Karl I

Karl I & IV is the Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, which makes him the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Karl is the 2nd Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the last independent Emperor of the Dual Monarchy and the first Emperor of the Empire as a puppet of the German Empire.

## History

### Early Life

Charles was born on 17 August 1887, in the Castle of Persenbeug, in Lower Austria. His parents were Archduke Otto Franz of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony. At the time, his great-uncle Franz Joseph reigned as Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Upon the death of Crown Prince Rudolph in 1889, the Emperor's brother, Archduke Karl Ludwig, was next in line to the Austro-Hungarian throne. However, his death in 1896 from typhoid made his eldest son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the new heir presumptive.

Archduke Charles was reared a devout Catholic. He spent his early years wherever his father's regiment happened to be stationed; later on, he lived in Vienna and Reichenau an der Rax. He was privately educated, but, contrary to the custom ruling in the imperial family, he attended a public gymnasium for the sake of demonstrations in scientific subjects. On the conclusion of his studies at the gymnasium, he entered the army, spending the years from 1906 to 1908 as an officer chiefly in Prague, where he studied Law and Political Science concurrently with his military duties.

In 1907, he was declared of age, and Prince Zdenko Lobkowitz was appointed as his chamberlain. During the next few years, he carried out his military duties in various Bohemian garrison towns. Charles' relations with his great-uncle were not intimate, and those with his uncle Franz Ferdinand were not cordial, with the differences between their wives increasing the existing tension between them. For these reasons, Charles, up to the time of the assassination of his uncle in 1914, obtained no insight into affairs of state, but led the life of a prince not destined for a high political position.

### Becoming Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary

Charles became heir presumptive after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, the event which precipitated World War I. Only at this time did the old Emperor take steps to initiate the heir-presumptive to his crown in affairs of state. But the outbreak of World War I interfered with this political education. Charles spent his time during the first phase of the war at headquarters at Teschen, but exercised no military influence.

Charles then became a *Feldmarschall* (Field Marshal) in the Austro-Hungarian Army. In the spring of 1916, in connection with the offensive against Italy, he was entrusted with the command of the XX. Corps, whose affections the heir-presumptive to the throne won by his affability and friendliness. The offensive, after a successful start, soon came to a standstill. Shortly afterwards, Charles went to the eastern front as commander of an army operating against the Russians and Romanians.

### Becoming Emperor of Austria-Hungary

Charles succeeded to the thrones in November 1916 after the death of his grand-uncle, Emperor Franz Joseph. On 2 December 1916, he assumed the title of Supreme Commander of the whole army, succeeding Archduke Friedrich. His coronation as King of Hungary occurred on 30 December. In 1917, Charles secretly entered into peace negotiations with France. He employed his brother-in-law, Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma, an officer in the Belgian Army, as intermediary. However, the Allies insisted on Austrian recognition of Italian claims to territory and Charles refused, so no progress was made. Foreign minister Graf Czernin was only interested in negotiating a general peace which would include Germany, Charles himself 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 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.

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, U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt demanded that the Empire allow for autonomy and 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 ethnic groups fought for full autonomy as separate nations, as they were now determined to become independent from Vienna at the earliest possible moment.

### Getting Conquered by the Germans

After the Russian Revolution, The Germans conquered the countries bordering Russia and West Russian territories of Belarus, Ukraine, Finland, Poland and the Baltic States. Austria-Hungary was one of those countries conquered by the Germans during that time. Wilhelm II declared Karl I as the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a Puppet State of the German Empire. Germany did a bunch of damage control on Austria's government by giving the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria to the newly created Polish-Lithuanian Empire. The Tsardom of Serbia had conquered Bosnia and Herzegovina as Kingdom of Romania conquered Transylvania and Bessarabia. The two countries were punished by Germany as they got conquered as Puppet States of Germany.

After the War, Austria-Hungary remained a puppet state of the German Empire as Karl I now spends the remainder of his time as Emperor of Austria-Hungary as a German Puppet

## Marriage

In 1911, Charles married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. They had met as children but did not see one another for almost ten years, as each pursued their education. In 1909, his Dragoon regiment was stationed at Brandýs nad Labem in Bohemia, from where he visited his aunt at Franzensbad.

It was during one of these visits that Charles and Zita became reacquainted. Due to Franz Ferdinand's morganatic marriage in 1900, his children were excluded from the succession. As a result, the Emperor pressured Charles to marry. Zita not only shared Charles' devout Catholicism, but also an impeccable royal lineage. Zita later recalled:

Archduke Charles traveled to Villa Pianore, the Italian winter residence of Zita's parents, and asked for her hand; on 13 June 1911, their engagement was announced at the Austrian court. Charles and Zita were married at the Bourbon-Parma castle of Schwarzau in Austria on 21 October 1911. Charles's great-uncle, the 81-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph, attended the wedding. He was relieved to see an heir make a suitable marriage, and was in good spirits, even leading the toast at the wedding breakfast. Archduchess Zita had given birth to seven children.

These are the seven children.

* Crown Prince Otto (b. 1912) married Susan French Moultrie (b. 1912) who is the daughter of Lloyd Moultrie, a show-business lawyer in 1930.
* Archduchess Adelheid (b. 1914) married Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (b. 1911) in 1930.
* Archduke Felix (b. 1916) married Princess Lady Tatiana Elizabeth Mountbatten (b. 1917)
* Archduke Karl Ludwig (b. 1918)
* Archduke Rudolf (b. 1919)
* Archduchess Charlotte (b. 1921)
* Archduchess Elisabeth (b. 1922)