My Grandfather and the Habsburgs

July, 2010
I  learned at school that World War I started because the Habsburg Archduke  Franz Ferdinand, the intended heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo, Serbia in  1914.  But as I prepared to visit Central Europe in 2006, I realized I really did not not understand why this event should have led to a world war, the collapse of 3 superpower empires (Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman Turk, and Czarist Russia), and the early death of the grandfather I never knew--a bright engineering student at Stanford University in California, exposed to mustard gas in the muddy trenches in France.  There had been an earlier attempted assassination of the Emperor Franz Joseph, and his very beautiful and independent wife Elizabeth (Sissi) was assassinated in 1889, but no war followed.  (photo from building in Prague)

I found I was not alone in my puzzlement.  I discovered a helpful book:  Europe's Last Summer: Who Started the Great War in 1914? by David Fromkin.  I concluded (not doing justice to all the insights in the book) that the reasons were complex and multi-faceted--rising nationalism; old and weakening dynasties; opportunism; fear; revenge; defense against attackers; manipulative military leaders.  Most people in Europe were not anticipating a war that summer, and the leaders of the nations were mostly related through Queen Victoria or the Hapsburgs' political marriages.  But once the dominoes of World War I started falling, alliances had to honored, and there seemed to be no turning back.  However, for whatever reasons nations had for joining the war, no one foresaw the end:  in four years there would be 37 million casualties (16 million dead and missing; 21 million wounded) and the "peace" that would follow "the war to end all war"  held in it the seeds of more conflict.  Fromkin has written another good book on the division of the Middle East after WWI called "A Peace to End all Peace."


There were happier days for the Habsburgs.  They ruled Austria and various configurations of its empire for 640 years (1278-1918).  Twice they stopped the Ottoman Turks at the gates of Vienna in their efforts to conquer the rest of Europe (1529 and 1683).  Hapsburgs were Holy Roman Emperors and ruled in Austria and Spain with empires stretching around the globe in the 17th century.  Maximilian I, the brother of Franz Joseph, ruled Mexico from 1864-1867 when he was executed by Benito Juarez.  The Habsburgs found "marriage diplomacy" better than military might when it came to expanding their influence.  And many of these matters were arranged in the Vienna palaces of Hofburg, Belvedere, and Schonbrunn.

The Hofburg Palace was built in the 13th century, but used mostly as a fortress by the Habsburgs until shortly after the defeat of the Turks when Ferdinand I moved in.  It was in and out of favor with the rulers, though often renovated or added to.  Karl VI added the amazing Hofbibliothek (now the National Library) which we visited with its thousands of books and the Spanish Riding School with its magnificent Lipizzaner stallions (closed for renovations last summer).  There's a whole set of Hofburg Museums to be seen.

  I had thought the Schonbrunn Palace was further out from the city 40 years ago.  While my memory might be suspect, I also think the city has expanded to its gates in those years.  This was the favorite of the Empress Maria Teresa who managed not only to run an empire, but to bear 16 children as well.  Having just finished my studies in France, I was more focused in my first visit on her daughter Marie Antoinette, the similarities to Versailles ( the Great Gallery, Hall of Mirrors, and gardens), and the conquest by Napoleon who twice lived at the Schonbrunn and, after dumping his childless Josephine, married the daughter of the emperor, Marie Louise.  She bore him a son, Franz Napoleon, who was raised at Schonbrunn and died there in his early twenties.  This visit I appreciated the rooms more for their uniqueness ( the Porcelain Room, the Millions Room with its rare rosewood, the Chinese Room, etc.) and found greater warmth than I have felt in the massive Versailles.  There are needlepoints and paintings done by the daughters with the encouragement of their mother, Maria Teresa.

And this time I was more interested in the life of Franz Joseph and Sissi.  There was hardly a town I visited in the area of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire that didn't have something named after Franz Joseph.  He died in the middle of WWI, having ruled from age 18 to 86.  For all their worldly pomp, the Imperial Vault (Kaisergruft) where many Habsburgs  are buried is part of a rather unassuming church in Vienna.  It was left to the his successor, Karl, to surrender.  And coming full circle, I realized that it never occurred to me to ask my grandmother the reasons why my grandfather went to war.  History is full of never asked questions.
Click link for slideshow:
Habsburg Palaces
Music:  Joseph Haydn, String Quartet in B flat Op. 76 No. 4 Finale, Buchberger Quartet

More information:
 www.schoenbrunn.at/en/  www.hofburg-wien.at/en/