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Franz Joseph I of Austria
(Emperor of Austria King of Hungary (1848 - 1916))
Listed In: Historical Personalities
Birthdate: August 18, 1830
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: 1916
Franz Joseph I of Austria served as Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, leading the Habsburg monarchy through various challenges, including the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and the Italian Wars of Independence. Despite his initial resistance to constitutionalism, he later granted Hungary greater autonomy through the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. Throughout his reign, he grappled with the rise of nationalism and faced personal tragedies, such as the execution of his brother Maximilian I of Mexico and the assassination of his wife Elisabeth and nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand. His time in power also coincided with the onset of World War I.