Look, If You Had One Shot... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rudoph committed suicide

Crown Prince Rudolph (Rudolf Franz Karl Josef 1858 -1889) was the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria (nicknamed 'Sissi'). From birth, Rudolph was next in line to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, an empire, that at that time, was huge. In fact, by 1914, Austria-Hungary was the second largest state in Europe (Russia being the largest) and contained an area that today lies within the borders of Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Ukraine.

Crown Prince Rudolph married a woman named Princess Stéphanie of Belgium in 1881. The pair had a child in 1883 and it was at this time that Rudolph and Stephanie began to drift apart. Rudolph, who had been promiscuous and a heavy drinker before the marriage, began a string of affairs from around this time.

In late 1888 he started yet another affair - this time with a 17 year old called Baroness Marie von Vetsera. Just a few months later - in January 1889 - Rudolph and Marie and were discovered dead in Mayerling hunting lodge, which Rudolph had bought three years earlier. Their deaths were ruled as an apparent suicide pact. Many believe Rudolph was distraught because his father - the Emperor, had insisted Rudolph give up Countess Vetsera. However, it seems Rudolph may have suffered from severe depression for some time - he had previously tried to organise a suicide pact with another paramour, a dancer called Mizzi Caspar, just a year before his death.

Though the authorities believed the deaths of Rudolph and Marie to be a suicide pact, at the time they couldn't be entirely sure that it wasn't murder, made to look like suicide. However, in 2015, proof that it was suicide came in the form of a letter found in a safe-deposit box, owned by Marie, that was in an Austrian bank. The letter confirmed that Marie Vetsera was indeed getting ready to commit suicide along with Rudolf - out of love for him. The letter from Marie to her mother read in part: "Dear Mother/ Please forgive me for what I've done/ I could not resist love/ In accordance with Him, I want to be buried next to Him/ I am happier in death than life."

Rudolph's parents were naturally heartbroken that their only son, who seemed to have been universally-liked, was dead at 31. Rudolph's mother, Duchess Elizabeth, was hit particularly hard, and went into mourning for the rest of her life. Incidentally, her life was cut short when she was murdered in 1898 by an Italian anarchist, who saw the assassination of Sissi as a protest against the plutocracy.

Without any other sons, Emperor Franz Joseph made his brother, Archduke Karl Ludwig, his heir. As such, Franz Ferdinand - Archduke Karl's son - became second in line to the throne.

Answer: Heir Presumptive

Franz Ferdinand was born in 1863 in Graz, Austria. His father was Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and his mother was Princess Maria Annunziata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. It would be fair to say that Franz's life was very much one of privilege and self-indulgence, since he essentially grew up as part of the Habsburg royal family - a family which ruled an area that was once known as the Holy Roman Empire.

If Franz didn't already have a fairly blessed existence, in 1874, at age 11, he became one of the wealthiest men in Austria. This occurred when his cousin, Francis V, Duke of Modena, died at age 56 and named Franz as his heir. There was a proviso though, and this was that Franz use the title 'Archduke of Austria-Este' from that point on. Since this inheritance made Franz Ferdinand ridiculously wealthy, Franz did strictly adhere to this caveat for the remainder of his life.

Franz Ferdinand's father died in 1896 of typhoid at the age of 62. This occurred after Karl Ludwig, while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, rather unwisely, drank from the River Jordan. His untimely death paved the way for Franz Ferdinand to become the next in line to the throne (after Emperor Franz Joseph I). Ferdinand's title at this time became 'Heir Presumptive'. For those not familiar with this term, an Heir Presumptive is basically a person entitled to inherit a throne or peerage, unless another, more closely-related heir is born.

Answer: Resentment and anger

It is believed Sophie and Franz met in 1894, possibly at a ball in Prague, where Franz was stationed at a military garrison. In 1894, Franz would have been 31 years old, while Sophie would have been 26.

At this time, Sophie was a lady-in-waiting, working for Princess Isabella Hedwig Franziska Natalie of Croÿ. When Franz Ferdinand started visiting the Princess' house on a regular basis, the Princess believed that he (an Archduke and a Hapsburg) - was courting one of her eight eligible daughters (who also had Hapsburg lineage). When it was discovered that Franz was, in fact, not interested in any of her daughters, but was courting Countess Sophie, a lady-in-waiting to the young Archduchess Isabella, Sophie was fired on the spot.

Franz proposed to Sophie in 1899, three years after he became Heir Presumptive. Unfortunately, although Sophie did have some noble ancestry, she was not deemed to be 'of dynastic rank' and thus was, in Emperor Franz Joseph's opinion, completely unsuitable as marriage material for the Heir Presumptive. The Emperor didn't just dislike Sophie, he belittled her from the start, repeatedly calling her 'the scullery maid'.

Still, Franz Ferdinand dug his heels in, refusing to give up Sophie. Lengthy negotiations followed, until Emperor Franz Joseph finally agreed to the marriage - on two conditions. The first was that it be morganatic. What this basically meant was that neither Sophie, nor their children, would ever have the right to the throne. The second - which was probably infinitely worse for Sophie - was that she was not allowed to sit beside Franz Ferdinand at any official function, or ride with him in the royal coach. Furthermore, at entrances to formal events, Sophie was required to wait until all the higher ranking women had made their entrance before she was allowed to do so.

Franz Ferdinand, undeterred by these conditions, married Sophie in Bohemia in July 1900. After the wedding, Emperor Franz Joseph did grant Sophie the title of 'Princess of Hohenberg'. Despite this, his resentment of both Sophie and the marriage was so deeply ingrained, he refused to attend the wedding.

Answer: Tuberculosis

Franz suffered terrible bouts of tuberculosis right through his 20s and into his early 30s. In fact, in 1895, Franz was so ill from the disease that his younger (and rather better-liked) brother, Otto Franz, began being groomed as heir to the throne.

In an attempt to help Franz's lungs, doctors sent him away to recuperate in warmer, and less polluted, climes than could be found in Vienna. He was sent Egypt, to the Tyrol, and to the south of France. Specialists agreed that he had to spend hour upon hour doing nothing at all - except resting.

Even though the treatment took two years, it clearly had an effect. In 1897, Franz was able to take his place back at court, when doctors agreed that his lungs had healed.

A little bit about Maria, Franz Ferdinand's mother: she married Archduke Karl Ludwig on 16 October 1862. One day after the wedding, Maria suffered a seizure during mass. It later became clear that she was suffering from tuberculosis. Despite this, Maria went on to have four children in what was described as a happy marriage.

Unfortunately, her tuberculosis didn't improve, and after the birth of her last child, Margarete Sophie, in May 1870, she fell seriously ill. Her health continued to deteriorate and she died almost a year later, at the age of 28. Franz was eight years old at the time.

His father, Archduke Karl Ludwig, remarried two years after Maria Annunciata's death. His new wife was Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal. They named their first child 'Maria Annunciata', in honour of Franz's mother.

Answer: Franz was almost shot by one of the loaders

According to his own accounts, Franz, who had traveled to many parts of the world, including North Africa, India, the America's and Australia, killed more than 272,400 animals during his lifetime. His obsession with killing animals was seen to be excessive - even by the standards of the late 1800s. His tally included over 97,000 grouse, more than 11,000 partridges and some 34,118 rabbits. Aside from this though, he also shot red deer, and, on a trip to Australia when he was 29 years old, emus and kangaroos. It was during this trip that he also shot a koala and its baby.

In November 1913 (just seven months before the assassination of Franz) Franz and Sophie went on a visit to England. After staying with King George V and Queen Mary at Windsor, they traveled to Nottinghamshire, were they were the guests of the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, near Worksop. While they were on a peasant shoot on the grounds, one of the shotgun-loaders dropped a shotgun, accidentally firing both barrels of the weapon. Both the Duke of Portland and Franz Ferdinand avoided being killed in this incident by a matter of feet.

The Duke of Portland later commented "I have often wondered whether the Great War might not have been averted, or at least postponed, had the archduke met his death then and not at Sarajevo the following year."

(Is anyone else wondering if it was karma that Franz Ferdinand was shot to death?)

Answer: To observe military maneuvres

In addition to being the heir to Emperor Franz Joseph's throne, Franz Ferdinand also held the role of inspector general of the Austro-Hungarian Army. Because of this, in 1913, Franz (Ferdinand) was instructed by Emperor Franz Joseph to go to Bosnia in June 1914 to observe the army's summer military exercises which were being held in Sarajevo.

A little bit of political history might be needed at this point. In very basic terms, the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary annexed (forcibly asserted control and sovereignty over) Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908. This region, which had a large Slavic population at the time, had previously been under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Serbia, though, decided that they wanted Bosnia and Herzegovina to be incorporated into a pan-Slavic empire (that is, they wanted the union of all Slavic people in one political organization.)

Austria-Hungary, who were naturally wary of Serbia's ambitions for any territorial expansion, decided to seek - and did receive - assurances from Germany that they would stand behind Austria-Hungary should there be a war with Serbia. These assurances were necessary because Serbia had a very powerful ally of their own - Russia. This meant that if there were a war, there would be two camps: the Central Powers (which would be Austria-Hungary and Germany) and the Allied Powers (which would consist of England, France and Russia/Serbia).

By choosing to hold its summer military exercises in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and sending their Heir Presumptive to oversee them, Austria-Hungary's primary aim was to show a force of imperial authority.

Answer: A hand-grenade was hurled at the motorcade

Franz and Sophie left their estate on June 23 for their visit to Bosnia. This was the first time in their 14 years of marriage that Franz and Sophie were able to sit next to one another in an official capacity. This was because, on this trip, Franz was invited as a commander, and was therefore acting in a military capacity, rather than as a royal personage.

Once in Bosnia, Franz attended the military exercises on the outskirts of Sarajevo, while Sophie visited orphanages and schools. Then, on June 28th, 1914, Franz and Sophie boarded a train for the short ride into Sarajevo. Upon arriving in Sarajevo, Franz and Sophie conducted a brief inspection of the troops before the pair got into an open-topped car which was part of their six-car motorcade. Their destination was Sarajevo Town Hall.

A couple of interesting notes might be needed at this point. The first was, the route the Archduke was traveling had been widely publicized. This was surprising because the Archduke had received multiple warnings to cancel the trip, and was well aware that danger potentially awaited him. However, the Archduke was resolute in his aim to visit Sarajevo. The second interesting note was that the security arrangements within Sarajevo were limited. Although the local military commander, General Michael von Appel, had proposed that troops line the intended route, he was informed this could offend the local citizens. As such, protection for the visiting party was left to the Sarajevo police, who only had 60 officers on duty on that Sunday in June.

Unbeknownst to the occupants of the motorcade, six Bosnian-Serbs, who were intent on killing the Archduke, had fanned themselves out along the Appel Quay, the main avenue in Sarajevo. They had been equipped by the Black Hand (a terrorist group with close ties to the Serbian army) with a number of weapons, including bombs, pistols and vials of cyanide. Strategically placed along Appel Quay, the idea was that each of them would have a go at assassinating the Archduke.

As the motorcade passed, the first conspirator lost his nerve, and failed to launch his bomb. The second had the same issue. However, Vaso Čubrilović, the third, didn't falter, and as the motorcade passed, he hurled his hand grenade. Unfortunately for him, the bomb bounced off the folded-up roof of the Archduke's car, and rolled under the next vehicle in the motorcade. The bomb did explode, and ended up wounding two army officers and a couple of bystanders. However, Franz and Sophie were unharmed in the incident.

After throwing his bomb, Nedjelko Cabrinovic firstly swallowed the cyanide he was carrying, and then jumped into the River Miljacka. Two things went wrong for him at this time - the first was that the river only had inches of water, and the second was that the cyanide was old. All the poison did was make him vomit and froth at the mouth. "I am a Serbian hero," he purportedly shouted as he was apprehended.

Cabrinovic, being too young to receive the death penalty (he was only 19), was ultimately sentenced by a Sarajevo court to twenty years of hard labor for his failed attempt to assassinate the Archduke. His sentence also included a day without food or water once a month, and, on the 28th of June each year, solitary confinement in the dark. This didn't last for long however; suffering from the effects of prison life, Čabrinović's health quickly deteriorated and he died less than two years later, on 23 January 1916.

Answer: Franz and his wife, Sophie

Despite the bombing that had occurred earlier, Franz and Sophie continued onto their planned reception at the City Hall. Franz was, however, a bit put out. He interrupted the mayor's speech to reportedly say: "What is the good of your speeches? I come to Sarajevo on a visit, and I get bombs thrown at me. It is outrageous!" However, Franz did have the good grace to ask after the men who had been wounded by the bomb. To his credit, he also insisted that they visit the two bomb victims - Eric von Merizzi and Count Boos-Waldeck - at the hospital.

At this point, a member of the Archduke's staff - Baron Morsey - suggested it might be a rather dangerous idea to do this. However, General Oskar Potiorek, who was the Governor of the Austrian provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the man responsible for the safety of the royal party, reportedly replied, "Do you think Sarajevo is full of assassins?" (Author's note: In hindsight? Yes.)

However, Potiorek did try to persuade Sophie not to accompany the Archduke (which he failed at) and he did decide that it would be better to avoid the city centre on the way to the hospital. He therefore decreed that the motorcade should travel straight along the Appel Quay.

Unfortunately, the General failed to relay this - really very pertinent information - to the Archduke's driver. As such, as they were on the way to the hospital, the driver took a right turn into Franz Joseph Street. When General Potiorek (a passenger in Archduke's car) realised they had taken the wrong route, he purportedly shouted "What is this? This is the wrong way! We're supposed to take the Appel Quay!"

Meanwhile, Gavrilo Princip - our famous assassin - was just outside a cafe in Franz Joseph Street. Probably to his utter astonishment, he realised that the man he wanted to kill was right in front of him. As the driver of the Archduke's car was desperately trying to reverse back onto the Appel Quay, Princip took his chance and whipped out his pistol. The car was a mere five feet from him when he fired at the occupants. One of his shots hit the Archduke's jugular vein, causing a fatal injury. His second shot (which he later insisted was meant for the General - not Sophie) stuck Sophie's abdomen. "Sophie, Sophie, don't die - stay alive for our children," are reported as being some of Franz Ferdinand's last words.

Within a very short time, both the Archduke and Sophie were dead. Gavrilo Princip, who had apparently been instructed to take his own life, tried to shoot himself. Before he could do so though, he was seized, restrained, and taken to a police station.

At his sentencing in October 1914, Princip was given 20-year's hard labour because he was too young for the death penalty. Princip, however, also didn't serve many years of his sentence. He contracted tuberculosis in jail in April 1918 and subsequently died. He was just 23.

Answer: Three - two boys and a girl

There were three living children that were left orphaned on 28 June, 1914. Princess Sophie of Hohenberg (1901 - 1990) was the only daughter of Franz and Sophie. Their oldest boy was Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg (1902 - 1962), and their youngest boy was Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (1904 - 1954). These three have sometimes been described as 'the first orphans of the First World War'. (Franz and Sophie also sadly had a still-born son in 1908.)

Though the Heir Presumptive's (Franz Ferdinand's) official residence was the Belvedere in Vienna, the tensions that had existed between Franz Ferdinand and the Emperor meant that Franz and Sophie had mainly resided at either Konopistě Castle (now in the Czech Republic, but previously in Austria-Hungary), or Arstetten Castle (located in the Wachau valley in Lower Austria).

When Franz and Sophie left for Sarajevo, they had intended to only be gone for several days and had therefore left the children in the care of the nannies at Konopistě Castle.

Following the murders of Franz and Sophie, the children inherited Konopiste Castle (since Franz had purchased it with his own inheritance). A family friend, Prince Jaroslav von Thun und Hohenstein, took care of the children for a short period of time. At the end of the First World War, however, the old Hapsburg empire was carved into new states. At the same time, The Hapsburg family, which had ruled Austria for some 600 years, as well as Hungary and Bohemia and the Spanish empire for over 300 years, was stripped of all its titles and properties. This included Konopiste Castle.

The oldest child, Sophie, was 17 when she and her brothers were evicted from this castle with only a few belongings. The children then moved to Arstetten Castle.

(Author's note: Descendants of the Hohenberg's still lived in Arstetten Castle as of 2025.)

Answer: His nephew, Karl

As mentioned earlier in the quiz, when Franz married Sophie, one of the conditions set by the Emperor was that the marriage would be morganatic, meaning that Franz Ferdinand's children could never be heirs to the throne.

The next logical choice for the Heir Presumptive would have been one of Franz Ferdinand's two brothers: Archduke Otto Franz of Austria or Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria. Unfortunately, Otto, who had actually been groomed to be the Heir Presumptive and was reported to be a well-liked, very handsome man, had died in 1906 of syphilis.

Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria, who was still alive, should have been the next choice, except that he had done exactly what Franz Ferdinand had done: he'd married for love. And, not only had he married for love (and didn't seek approval from Emperor Franz Joseph), but he actually eloped two years before the marriage was publicly revealed. He clearly was not next-in-line to the throne material. In any case, he died of tuberculosis in March 1915, about nine months after Franz Ferdinand's assassination.

The next in line then, was Otto's eldest son, Archduke Karl Franz Joseph (b. 1887), who was the great-nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Answer: By telegram, delivered by the Emperor's adjutant

It was Baron Rumerskirsch, a member of the Archduke's entourage, who composed a telegram that was to be given to Emperor Franz Joseph on that Sunday in June. The telegram read:

'Stunned and deeply shaken by the incomprehensible, I am broken-hearted to inform you that in the course of a drive through Sarajevo His Imperial Highness and Her Highness were hit by shots from a dastardly assassin's hand and badly wounded. They were taken at once to the Konak where immediate medical help was present but it was not possible for human help to save them and Their Highnesses passed away after a few minutes without having regained consciousness.'

It was left to Count Paar, the emperor's adjutant, to deliver this missive to Franz Josef. Apparently the emperor, as if overwhelmed at the news, closed his eyes for a few moments after he read the telegram. He then said: 'Horrible! The Almighty does not allow Himself to be challenged with impunity. A higher power has restored the old order that I unfortunately was unable to uphold'. This harsh reaction was said to be out of character for the Emperor.

However, it is worth remembering that the Emperor was very 'old-school'. Born in 1830, he had been the Emperor since he was 18 years old. From birth, he had been taught dignity and correctness and these qualities had proved all-important to this highly-disciplined and hard-working man. He felt that the marriage of Franz and Sophie had not only placed him in an humiliating situation in society, but that the whole affair had sullied the Hapsburg name.

Apart from being at loggerheads about the marriage, the Emperor and Franz Ferdinand were also often at complete odds in regards to the future direction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to the point that they would have private screaming matches. Franz apparently was an advocate of 'Trialism' before his death. Austria-Hungary was a dual monarchy and Ferdinand was promoting a triple monarchy. What he was basically proposing was that the Slavic states would have representation at the highest levels - in fact, they would have the equivalent of what Austria and Hungary had at the time. His hope was that this would prevent the Austria-Hungarian empire from being ripped apart by Slavic dissent. The Emperor, however, did not agree.

Historians report that Franz Joseph thought his heir was an impulsive hothead who couldn't wait for him to die, and Franz Ferdinand apparently saw the Emperor as an old man who was desperately clinging on to power.

So it probably won't surprise anyone to learn that Franz Joseph appeared to feel more relief than anything at the demise of Franz Ferdinand. A diary entry by Franz Joseph's daughter, Marie Valerie, supports this theory. She recorded that when she rushed to his side on hearing the news, 'he spoke of the poor children with tears in his eyes'. However, she wrote that when she briefly referred to the assassination of his heir, he replied coldly, 'For me, it's one great worry less'.

Answer: False

The funeral of Franz and Sophie was held on July 4, 1914, in Vienna. Prior to this, the bodies had been transported from Bosnia to Trieste by a battleship and then from Trieste to Vienna by a special train. A blessing was pronounced over the coffins before a procession, led by an escort of military personnel, wound its way through the streets of Vienna. It was reported that the Emperor - Franz Joseph - did not attend the funeral. This may have been for security reasons, but it is equally as likely that he didn't attend simply because he had no great love of either Sophie or Franz. Nevertheless, huge crowds lined the streets as the solemn funeral cortège went past (footage of this - though grainy - does exist).

As mentioned earlier in the quiz, Sophie was not of 'dynastic rank' and therefore, she could not be buried with Franz in the Imperial Hapsburg Crypt. Luckily, Franz Ferdinand, knowing that he could not be laid to rest in this crypt (if he wanted to be buried next to Sophie) had, in 1910, set up a family crypt below the choir of the SchlosskircheI in Arstetten Palace, and this was where the pair were laid to rest. This was incidentally also the resting place of Franz and Sophie's stillborn son.

Even though Franz Joseph had given permission for the pair to be buried together, poor Sophie, who had been shunned in elite society ever since her marriage, didn't fare very well at her burial either. Her coffin was reportedly some 20 inches lower than her husband's and a pair of gloves - the traditional symbol of a lady-in-waiting - were placed on top of the coffin.

Answer: Exactly a month

On the 23rd July, 1914, and after weeks of discussions (which also involved Germany) the Austro-Hungarian government issued Serbia with an ultimatum, which contained a list of demands. It was made clear that if Serbia didn't meet these demands, diplomatic relations would be broken. Though war wasn't implicitly mentioned, the Serbians would have had no doubt that this would be the next step.

The Serbians responded on the 25th July - within the 48 hours that had been demanded by the Austro-Hungarian government. They agreed that they would meet the majority of the politically-based demands, but that one of them was out of the question. This demand directly related to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Essentially, Austria-Hungary said that Austrian officials should be able to take part in the investigation into the assassination of the Archduke, and, further, that they should be involved in the finding, and prosecution, of the ring-leaders - and that this would need to take place in Serbian territory. This demand was refused by the Serbians because it was felt that it would 'infringe on Serbia's state sovereignty'.

At this point, the Austro-Hungarian Empire decided that they would risk a war with Serbia. Though history proved the opposite, their hope was for a short and victorious campaign.

Their announcement of this intended war was released on July 28th, 1914, exactly one month after the assassination of Franz and Sophie. On this day, the Emperor Franz Joseph released a manifesto called 'To My Peoples!' which outlined not only that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was declaring war on Serbia, but why they had taken this action. (I am not going to quote the manifesto here, but if you are a history buff, it is quite an interesting read).

Serbia, meanwhile, clearly knowing that their refusal to meet all the demands was most likely going to lead to a conflict, had already started mobilising their troops on the evening of the 25th July.

After this, it really all kicked off in Europe. In the following month:
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia (July 28th). Russia then mobilised their troops. On August 1, Germany declared War on Russia, and two days later, on August 3, 1914, it also declared war on France. On the next day, August 4, Britain declared war on Germany. Within days, Austria declared war on Russia, and France and Britain declared war on Austria. Approximately 2 weeks later, on August 23, 1914, Japan declared war on Germany. Two days later, on August 25th, Austria declared war on Japan.

Note: The U.S. entered the war in 1917.

Answer: True

When Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in June 1914, the Emperor Franz Joseph was 83 years old. He died, aged 86, in November 1916 - two years before the end of WWI.

Born on the 18th August 1830, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Franz Josef occupied the throne from the age of 18 until his death in 1916. Though not the longest-reigning European monarch (King Louis XIV reigned for a staggering 72 years), Franz Josef did reign for 68 years - four more than Queen Victoria.

It has to be said that Franz Joseph must have endured quite a bit of heartache during his lifetime. One of his sisters, the Archduchess Maria Anna, died at the age of 4 in 1839. Then one of his daughters, the Archduchess Sophie of Austria, died at the age of two in 1857, possibly from typhoid. Ten years later in 1867, Franz Joseph's younger brother, Maximilian, was executed in Mexico. His mother died in 1872 and his father in 1878. As mentioned previously, his only son, Rudolph, committed suicide at the age of 31 in 1889. His brother Archduke Karl Ludwig (father of Franz Ferdinand) died in Austria in 1896 of typhoid, and then Franz Joseph's wife, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) was assassinated in Geneva in 1898 at age 60. Finally, of course, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were assassinated in 1914.

On the day of Franz Joseph's death - the 21st November, 1916 - Franz seemed quite well in the morning and was working as usual, signing documents and listening to reports. However, he deteriorated very quickly and by the afternoon it was clear he wasn't likely to recover from the pneumonia he had contracted. He died in the evening at the very palace where he had been born. His surviving daughter, Maria Valerie, was present at his deathbed.

His funeral would prove to be the last extravagant funeral of a member of the Hapsburg dynasty in Austria-Hungary. (Franz Joseph was, perhaps mercifully, not alive to see the outcome of WWI, and with it, the collapse of the 600-year Hapsburg dynasty).

Even though the country was in the middle of the largest conflict the world had even seen, some 300,000 people reportedly lined the streets to watch as a huge procession of dignitaries escorted Franz Joseph's casket through the city. Franz Joseph, unlike Franz Ferdinand, was buried in the Imperial Hapsburg Crypt, which is located in Vienna's Capuchin Church. This had been the resting place of all members of the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Dynasty since 1618.

Author's note: Though I haven't done so, it is possible to visit the crypt in Vienna. There are reportedly 150 members of the Habsburg Dynasty (including 12 emperors and 19 empresses and queens) that have been laid to rest here.

Answer: He died of pneumonia

Charles I of Austria, (or in full: Karl Franz Joseph Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Maria) was born on August 17, 1887, in Persenbeug Castle in Austria. His father had been the Archduke Otto Franz of Austria (he died of syphilis in 1906) and his mother was Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony. His grand-uncle was Emperor Franz Joseph I.

In terms of his own family, at the age of 23, Charles married a woman he loved dearly - Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. They were married in 1911 - a marriage Emperor Franz Joseph had actually approved of - and by early 1922 they had seven children and another on its way.

Charles became the Emperor of Austria-Hungary in 1916 on the death of his grand-uncle. His timing however, for gaining the title of Emperor, could definitely have been better. The empire was not only at war, but it was at war on many fronts. Charles, however, believed in the idea of federalism - a concept he was introduced to by none other than Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was also an advocate of peace. As such, in 1917, Charles tried secretly to bring about the ending of the great war by entering into peace negotiations with France. These, unfortunately failed and on the 11th of November 1918, WWI finally ended after four years of bloody conflict. The Allied forces (France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan and the United States) were the victors.

Though Charles did not abdicate - and stipulated in a letter to the Archbishop of Vienna that he never would - on the 12th of November 1918, Charles did renounce any participation in government. The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1919 formalized the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.

Charles went into Swiss exile on 23 March 1919. In the next two years, Charles tried twice to reclaim the throne of Hungary, but ultimately failed and was exiled again, this time to Madeira, a Portuguese Island. Charles and his wife arrived in Madiera on the 19th November 1921, and they were joined by their children in February 1922. It must have been a joyous reunion - but it was short-lived. In March 1922, Charles I of Austria, the last of the Austro-Hungarian monarchs, caught a cold, which progressed to bronchitis and then to severe pneumonia. At the age of 34, Charles sadly passed away. He left behind a 7-month pregnant wife and seven children. His last words were to his wife: "I love you so much".