Kaiser Karl and the End of the Habsburgs

Fifth in line to the throne, Karl I was not expected to become the Habsburg emperor. By the time he did, in 1916, it was already too late for the crumbling empire.

Karl I in Chernivtzi, Ukraine, 6 July 1917. Granger Historical Picture Archive/Alamy.
Karl I in Chernivtzi, Ukraine, 6 July 1917. Granger Historical Picture Archive/Alamy.

The Emperor Karl was the last of the Habsburg line of rulers, succeeding his great-uncle Franz Joseph in 1916 as head of the Austro-Hungarian empire. After a reign of less than two years, Karl died in penurious exile in Madeira 100 years ago on 1 April 1922. He was 34. 

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