Franz Joseph I (also known as the "Eternal Kaiser") - was the Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and other states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from December 2, 1848 until his death. From 1 May 1850 to 24 August 1866 he was also President of the German Confederation. He was the longest reigning ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as the longest reigning emperor and the seventh longest reigning monarch of any country in history.

From early childhood, Franz Joseph was groomed as a potential successor to the imperial throne by his mother, who played a dominant role in the family and had a great influence on political events. Thus, Franz Joseph was in the center of attention of both the family and the entire court. It soon became clear that the little archduke would one day become emperor, so the guidelines for his upbringing and education were drawn up with great care. Franz Joseph's "apprenticeship" in preparation for the office of emperor is well documented. He was taught different languages so that he would know as many countries and cultures as possible. When he left kindergarten, Count Franz von Bombelles was appointed Ajo (educator) to oversee his education. The foundations of this upbringing were based on a sense of duty, religiosity and awareness of the dynastic heritage.

The military aspect of his education was brought to the fore, as the future emperor was to be encouraged to see the army as the most important pillar of his rule. Metternich personally taught the young prince the political system. As a child, Franz Joseph had little free time. At the age of six, he had thirteen to eighteen hours of study per week, and by the age of sixteen, his daily routine had expanded from six in the morning to nine in the evening. Many biographers view Franz Joseph's training as a rigorous exercise that leaves no room for imagination and molds his adult personality. This, of course, laid the foundation for the image of Franz Joseph as a soldier and the main servant of the state.

The results of all the efforts that had been invested in raising the Archduke as a future monarch were put to the test in 1848. During the revolution, the imperial family fled Vienna, taking refuge in Olmutz. This provincial Moravian town was the scene of an impressive transfer of power. In the face of events, it was believed that the abdication of the weakened Emperor Ferdinand could be used to give the dynasty an active role again.

Franz Joseph's father, Archduke Franz Karl, who was effectively next in line to the throne, renounced his right to the throne after strong persuasion from his wife Sophie. Now Archduchess Sophie saw that the moment had come to realize her long-cherished dream of having her firstborn son become Emperor.

One problem arose because different ethnic groups did not have equal opportunities to shape the political process. After the compromise with Hungary, the Magyars received special privileges along with the German-speaking elite. This created opposition from other nationalities, in particular the ethnic Slavic groups felt disadvantaged.

Czechs and South Slavs loudly demanded more federalization of the monarchy. The Czechs, who assumed a leading role among the Slavic peoples of the monarchy in the second half of the nineteenth century due to rapid economic and cultural development, demanded a position commensurate with their status as the third largest nationality in the state as a whole.

Tensions had already reached dangerous levels when news broke of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. Franz Joseph regarded this act as an attack on the honor of the dynasty and declared war on Serbia, which he considered organizing the assassination. In a kind of chain reaction, one state declared war on another, and the First World War began. Franz Joseph's role in all this has been variously assessed by his biographers. Some portray him as a decrepit fool, others believe that the elderly emperor brought his empire to ruin with his eyes open.

With his death, the monarchy lost one of the last pillars holding together the heterogeneous structure of the state, which had in any case been weakened by social and ethnic tensions and now being tested to the limit by the demands of global conflict.