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Karl of Austria (August 17, 1887 - April 1, 1922), more formally known as Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen, was (among other titles) the last Emperor of Austria, the last King of Hungary and Bohemia, and the last monarch of the Habsburg Dynasty.
Life
Karl was the son of Otto Franz of Austria (1865-1906), younger brother of Princess Josepha of Saxony and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination triggered World War I. In 1911 he was married to Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma.
His reign began in 1916. In 1917, Karl secretly sued for a separate peace with France, deserting his German ally. When news of the overture leaked, he denied all involvement, until the French published letters signed by him.
On November 11, 1918 he proclaimed formally "I relinquish every participation in the administration of the State" but did not abdicate his thrones.[1] (http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/abdication_karl.htm)
He fled to Switzerland after the empire collapsed at the end of the war, but refused to abdicate. Encouraged by Hungarian nationalists, he sought twice in the early 1920s to reclaim the throne of Hungary, but failed, due to various factors including the betrayal of the Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy, whom Karl had helped to appoint.
He died on the island of Madeira in 1922.
After his death
Some historians have seen Karl as an honourable figure who tried as emperor-king to halt World War I. Helmut Rumpler, head of the Habsburg commission of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, has described Karl as "a dilettante, far too weak for the challenges facing him, out of his depth, and not really a politician." [2] (http://www.iht.com/articles/541780.html)
Beatification
Karl has been solemnly declared blessed in the ceremony of beatification by the Roman Catholic Church. The cause or campaign began in 1949 where
testimony of his holiness was collected in the Archdiocese of Vienna.
In 1954, he was declared venerable the first step on the process of named a saint.
The guild established for the promotion of his cause has created this website (http://www.beatificationemperorcharles.info/English/home%20EN.htm).
The Roman Catholic Church has praised Karl for putting his Christian faith first in making political decisions, and for his perceived role as a peacemaker during the war. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna has been the Church's sponsor for his beatification.
The controversy (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6126292/) over his beatification in Austria is based on the interpretation of Karl's conduct during his three year reign and
contemporary debate over separation of Church and State in Austria, and a small neo-monarchist movement.
Recent milestones include:
See also
External link
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