Francis Joseph of the Habsburg Empire

1. Francis Joseph became emperor in 1848 over the Habsburg domains and ruled until 1916. However, his reforms in his administration and government proved to be a weakness in the empire. The basic weakness of the empire was created in 1860, when Francis Joseph issued the October Diploma, creating a federation among the states and the provinces of the empire. This dictated the abolition of local diets dominated by the landed classes and a single parliament. In 1861, he issued the February Patent, creating an entirely different government, a bicameral imperial parliament or Reichstrat, with an upper chamber appointed by the emperor and an indirectly appointed lower chamber. This secular organization caused major tensions with the Magyars of the Austrian Empire because they felt their privileges as nobility were not protected. Thus, in response, Magyars refused to send any delegates to the legislature. The Reichstrat, however, did not guarantee civil liberties and the ministers were directly responsible to the emperor. Negotiations continued between the emperor and the Magyars, culminating in the Compromise