how long was franz josef emperor
Emperor Franz Josef of Austria dies. On this day in 1916, with World War I in full swing, the popular monarch Franz Josef of Austria dies at the age of 86, after reigning for 66 years. The issue of who would succeed the emperor had long been complicated. Franz Josefâs life was marked by tragedy: His only son, Rudolf, committed suicide in 1889, and his wife, Elisabeth, was assassinated in Geneva in 1898 by an Italian anarchist.