Francis Joseph
(1830-1916)
Personal Profile
Was the emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916). Francis divided his empire into the Dual Monarchy, in which Austria and Hungary coexisted as equal partners. He was no more a strategist than he was a statesman, and in 1914 his ultimatum to Serbia led Austria and Germany into World War I. Austrian military defeats forced Francis Joseph to come to terms with the Magyar nobility of Hungary.