’s ally Germany and secretly attempted to make peace with France. In addition, Karl was accused of being a liar. During World War I, when Karl was Supreme Commander, the Austrian army used poison gas on the Italian front. Although Karl was a devout Catholic, some of his actions have been questioned because they do not seem saint-like. Karl’s beatification in 2004 was not without controversy.
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