Reign 1835-1848
His Imperial Majesty Ferdinand I Karl Leopold Joseph Franz MarchlinEmperor of Austria King of Hungary and Bohemia (April 19, 1793 – June 29,1875) succeeded his father (Franz II Holy Roman Emperor/Franz I ofAustria) as Emperor and King in 1835 and was forced to abdicate in 1848.He was also King of Lombardy-Venetia.
He was feeble-minded and epileptic. He was placed on the throne byMetternich as a puppet for Metternich's own purposes. His marriage toPrincess Maria Anna of Sardinia (1803-1884) was probably neverconsummated, nor is he believed to have had any other liaisons. He isfamous for his one coherent command: when someone tried to keep him fromeating dumplings because his digestive system could not stand them, hesaid "I'm the Emperor, and I want dumplings!" (German: Ich bin der Kaiserund will Knödel.)
With the breakout of revolution in Vienna in 1848, Metternich fled thecountry. As the revolutionaries were marching on the palace, he wasattributed to saying, "But, are they allowed to do that?"(German: "Aber,werden sie das tun gelassen?.") He was convinced to abdicate by Felix zuSchwarzenberg, and his nephew, Franz Joseph, would be on the Austrianthrone for the next sixty-eight years.
He was the last king of Bohemia to be crowned as such. Due to hissympathy to Bohemia (where he spent the rest of his life), he is, inCzech nicknamed :"Ferdinand V, the Good". In Austria, Ferdinand was in asimilar way nicknamed "der Gütige" (the Benignant).
Ferdinand |
Date of Import: Aug 2, 2004