In fact, lots of lessons in lots of subjects. Lessons included arithmetic, grammar, sciences, geography, the languages of the Empire, fencing, swimming, history, literature, music and religion – lots of religion. He appointed Count Ferdinand Dengenfeld as his governor – a former army officer, very reactionary and unimaginative. Karl Ludwig educated his son to be a good archduke to reflect his own image. She went on to have two daughters of her own, Maria Annunciata in 1876 and Elisabeth in 1878. She was over twenty years younger than her husband and only eight years older than Franz Ferdinand, but she did her utmost to be a good mother to Karl Ludwig’s children and they sincerely loved and admired her. Karl Ludwig sincerely mourned both wives but decided that his children needed a mother figure in their lives, and in 1873 married Maria Theresa of Braganza. His second wife, Maria Annunciata of the Two Sicilies, the mother of three sons and one daughter including Franz Ferdinand, died at the age of 28 in 1871 from consumption. It was not all comfort though – his first wife, Margaretha of Saxony, died after only two years of marriage in 1858. He had “none of the Habsburg arrogance” to quote Princess Catherine Radziwill. Karl Ludwig quietly supported the Emperor by living the life of a rich nobleman and creating no scandal. He was not ambitious to be involved in ruling or the military – unlike Maximilian who achieved a leading role in the navy, or their cousin Archduke Albrecht who carved a career in the military and became Inspector General of the Army. Thus Franz Ferdinand was the first son of a third son, low in the pecking order of who would succeed to the throne – pretty insignificant.Īrchduke Karl Ludwig was a loving, pious family man. In 1857 he married Princess Charlotte of Belgium. And then there was Archduke Maximilian, the brother in between Franz Joseph and Karl Ludwig in age. At the time of Franz Ferdinand’s arrival, it was expected that Sissi would give birth to more children, that Rudolf would not be his father’s sole male heir and even if he were, he would go on to have sons himself. He married a beautiful Bavarian Princess, Elizabeth (known as Sissi), who, in 1858, gave birth to an heir, Archduke Rudolf. He was young, he was seen as a fresh, dynamic new start for Austria. Franz Joseph succeeded as Emperor during the revolutionary year of 1848, taking over from his enfeebled Uncle, Ferdinand I, and bypassing his lacklustre father, Franz Karl. His father was Archduke Karl Ludwig, a younger brother of the Emperor Franz Joseph. The previous day had been cool and rainy, but on the morning of 28 June the city was bathed in hot sunshine.When Franz Ferdinand was born in 1863, he was just an average Archduke in terms of rank, and was not expected to amount to much more than a leading member of the Austrian army. The minarets of numerous mosques could be seen rising from among the trees and buildings along the river, a reminder of the city’s Ottoman past. Further up were the cemeteries with their glowing dots of white marble, crowned by dark firs and buffs of naked rock. The hillsides were dotted with villas and houses standing in orchards. On either side, steep hills rise to a height of over 5,000 feet. Sarajevo lies in a narrow valley watered by the Miljacka, which gushes from a gorge just above the town. A picturesque view unfolded before the couple as the motorcade swung onto the Appel Quay, driving eastward along the river. On the morning of Sunday 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkowa und Wognin, arrived by train in the city of Sarajevo and joined a motorcade for the ride to the city hall.
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