Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

The heir of the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that was brutally assassinated and who’s death was used as an excuse for war. Never has a war so vast been waged because of the death of one man. A man who would never allowed for war to take place. Such actions would be a last option for the Archduke to decide to wage war or the assassination of a major political figurehead such as the Emperor himself. The Archduke’s death will be welcomed by the war hawks in Vienna and used as an excuse to wage war with little Serbia which in turn will result in all out European war.

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand would have never even had the chance to become heir to the throne of Austria if a number of certain events wouldn’t have taken place within the Royal Family. The first event that took place was the death of his cousin, Duke Francis V of Modena. He died giving Franz his entire fortune, leaving him one of the wealthiest Austrians overnight and help him wield major political power. The second event that would take place and help Franz Ferdinand to get closer to the heir of the throne was the death of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. Rudolf, the only son of the Emperor and heir to the throne of Austria, committed suicide while on a hunting trip in Mayer ling, Austria in 1889. As a result of Prince Rudolf’s death the heir had to be passed to Franz’s father, Archduke Charles Louis. Then in 1896 Archduke Charles Louis passed away leaving Franz Ferdinand to be the heir of the throne of Austria. These events will seal Franz’s fate as the Crown Prince and eventually lead to his demise.

The new found position Archduke Franz inherited from his father came with responsibilities and duties. The largest role that he would inherit is the role of “Thronfolger” in 1898. This recognition brought explicit duties and rights. Henceforth, he would command various army corps in the maneuvers and possess a general mandate to check on military and navy matters. (Williamson 420) This means that the Archduke has to participate in overseeing different army corps around his country take place in maneuvers. In 1913, he would receive his last delegation and be appointed to “Generalinspektor der Gesamten Bewaffneten”. The heir now became responsible for all maneuvers, could intervene directly with Emperor Franz Joseph and the two national governments, and could demand reports from all military authorities. (Williamson 420) This newfound position means that the Empire could not go to war without the Archduke’s blessing. What made this so problematic was that the Archduke was a man of peace and had no intentions of going to war with Serbia or any country for that matter.