'The Blessed Charles I' (''Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen'') (
17 August 1887 –
1 April 1922) (''Hungarian'': 'IV. Károly' (''Károly Ferenc József'')) was (among other titles) the last
Emperor of
Austria, the last
King of
Hungary and
Bohemia, and the last monarch of the
Habsburg dynasty. He reigned as Charles I as Emperor of Austria and Charles IV as King of Hungary from 1916 until 1918, when Austria was proclaimed a
republic and he renounced this new form of government, but did not abdicate. He spent the remaining years of his life attempting to restore the monarchy until his death in 1922. His name is usually anglicised as "Charles."
Life
Early Life
Charles was born on August 17, 1887, in the Castle of Persenbeug in Lower Austria. He was the son of
Archduke Otto Franz of Austria (1865–1906) and
Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (1867–1944); he was also a nephew of
Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Este. As a child, Charles was given a strict
Catholic education. In
1911, Charles married Princess
Zita of Parma.
Charles became heir-presumptive when his uncle,
Francis Ferdinand, was assassinated in
Sarajevo in
1914, the event which precipitated
World War I. Charles' reign began in
1916, when his grand-uncle,
Francis Joseph I died. Charles also became a
Generalfeldmarschall in the
Austro-Hungarian Army.
Reign
On 2 December 1916, he took over the title of Supreme Commander to a whole army from Archduke Frederick. In
1917, Charles secretly entered into peace negotiations with France. Although his foreign minister,
Ottokar Czernin, was only interested in negotiating a general peace which would include Germany as well, Charles himself, in negotiations with the French with his brother-in-law,
Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma, an officer in the Belgian army, as intermediary, went much further in suggesting his willingness to make a separate peace. When news of the overture leaked in April
1918, Charles denied involvement until the French prime minister
Georges Clemenceau published letters signed by him. This led to Czernin's resignation, forcing Austria-Hungary into an even more dependent position with respect to its seemingly wronged German ally.
King Charles taking his oath as part of the coronation ceremonies
Budapest, December 1916.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was wracked by inner turmoil in the final years of the war, with much tension between ethnic groups. As part of his
Fourteen Points, US President
Woodrow Wilson demanded that the Empire allow for the self-determination of its peoples. In response, Charles agreed to reconvene the Imperial parliament and allow for the creation of a
confederation with each national group exercising self-governance. However, the reforms quickly spiraled out of control, with each national government declaring complete independence. Charles' political future became uncertain. For a time it appeared that he might reign as monarch of a newly independent
Austria, but
Austria's new
republican government ultimately vetoed this idea.
On
11 November 1918, Charles proclaimed formally "I relinquish every participation in the administration of the State" but did not abdicate his thrones
[1]. By this time, nearly all the nationalities of the empire had proclaimed their intention to secede from the monarchy
[1]. He then fled to
Switzerland and continued to pursue regaining power from exile.
Encouraged by Hungarian nationalists, Charles sought twice in
1921 to reclaim the throne of Hungary but failed due to various factors including the lack of support of the Hungarian Regent
Miklós Horthy. Horthy's failure to support Charles' restoration attempts is often described as "treasonous" by monarchists. Critics suggest that Horthy's actions were more firmly grounded in political reality than the King of Hungary and his supporters. Charles left Hungary from the city of
Baja forever. (For a more detailed account of Charles' attempts to regain the throne, see ''
Charles I of Austria's conflict with Miklós Horthy''.)
Death
Charles died of severe
pneumonia (brought on after Charles, an already sickly man, walked into town on a freezing winter's day) on the
Portuguese island of
Madeira in 1922. His remains except for his heart are still kept on the island, in the Church of Our Lady of the
Monte, in spite of several attempts to move them to the
Habsburg Crypt in Vienna. His heart, and that of Empress Zita, repose in the Loreto Chapel of
Muri Abbey. During his stay on the island, his personal chaplain was Priest
Jorge de Faria e Castro.
Charles' brief rule is considered by the
Roman Catholic Church to have expressed
Catholic social teaching, and he created a social legal framework which survives in part to this day. After his failed attempts to regain the Hungarian Crown, he and his Queen were first imprisoned and then exiled to Madeira, together with their children, where they lived in impoverished conditions until his death
[2]
Post-Mortem
Tomb of Charles I
Historians have been mixed in their evaluations of Charles and his reign. One of the most critical has been
Helmut Rumpler, head of the Habsburg commission of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences, who has described Charles as "a dilettante, far too weak for the challenges facing him, out of his depth, and not really a politician." However, others have seen Charles as a brave and honorable figure who tried as emperor-king to halt
World War I. The English writer,
Herbert Vivian, wrote:
"Karl was a great leader, a prince of peace, who wanted to save the world from a year of war; a statesman with ideas to save his people from the complicated problems of his empire; a king who loved his people, a fearless man, a noble soul, distinguished, a saint from whose grave blessings come."
Furthermore,
Anatole France, the French novelist, stated:
"Emperor Karl is the only decent man to come out of the war in a leadership position, yet he was a saint and no one listened to him. He sincerely wanted peace, and therefore was despised by the whole world. It was a wonderful chance that was lost."
All of these various viewpoints give weight to the words of Pope
Saint Pius X during an audience with a young Charles: "I bless
Archduke Charles, who will be the future Emperor of Austria and will help lead his countries and peoples to great honor and many blessings--but this will not become obvious until after his death."
Beatification
Charles has been solemnly declared blessed in the ceremony of
beatification by the
Roman Catholic Church. The Church has praised Charles for putting his Christian faith first in making political decisions, and for his perceived role as a peacemaker during the war, especially after
1917. During the Mass of Beatification on
3 October 2004, Pope John Paul II stated:
Charles I
The decisive task of Christians consists in seeking, recognizing and following God's will in all things. The Christian statesman, Charles of Austria , confronted this challenge every day. To his eyes, war appeared as "something appalling". Amid the tumult of the First World War, he strove to promote the peace initiative of my Predecessor, Benedict XV.
From the beginning, the Emperor Charles conceived of his office as a holy service to his people. His chief concern was to follow the Christian vocation to holiness also in his political actions. For this reason, his thoughts turned to social assistance. May he be an example for all of us, especially for those who have political responsibilities in Europe today!
The ''cause'' or campaign began in
1949 when testimony of his holiness was collected in the
Archdiocese of
Vienna. In
1954, he was declared
venerable, the first step on the process beatification. The League of Prayers established for the promotion of his cause has created this
website. Christoph Cardinal Schönborn of
Vienna has been the Church's sponsor for his beatification.
Recent Milestones
★ On
14 April 2003, the
Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the presence of
Pope John Paul II, promulgated Charles of Austria's "heroic virtues."
★ On
21 December 2003, the Congregation certified, on the basis of three expert medical opinions, that a miracle in
1960 occurred through the
intercession of Charles. The miracle attributed to Charles was the scientifically inexplicable healing of a Brazilian
nun with debilitating
varicose veins; she was able to get out of bed after she prayed for his
beatification.
★ On
3 October 2004, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II. The Pope also declared
21 October, the date of Charles' marriage in
1911 to Princess Zita, as Charles'
feast day. The beatification has caused controversy because of the mistaken belief that Charles authorized the
Austro-Hungarian Army's use of
poison gas during
World War I[2], when he was the first, and only, world leader during the war who banned its use.
★ Currently, several possible miracles attributed to his intercession are being investigated and documented. Another miracle is required for his
Canonization as a
Saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
Issue
The Emperor Charles had eight children (five boys and three girls):
★
Crown Prince Otto (1912–), married Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and Hildburghausen and has issue
★ Archduchess Adelheid (1914–1971), unmarried
★
Archduke Robert (1915–1996), married
Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta and had issue
★
★ Archduchess Marie Beatrice (b. 1954)
★
★
Archduke Lorenz (b. 1955), married
Princess Astrid of Belgium and has issue
★
★
★
Archduke Amedeo (b. 1986)
★
★
★
Archduchess Maria Laura (b. 1988)
★
★
★
Archduke Joachim (b. 1991)
★
★
★
Archduchess Luisa Maria (b. 1995)
★
★
★
Archduchess Laetitia Maria (b. 2003)
★
★ Archduke Gerhard (b. 1957)
★
★ Archduke Martin (b. 1959), married Princess Katharina of Isenburg
★
★
★ Archduke Bartholomeus of Austria (b. 2006)
★
★ Archduchess Isabella (b. 1963), married Count Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi
★
★
★ Alvise Czarnocki-Lucheschi (b. 1999)
★
★
★ Carlo Amedeo Czarnocki-Lucheschi (b. 2000)
★
★
★ Maria Anna Czarnocki-Lucheschi (b. 2002)
★
★
★ Allesandro Czarnocki-Lucheschi (b. 2004)
★ Archduke Felix (1916–), married Princess Anna-Eugénie of Arenberg and has issue
★ Archduke Karl Ludwig (1918–), married Princess Yolande of Ligne and has issue
★
★ Archduke Rudolf (b. 1950)
★
★ Archduchess Alexandra (b. 1952)
★
★
Archduke Karl Christian (b. 1954), married
Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg and has issue
★
★
★
Archduchess Marie Christine (b. 1983)
★
★
★
Archduke Imre (b. 1985)
★
★
★
Archduke Christoph (b. 1988)
★
★
★
Archduke Alexander (b. 1990)
★
★
★
Archduchess Gabriella (b. 1994)
★
★ Archduchess Maria Constance (b. 1957)
★ Archduke Rudolf (1919–), married firstly Countess Xenia Tschernyscheva-Besobrasova and secondly Princess Anna of Wrede, has issue by both
★
★ Archduchess Maria-Anne (b. 1954)
★
★ Archduke Carl Peter (b. 1955)
★
★ Archduke Simeon (b. 1958)
★
★ Archduke Johannes Carl (1962–1975)
★
★ Archduchess Catherine (b. 1972)
★ Archduchess Charlotte (1921–1989), married
Count Georg of Carlow, Duke of Mecklenburg
★ Archduchess Elisabeth (1922–1993), married Prince
Heinrich of Liechtenstein and had issue
Quotes
★ "Now, we must help each other to get to Heaven."
[3] Addressing Empress Zita on
October 22,
1911, the day before their wedding.
★ "I am an officer with all my body and soul, but I do not see how anyone who sees his dearest relations leaving for the front can love war."
[4] Addressing Empress Zita after the outbreak of
World War I.
★ "I have done my duty, as I came here to do. As crowned King, I not only have a right, I also have a duty. I must uphold the right, the dignity and honor of the Crown... For me, this is not something light. With the last breath of my life I must take the path of duty. Whatever I regret, Our Lord and Savior has led me."
[5] Addressing
Cardinal Csernoch after the defeat of his attempt to regain the Hungarian throne in
1921. The British Government had vainly hoped that the Cardinal would be able to persuade him to renounce his title as
King of Hungary.
★ "I must suffer like this so my people will come together again."
[6] Spoken in Madeira, during his last illness.
★ "I can't go on much longer... Thy will be done... Yes... Yes... As you will it... Jesus!"
[7] Reciting his last words while contemplating a
crucifix held by Empress Zita.
Ancestors
Official style of Charles I
His Imperial and Royal
Apostolic Majesty,
Charles the First,
By the Grace of God,
Emperor of
Austria,
Apostolic King of
Hungary, of this name the Fourth,
King of
Bohemia,
Dalmatia,
Croatia,
Slavonia, and
Galicia,
Lodomeria, and
Illyria; King of
Jerusalem etc., Archduke of
Austria; Grand Duke of
Tuscany and
Cracow, Duke of
Lorraine and of
Salzburg, of
Styria, of
Carinthia, of
Carniola and of the
Bukovina; Grand Prince of
Transylvania; Margrave of
Moravia; Duke of Upper and Lower
Silesia, of
Modena,
Parma,
Piacenza and
Guastalla, of
Auschwitz and
Zator, of
Teschen,
Friuli,
Ragusa and
Zara; Princely Count of
Habsburg and
Tyrol, of
Kyburg,
Gorizia and
Gradisca; Prince of
Trent and
Brixen; Margrave of Upper and Lower
Lusatia and in
Istria; Count of
Hohenems,
Feldkirch,
Bregenz,
Sonnenberg, etc.; Lord of
Trieste, of
Cattaro, and in the
Wendish Mark;
Grand Voivode of the
Voivodship of Serbia etc. etc.
See also
★
Otto von Habsburg, Charles' oldest son and
as of 2007 head of the
Habsburg family
★
Austria-Hungary
Footnotes
1. ''Kings and Queens of Hungary & Princes of Transylvania'', by István Gombás published by Corvina, Budapest, 2002 (ISBN 963-13-5152-1)
2. ''Blessed Emperor Charles, Prince of Peace for a United Europe'', a Roman Catholic pamphlet, Nihil Obstat: Archdiocese of Vienna, 6.7.2005, K1238/05.
3. James and Joanna Bogle, "A Heart for Europe," page 35.
4. Bogle, "A Heart for Europe," page 54.
5. Bogle, "A Heart for Europe," page 137.
6. Bogle, "A Heart for Europe," page 143.
7. Bogle, "A Heart for Europe," page 144.
External links
★
Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen
★
[3] blessed Emperor Charles
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