Franz Joseph ascended the throne of the Austrian Empire in 1848. His concept of rulership was informed by a great sense...
Franz Joseph I
Emperor of Austria
1848–1916
Franz II was the last emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. After Napoleon proclaimed the French...
Franz II (I)
Roman-German emperor and Emperor of Austria
1792–1835
Franz Stephan married Maria Theresa in 1736, thus founding the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. In 1740, following the...
Franz I Stephan of Lorraine
Roman-German Emperor
1745–1765
Franz Ferdinand, a nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph, had become the favourite for heir to the throne after the suicide of...
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke of Austria-Este
The younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, Maximilian was viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia until 1859. He...
Ferdinand Maximilian
Emperor of Mexico
1864–1867
The regency of Ferdinand Karl as sovereign prince of Tyrol is generally seen in a very critical light: he is described...
Ferdinand Karl
Archduke of Austria-Tyrol
Archduke Ferdinand was groomed from an early age by his father Emperor Ferdinand III as his successor on the throne...
Ferdinand IV
Roman-German King
Ferdinand succeeded his father Leopold as regent in Tuscany in 1791, after the latter became emperor. His life was...
Ferdinand III of Tuscany
Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinand was introduced to political duties at an early age. During the Thirty Years’ War, after the murder of the...
Ferdinand III
Roman-German Emperor
1637–1657
Appointed regent of Bohemia by his father, Ferdinand I, after the latter’s death in 1564 he ruled over Tyrol and the...
Ferdinand II of Tyrol
Archduke of Austria
Ferdinand was a belligerent and ruthless monarch: as ruler over Inner Austria he relentlessly implemented the re-...
Ferdinand II
Roman-German Emperor
1619–1637
On the basis of agreements concluded with his powerful brother Emperor Charles V, Ferdinand I was assigned the...
Ferdinand I
Roman-German Emperor
1558–1564
A weak leader, during his reign Ferdinand stood in the shadow of his state chancellor, Prince Metternich, and the so-...
Ferdinand I
Emperor of Austria
1835–1848
Ernest fought over his share of the Habsburg patrimony with his brothers William and Leopold IV. He became regent over...
Ernest ‘the Iron’
Archduke of Austria
Elisabeth, ‘Sisi’ to her family, was the daughter of Duke Max in Bavaria and Duchess Ludovika. She was betrothed to her...
Elisabeth
Empress of Austria
Eleonora Gonzaga, also called Eleonora of Mantua, was from the ducal family of Mantua. On her marriage to Emperor...
Eleonora of Mantua

* 1598, † 1655

A member of the ducal family of Mantua, Eleonore Gonzaga became the third wife of Emperor Ferdinand III in 1651. She...
Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua

* 1630, † 1686

Charles was installed as heir to the Spanish Habsburgs in 1703 but lost the crown in the war of succession. As...
Charles VI
Roman-German Emperor
1711–1740
Charles V was one of the most powerful European rulers of all times, reigning over territories in Europe and the...
Charles V
Roman-German Emperor
1519–1556
At the partition of the Habsburg domains under the sons of Emperor Ferdinand I the youngest son Charles was assigned...
Charles II
Archduke of Inner Austria
He succeeded his father Philip IV at the age of four. The genetic outcome of the constant consanguineous marriages...
Charles II
King of Spain
The son of Ernest ‘the Iron’, he ruled over the Habsburg Swabian territories from 1446, but demanded a greater share of...
Albrecht VI
Archduke of Austria
The only son of Duke Albrecht III, he initially shared power with his cousin Wilhelm. However, he became increasingly...
Albrecht IV, 'the Patient'
Duke of Austria
1395–1404
The early years of Duke Albrecht III’s reign were marked by the efforts of his brother Leopold III to divide the...
Albrecht III, ‘with the plait’
Duke of Austria

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