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Karl I Of AustriaKarl of Austria (August 17, 1887 – April 1, 1922), Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen, was (among other titles) the last Emperor of Austria, the last King of Hungary and Bohemia, and the last monarch of the Habsburg Dynasty. Life Karl was the son of Otto Franz of Austria (1865-1906) and Princess Josepha of Saxony (1867-1944), he was also a nephew of Archduke Franz Ferdinand , whose assassination triggered World War I. In 1911, he was married to Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. His reign began in 1916. In 1916, he also became a Generalfeldmarschall in the Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1917, Karl secretly sued for a separate peace with France, deserting his German ally. When news of the overture leaked, he denied all involvement until the French published letters signed by him. On November 11, 1918, he proclaimed formally "I relinquish every participation in the administration of the State" but did not abdicate his thrones.http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/abdication_karl.htm He fled to Switzerland after the empire collapsed at the end of the war, but refused to abdicate. Encouraged by Hungarian nationalists, he sought twice in the early 1920s to reclaim the throne of Hungary, but failed, due to various factors including the betrayal of the Hungarian Regent Mikls Horthy, whom Karl had helped to appoint. He died on the Portuguese island of Madeira in 1922. After his death Some historians have seen Karl as an honourable figure who tried as emperor-king to halt World War I. Helmut Rumpler, head of the Habsburg commission of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, has described Karl as "a dilettante, far too weak for the challenges facing him, out of his depth, and not really a politician." http://www.iht.com/articles/541780.html Beatification Karl has been solemnly declared blessed in the ceremony of beatification by the Roman Catholic Church. The cause or campaign began in 1949 when testimony of his holiness was collected in the Archdiocese of Vienna. In 1954, he was declared venerable, the first step on the process beatification. The guild established for the promotion of his cause has created this website. The Roman Catholic Church has praised Karl for putting his Christian faith first in making political decisions, and for his perceived role as a peacemaker during the war. Cardinal Christoph Schnborn of Vienna has been the Church's sponsor for his beatification. Recent milestones include: See also External link Karl of Austria Karl of Austria
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