#Emperor Karl of Austria

[pokadandelion]

Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary

[illustratus]

Napoleon accepts the surrender of an Austrian army under General Mack on 20 October 1805 (detail)

by René Théodore Berthon

[little-candy-store-of-horrors]

"Bella gerunt alii, tu felix Austria nube!"

Day 6 of @spaus-week 's challenge

"Let others wage war, you, happy Austria, marry!" Was the political strategy of the Habsburgs, and marry did the House of Austria! Infamously, scandalously, sensationally. A mangled wreath of a family tree. We all know this horror story. And we all know the bitter end.

After Emperor Charles V&I divided his Spanish and Austrian inheritance ((also gained through his parents' and grandparents' marriages)) to his descendants and those of his younger brother Ferdinand I respectively, the Habsburg dynasty split into two branches. The Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs notoriously intermarried for generations, right up till Charles II of Spain whose heirless death in 1700 sparked the War of the Spanish Succession. The inbreeding and this informal Latin motto behind it has been blamed to hell and back for their implosion, for the physical ugliness that ran in this royal bloodline. But it is not to say the Habsburgs never went to war, nor that dynastic marriage was a political strategy unique to them! But they were, if anything, bloody successful at it seeing how they did rule half of Europe for 200 years, and then a lot of it in the Austrian line for another 200. Before anyone figured out inbreeding was bad it was considered a privilege to marry into the Habsburgs, with Louis XV claiming that Louis XVI's betrothal to Marie Antoinette was marrying the "Daughter of the Caesars", and Napoleon Bonaparte infamously ditching Josephine for Marie Louise. Charles II was a poor sod who took the fall and the mugs were wretched from the same ugly gene being passed around countless times*, but they did wear power and privilege well.

💅✨ Symbolism bc I'm a NERD and this my Category 10 autism event ✨💅 :

Charles V & Ferdinand I's joint portrait based on that propaganda woodcut, behind them the colours of the Habsburg flag.

The Spanish branch, comprising Charles V & I's descendants, is represented with a black background, and the Austrian branch, comprising Ferdinand I's descendants, gold, both colours pulled from their flag, a dynasty intertwined but split in two.

Round frames denote that the individual had no heirs.

Only the most influential ruler on both sides, the King of Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor, are represented as framed portraits, explaining Archduke Charles II's unframed depiction.

The unconventional placement of Charles II of Spain and Emperor Rudolf II's nameplates are a nod to their queerness: their intersexuality and bisexuality respectively.

Ferdinand III's portrait is lopsided because of the losses of the 30 Years War.

Cracks in Charles II's portrait: 🙃🙃🙃

[postcard-from-the-past]

Franz Joseph Karl, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria

Austrian vintage postcard

[sisionscreen]

Dominique Devenport (Empress Elisabeth), David Korbmann (Count Grünne) and Jannik Schümann (Emperor Franz Joseph) behind the scenes of the third season of Sisi (2021).

[walzerjahrhundert]

Madame d’Ora (Dora Kallmus)

Karl I, Kaiser von Österreich in Uniform als Generaloberst

1916

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthday for today, September 7th:

Suzaku, Emperor of Japan, 923

Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533

Maria Anna of Austria, Queen of Portugal, 1683

Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern, 1811

Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark, 1817

Rudolf Ferdinand of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg, 1975

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day Blessed Karl I of Austria  (1887 - 1922) Servant of God Zita of Austria  (1892 - 1989) Emperor and Empress of the Austro-Hungarian EmpireKing and Queen of Hungary Feast Day: October 21

Blessed Charles I or Karl I and Servant of God Zita were the last reigning monarchs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  He married Zita of Bourbon-Parma in 1911. They were happily married for 11 years yet through the turbulent times of WWI and Karl’s exile. They had 8 children. After Karl’s death, Zita raised her children and served as a symbol of unity for the exiled dynasty. Zita’s and Karl’s hearts are buried together at the Loretto Chapel in Switzerland. {website}

[artschoolglasses]

The Tomb of Karl VI

Imperial Crypt, Vienna

[jariv4]

[mapsontheweb]

The route of the Flight of the Earls, when the old Gaelic nobility left Ireland after being stripped of their lands by England, marking the end of traditional Gaelic society.

This exodus actually resulted in some notable people down the line. Since the people who fled were of noble birth, they were often afforded high status in their new countries, and many rose to prominence

Their legacy is strongest in Spain, where the O'Donnell clan was eventually granted hereditary peerage as Dukes of Tetúan, which they maintain to this day. The current Duke of Tetúan is Hugo O'Donnell. Also in Spain, the O'Neill clan became a military family and were granted the title of Marques Del Norte, which they also still maintain. The current Marques being Carlos O'Neill. So both of these families still have noble status, just not in Ireland.

Meanwhile in France, the O'Brien clan became a prominent military family in the country and eventually produced a president of France, Patrice de MacMahon, who was a direct descendant of Brian Boru, a High King of Ireland.

Then over in Austria, another branch of the O'Donnell clan would achieve noble status and eventually produce Count Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell, who famously saved Emperor Franz Joseph I from an assassination attempt in 1853.

[pokadandelion]

Wedding photo of Archiduke Karl of Austria and his bride, Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma.

[illustratus]

Entry of Charles III in Madrid 1710 by Karl von Blaas

[world-of-wales]

CONFIRMED ATTENDEES TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II'S STATE FUNERAL:

Foreign Royalty

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima 🇳🇱

Queen Beatrix 🇳🇱

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia 🇪🇸

King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía 🇪🇸

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako 🇯🇵

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Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa 🇱🇺

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Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene 🇲🇨

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Emir of Qatar)🇶🇦

King Jigme Khesar and Queen Jetsun Pema 🇧🇹

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah & Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku of Malaysia 🇲🇾

Hereditary Prince Alois & Hereditary Princess Sophie 🇱🇮

King Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII

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Sultan Hassanal 🇧🇳

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Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan 🇦🇪

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King Letsie III 🇱🇸

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Crown Prince Hussein 🇯🇴

King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa 🇧🇭

Deposed Royalty + Distant Family Relations

Margareta (Custodian of the Crown) and Prince Radu 🇷🇴

Queen Anne-Marie 🇬🇷

Crown Prince Palovs and Crown Princess Marie Chantal 🇬🇷

Crown Prince Alexander 🇷🇸

Prince Emanuele of Savoy

Tsar Simeon II 🇧🇬

Maximilian (Margrave of Baden), Prince Bernhard and Hereditary Princess Stephanie of Baden

Prince Philipp and Princess Saskia of Hohenlohe - Langenburg 

Prince Donatus (Landgrave of Hesse)

Archduke Karl of Austria

Lady Pamela Hicks

Foreign Heads of State and Governments

President Joe Biden & First Lady Jill Biden 🇺🇸

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Prime Minister Joseph Ngute 🇨🇲

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Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama 🇫🇯

Governmental Representatives

Marcelo Ebrard (Secretary of Foreign Affairs) 🇲🇽

High Commissioner Ralph Goodale 🇨🇦

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Vice President Wang Qishan 🇨🇳

Foreign Minister Narayan Khakda 🇳🇵

Former President Dr Joyce Banda 🇲🇼

Captains Regent Oscar Mina and Paolo Rondelli 🇸🇲

Irene Marcos 🇵🇭

Governor Generals

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen 🇯🇲

Governor General Mary Simon 🇨🇦

Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro 🇳🇿

Governor General David Hurley 🇦🇺

Governor General Sir Bob Dadae 🇵🇬

Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam 🇧🇿

Governor General Dame Cécile La Grenade 🇬🇩

Governor General Tofiga Vaevalu Falani 🇹🇻

Governor General Sir David Vunag 🇸🇧

Governor General Dame Susan Dougan 🇻🇨

Acting Governor-General Errol Charles 🇱🇨

Governor General Sir Cornelius A. Smith 🇧🇸

Governor General Sir Rodney Williams and Lady Williams 🇦🇬

International organisations

Charles Michel (President) 🇪🇺

Ursula von der Leyen (President of European Commission)

Jens Stoltenberg (Secretary General of NATO)

Earle Courtenay Rattray (Chief of Staff to UN Secretary General)

Baroness Scotland (Secretary-General of the Commonwealth)

Sir Don McKinnon (Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth)

Religious Leaders

Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin 🇻🇦

Foreign Minster Archbishop Paul Gallagher 🇻🇦

Maybe attending -

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama 🇺🇸

[detroit-grand-prix]

letzte rose - prologue

Toto Wolff x Susie Wolff Royal/Historical AU

Summary: The year is 1849 and one of Europe's Great Powers, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the cusp of burgeoning unrest. Parliament is trying to seize more authority while the provinces are fighting for more autonomy. An increasingly conservative chancellor seems to hold all of the power these days, as Emperor Christian I has become practically a recluse in recent years. But, a night at the opera has the potential to change everything.

Notes: I've been toying with the idea of some sort of Susie/Toto historicial AU for a while, but @totowlff approached me about this royalty AU and it's been impossible to get my mind off if it. She wrote most of this chapter (I edited it pretty heavily) and the chapter outline we have so far, and I'm really excited to see how it develops. Thank goodness for her pretty much encyclopedic knowledge of old European monarchies! I hope you like it, too. We are striving to make it as historically accurate as it can be, minus the fact that obvious major "characters" have been replaced.

There are certain moments when a person knows that their life will never be the same.

For Toto, it was a warm night in May of 1812, when he was just 15 years old.

He didn't remember anything exceptional about that night before he was woken up in the middle of a dream he was having.

A little confused, it took him a few seconds for his sleep-filled eyes to focus on the face of Karl, his Kammerdiener. Holding a small candelabra, his expression hid something that the young archduke could not puzzle out as he rubbed his eyes.

— What…

— I beg your pardon, sir, but your mother requested His Imperial Highness’ presence in her chambers.

— But why? — he asked, as he pulled his covers back and sat up in bed.

— Unfortunately, I don’t know, Your Highness — Karl replied, placing the candle on the bedside table — I’m just following the orders I received.

After helping him to his feet into a robe, Toto’s valet walked him through the halls of the Hofburg. Toto wondered what could be so important that she would get him out of bed in the middle of the night and walk halfway across the palace to Amalienburg, where the apartments of Archduchess Johanna of Austria were located. However, as he approached his mother's quarters, he noticed there was an awful lot of staff milling about, especially for the middle of the night. “Something is definitely wrong”, Toto thought, as his mother’s valet opened the door for him to be announced.

From then on, everything became a blur. The slow steps towards the anteroom. The sight of his mother sitting in one of the armchairs, her wet eyes indicating that she had been crying. Her deep breath before saying the words that changed his life forever.

— Long live the Emperor — Johanna said, before bowing deeply in front of him.

Toto left his mother's room a few minutes later, in complete silence. Accompanied by Karl, he headed back to his own quarters feeling completely numb.

That night, it wasn't just his grandfather, the old Emperor Rudolf VI, who had died. In a way Toto had, too. Toto, the boy who loved numbers, who protected his family with all his might and who liked to race horses was gone too, along with the boy who thought his destiny would have had the courtesy to wait a few years.

From the moment his grandfather’s death was pronounced, there was only His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Christian The First, By The Grace of God.

Distrust was his constant companion, especially in the early days of his reign. Whispers about how he was too young and inexperienced for the role filled the palace halls with uncertainty. In the opinion of many, including politicians and the court, Toto should entrust matters of governance to the hands of those who understood the empire’s politics and go back to playing with his horses.

However, it was not in his nature to leave his responsibilities to others, especially to men who only thought about themselves and their own legacies. Toto wanted to govern for his people, for the people who looked to him and his family as a model to follow. Over the next nine years, he took over the reins of his own country, assembling a cabinet capable of forging a new Europe. Toto would always remember the relief on his mother's face when she spoke about Napoleon Bonaparte’s death in exile, definitively ending his reign. 

— Your aunt will be immensely pleased to know that, finally, the devil is in Hell like he deserves to be, and he won’t be coming back this time — Johanna said with a wide smile on her face, during Toto's daily visit to her apartments.

— I don't know if that's the most appropriate way to speak of the dead, especially considering that he was, in a way, part of our family — he observed, pursing his lips. In order to reestablish peace between Austria and France, Toto's grandfather arranged for his other daughter, Elisabeth, to marry Napoleon. The union produced a single son, named Alexander, who became the presumptive heir to his father's ambitions and a major headache for the great powers. However, his proximity with his maternal family was the allegation that Chancellor Metternich said in the meeting with the other chancellors to convince them that Toto’s cousin was not a political threat to Europe.

— Alexander will always be a problem, especially considering that you still haven't resolved the issue of your marriage — his mother replied, brushing a dark curl away from her face.

— I just turned 24, mama…

— When I was your age, I was already married and had both you and your sister — she replied, as Toto shook his head — And there's no point in making that face, you know you have a duty to this country.

— Yes, my duty is to govern it. That is what I am primarily focused on.

— And what good is governing if you don't provide security for your subjects, my son? Nothing gives a nation’s people more security than knowing they don’t have to worry about any bloody succession crises. You don’t want what happened in Britain to happen to us, do you? Even your grandfather couldn’t feel at ease until you were born...

— Considering that Lili already has a son, I’m not overly concerned about who my successor will be — Toto said, with a small smile. This made his mother jump from her seat, giving her son a venomous glare.

— I think this should worry you even more, since your sister is younger than you and has already done more for the future of this family’s dynasty. Something about that statement annoyed Toto deeply. Slowly standing up, he turned away from his mother and walked towards the window, taking a deep breath. He couldn't be fragile, not now, not in front of her.

— If the matter concerns you so much, mama, I give you leave to resolve it — he said. His voice was solemn, but indicated clearly that he was done discussing it.

It took a few years to find a suitable match, but in 1825, at age 28, Toto was standing in the foyer of The Hofburg, greeting his new wife for the first time as she arrived from Munich. She was a Bavarian princess from the house of Wittelsbach named Stephanie. The marriage was arranged at the behest of Johanna and performed per procura before she and Toto had even met. They had exchanged a few letters, and Toto had seen her portrait, but this was the first time they were meeting.

With a shy smile and her blonde hair hidden under her wide-brimmed bonnet, she was clearly scared by it all, especially given how tightly he was gripping his hand.

— Nervous? — he asked her quietly.

— A little — Stephanie replied, nodding to some courtiers that were lined up to see her arrival in the palace for the first time — Let's just say I wasn't expecting...

— All these people?

— No, I'm talking about, well… Your Majesty.

— Was the portrait I sent not true to life? I told the painter not to make my nose so much smaller than it is, but they never listen to me — Toto said, as the air around them filled with quiet chatter and the clinking of military medals as highly decorated courtiers bowed in respect as the imperial couple walked by. 

— Actually… I’d say that you are much more handsome than they made you look in your portrait — the princess said sweetly, her cheeks flushed.

It was with that sweetness that Stephanie entered Toto's life and heart. He didn't know how to feel about her at first. She was beautiful, certainly, and kind, but was Toto in love with her? Hardly. Love wasn't the purpose of their marriage; people like Toto didn't get the privilege of marrying for love.

As time went on, though, Stephanie proved to be a measured and gentle sort, who had no trouble taking on her role as the Empress of Austria and winning over the hearts of the courtiers and public, and eventually, she won Toto's heart as well. It took a few years for their family to grow, but the entire country celebrated with the arrival of the long-awaited heir, a boy named Benedict. Two years later, a little girl followed, and they named her Rosa, contrary to Johanna’s wishes, who had hoped for the girl to have her name.

For years, The Hofburg was a place full of light and joy, and Toto ruled a thriving empire from within it. With his family together, he was sure that nothing could shake him, not even the biggest challenge.

Until one bitter February day in 1836, Stephanie whispered his name as she closed her eyes for the final time. 

All of the light and joy that filled the palace was buried with her in the Imperial Crypt.

[sisionscreen]

Jannik Schümann (Franz Joseph) posted some of the mood boards of the costume department for the third season of Sisi (2021).

Next to Franz Joseph's and Grünne's, we also see one for Leopold Gondrecourt, the chief steward and tutor of Crown Prince Rudolf. So far, we haven't gotten a casting information for him.