However, this idea was unpopular with the ruling elite, further stirring doubts of Franz Ferdinand's sanity. After the suicide of the emperor's son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889, and his own father's death from typhoid fever in 1896, Franz Ferdinand was groomed to inherit the throne.Īt one point, Franz Ferdinand proposed changing the Austro-Hungarian rule with a triple monarchy of Slavs, Germans and Magyars, each having an equal voice in government. He began his military career at age 12 and was quickly promoted through the ranks becoming a major general at age 31. Franz Ferdinand was a member of the House of Hapsburg, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Spanish Empire. Early Life and Marriageįranz Ferdinand was born in Graz, Austria, on December 18, 1863, the oldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig, who was the younger brother of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph.

One month later, Austria declared war on Serbia and World War I began. In 1914, a Serb nationalist assassinated him. While in power, he attempted to restore Austro-Russian relations while maintaining an alliance with Germany. In 1900, Ferdinand gave up his children's rights to the throne in order to marry a lady-in-waiting. Who Was Franz Ferdinand?Īrchduke Franz Ferdinand was born in 1863 in Austria. Franz Ferdinand's assassination on June 28, 1914, at the hand of a Serbian terrorist group the 'Black Hand,' led to the beginning of World War I.

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