Emperor Karl I

Emperor Karl I (1887 – 1922) The idea of kings and emperors living lives of such holiness that they are proposed for sainthood seems to be a quaint relic of the medieval era. Therefore, it is surprising to learn that the last Habsburg emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Karl I, is now called Blessed and one step away from sainthood due to his commitment to peace and personal holiness as an emperor, husband, and father. Karl was born in 1887 to Archduke Otto, son of Archduke Karl Ludwig, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Josef. In the tangled, byzantine labyrinth of Austro-Hungarian court protocol, young Karl became heir to the throne after the murder of his uncle, Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo in 1914. Karl assumed the throne of an empire in shambles and moribund, bolstered only by his profound Catholic faith and the love of his wife, Empress Zita, and their children. Karl was profoundly spiritual and saw his role as emperor primarily as ensuring his people’s prosperity and the p