How to Get Through Hell
Lessons from an emperor’s painful reign…
Franz Joseph I of Austria reigned over the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 68 years and is one of the best known Habsburg rulers. Yet it was not grandeur or triumph that best defined his reign — rather, it was personal tragedy.
As one historian put it:
The old Emperor before his death had experienced and survived almost every human vicissitude; he had been bereft of his nearest and dearest by assassination; insanity had dogged the footsteps of his family…
Gloom, like a sinister raven, had sat over the lintel of the great doors in his purple-hung rooms in the Imperial Palace in Vienna and in the Royal Palace of Schönbrunn.
Pride and magnificence had in his case been mated with every human sorrow; before he died he had drunk the cup of every disillusion.
-George A. Schreiner
Franz Joseph suffered through the death of his daughter, the suicide of his son, and the murders of his nephew, brother, and wife. Yet incredibly, he bore these burdens with quiet stoicism, continuing to serve his empire.
Ultimately, Franz Joseph’s story is not one of loss, but one of perseverance. His unshakeable sense of duty helped him endure heartbreak and fulfill the role set out to him by Providence.
Today, we explore the many griefs of Franz Joseph — and what you can learn from his resilience in the face of them.
Early Sorrows & the Weight of the Crown
When Franz Joseph ascended to the throne in 1848 at the age of 18, he inherited an empire fraught with challenges. Revolutions had swept across Europe, threatening to unravel Austria’s monarchy. His early reign demanded political shrewdness and unwavering resolve.
Yet political struggles would often pale in comparison to the difficulties of domestic life. Just eight years into his reign, Franz Joseph’s first daughter, the two year old Sophie, died during a state visit to Hungary. Her death devastated her parents, and drove something of an emotional wedge between them — Empress Elisabeth (known as Sisi) blamed Sophie’s death on the rigors of imperial life and the constant scrutiny of court.
Bearing his grief alone, Franz Joseph continued to fulfill his imperial duties. He was responsible for 53 million people living within his empire, and refused to let his personal sorrow get in the way of doing his job.
But little did he know, the death of Sophie would be the least of his sufferings — the worst was yet to come…
Maximilian & the Mayerling Incident
Just a decade after the death of Sophie, Franz Joseph would once again mourn the death of another immediate family member — this time, his brother Maximilian.
After accepting an invitation from the Mexican Congress to become the nation’s monarch, Maximilian had been installed as Emperor of Mexico in 1864. But when Mexico soon erupted in unrest and revolution, Maximilian was captured by the forces of Benito Juárez and executed three years later.
Franz Joseph was reportedly devastated by Maximilian’s execution. Despite their political and philosophical differences, the two brothers were close. Letters exchanged between Franz Joseph and other family members after the tragedy suggest he struggled with feelings of guilt, as he had reluctantly approved Maximilian’s venture to Mexico, despite misgivings about the risks involved.
But none of Franz Joseph’s grief over his brother could compare to what came next — the suicide of his only son and heir, Crown Prince Rudolf.
In 1889, Rudolf was found dead in a hunting lodge alongside his lover, Baroness Mary Vetsera. Their deaths — an apparent murder-suicide — shocked the empire, sparked a crisis of dynastic succession, and shattered any remaining sense of normalcy that previously existed in the Habsburg court.
The Mayerling Incident (to be covered in-depth in our Thursday article) crushed Franz Joseph. Not only had he lost his son, but the scandal surrounding the incident threatened the stability of the empire. Privately, he was inconsolable — the loss left an emotional void that would never be filled.
Yet even in his grief, Franz Joseph remained outwardly composed, focusing on managing the fallout from Rudolf’s death by clarifying the line of succession and continuing to project an image of strength and stability to both the allies and enemies of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy.
Anarchy & Assassination
As if losing his daughter, brother, and son were not enough, Franz Joseph suffered yet another devastating blow — the murder of his wife, Sisi.
Known for her beauty and independence, Empress Elizabeth had spent much of her life traveling, often away from court. During a trip to Geneva in 1898, she was fatally stabbed by an Italian anarchist. Despite she and her husband’s occasionally complicated relationship, Franz Joseph deeply loved her — he was heartbroken at her loss.
Robert I of Parma, who attended Sisi’s funeral, observed:
"It was pitiful to look at the Emperor, he showed a great deal of energy in his immense pain, but at times one could see all the immensity of his grief."
Unfortunately, the immensity of the Emperor’s grief would be compounded once more — his nephew and heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, triggering the events that led to World War I.
After having lost his daughter, son, brother, wife, and nephew, Franz Ferdinand now faced down the prospect of losing his empire as well. Yet he carried on with stoic demeanor, never seeking pity or solace, but enduring his burdens silently as he strove to fulfill his God-ordained duty of serving his people.
In other words, he carried on — for he had learned that doing so is the only option.
Takeaways:
1) Look Where Your Duty Lies
Franz Joseph managed to endure his many burdens precisely because he understood his duty. Whenever he felt overwhelmed he despair, he remembered the people who counted on him — specifically, the 53 million subjects of his empire.
It was by looking to his duty and to those he was responsible for that the Emperor found the strength to keep going, and was able to persevere through disaster.
2) Secure the Line of Succession
One of Franz Joseph’s first actions after the death of his son Rudolf was to publicly secure the line of succession by specifying to whom the crown would pass after him. Doing so gave a sense of security to all — both to those in the political establishment, and to the everyday men and women in his realm.
Instead of retreating inwards and focusing on his own peace of mind, Franz Joseph’s first instinct was to ensure the peace of mind of those he served. True leaders know leadership is about providing safety and stability — in the midst of tragedy, make sure your first action is to provide for the people who count on you.
3) Keep Moving Forward
“Keep calm and carry on”, as the British would say. As Franz Joseph’ many griefs added up, his stoic resilience helped him carry his burdens with dignity.
He recognized there was simply nothing more for him to do than to take things day by day, and continue fulfilling his duty as emperor. Here Churchill’s words, spoken several generations later, ring out true:
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Want to dive deeper?
James and I go live on X this Thursday at 9am ET with special guest historian Lucy Coatman to for an in-depth discussion on the Mayerling Incident.
Visit Evan’s X account at 9am to access the livestream — once it ends, the stream will be added to our Members-Only Video Archive for you to catch the replay.
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Ad finem fidelis,
-Evan
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