Emperor Francis Joseph was born on 18 August 1830. At birth, he was not a member of the main line and thus not the heir apparent to the Imperial throne. On the other hand, there was hardly a wide choice of candidates, as the incumbent monarch, the epileptic Ferdinand, was fit neither to rule nor to father children. His only brother, Franz Karl — a feeble-minded and indecisive character, though formally next in succession — could not be taken seriously either. At least he succeeded in producing several sons.
From early on, Francis Joseph was regarded as a potential successor, especially by his ambitious and strong-willed mother, Archduchess Sophia of Bavaria, who spared no effort in shaping her eldest son into a proper monarch. Throughout his childhood and adolescence, the boy was subjected to a rigorously scheduled regime of lessons and training. From the age of thirteen, he was dressed in military uniform — his preferred attire for the rest of his life.
During the critical months of the 1848 Revolution, the Imperial family was forced to flee Vienna, now unsafe. It became necessary to present a young new emperor, sympathetic to the people, instead of the kind-hearted but ineffective Ferdinand. After Ferdinand’s abdication and Franz Karl’s renunciation of his rights, the eighteen-year-old Francis Joseph acceded to the throne. Strictly speaking, it was nothing less than a coup d’état, largely orchestrated by his energetic mother. Archduchess Sophia remained a crucial influence in the Emperor’s private life — unfortunately, not always with the happiest consequences.
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