Black Dog F75015 Franz Joseph I

Franciszek Józef I (German: Franz Joseph I) was born in 1830 and died in 1916. He reigned as Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia and King of Hungary in the years 1848-1916. He came from the Habsburg dynasty - he was the son of Archduke Franz Charles and Zofia Wittelsbach. The ruler received careful education and was fluent in several languages (including Hungarian). He also underwent military training. As a result of the turmoil of the Spring of Nations in 1848, he took the throne at the age of less than 18. During the first years of his rule, he continued the traditions of absolute monarchy and did not agree to major concessions or granting autonomy to individual provinces. However, due to the lost wars in 1859 (with France and Piedmont) and in 1866 (with Prussia), he was forced to change his internal policy, which was reflected in the transformation of the state into a dualist monarchy called Austria-Hungary (1867). or granting far-reaching autonomy to provinces, such as Galicia, from 1860. After 1867, in internal politics, he tried to unite the state and eliminate nascent nationalisms - with moderate success. In foreign policy, he established close relations with a united Germany and in 1878 he entered into a close alliance with them, which lasted until the end of World War I. Franz Josef I died on November 21, 1916 in the palace in Schönbrunn. The monarch's assessment is ambiguous, because on the one hand, his reign is a time of far-reaching systemic evolution of the monarchy, granting autonomy to many peoples and excellent cultural development (especially at the turn of the 20th century), but also dependence in foreign policy on Germany (after 1878 ) and the loss of three wars - including the most important one in 1914-1918, which led to the collapse of Austria-Hungary. However, there is no doubt that Franz Joseph I enjoyed great authority and great popularity among his subjects. He was also one of the longest reigning rulers in the history of Europe.