It's quite a difficult thing to pin down an exact historical reason for any significant event. We can, however, follow the lives of a specific royal family and the events that surrounded their tragic lives. Over the course of a seventy-two year span (1848 - 1920), we will look at the events that led to the creation and dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The story began in the Springtime of 1848 when revolution was the primary topic of discussion all across Europe. The Revolutions took place in multiple countries: Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, and the Austrian Empire.

Sparked by an ever-increasing desire for democratic freedoms, the Revolutions of 1848 primarily struggled for:

The freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
The removal of censorship laws
General dissatisfaction with the current serfdom oriented governing structure.

Formation of an Empire:

Fed up with the feudal system and the generational indentured servitude that plagued working-class families, civil unrest was on the rise. Great famines and food shortages rampaged through several countries in the Austrian Empire, further adding to the civil unrest and discontent with the Aristocracy.

Though some minor changes presented themselves post-revolution, ultimately, historical scholars agree that the Springtime Revolutions of 1848 were a failure. They failed in regards to what the people desired. However, for the Monarchy, it allowed them to cement their rule over the Austria and Hungary states.

At this time the region experienced a mass exodus of Czech and Slovak people. Their sights were set on attaining freedoms they could not hope to achieve in their own countries. The United States, though not perfect, did stand for a certain principle: the people have a right to dictate their own lives.

Before a significant boom of immigrants came to Texas, the U.S. had its own share of conflicts. Let’s take a look at the state of affairs in the newly annexed Lone Star state.

Following a territorial dispute over Texas, The Mexican-American War (1846 - 1848) began. The disagreement centered around a treaty that had been signed. While General Antonio López de Santa Anna was being held by the Texan Army, he was forcibly coerced to agree to certain terms. It’s understandable why Mexico had no intention of honoring a treaty that had been coerced with dishonorable acts of torture. This attempt to steal away Texas from Mexico triggered the Mexican-American War.

Following the Mexican-American War and the Revolutions of 1848, economic expansion boomed in Texas. The development drew the attention of many immigrants seeking refuge from the feudalistic governance of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. One man, in particular, Reverend Josef Arnost Bergman, would become the primary influence for the Czecho-Slovak migration to Texas in 1850.

His letters about the various new freedoms he enjoyed eventually made him the "Father" of Czech immigration to Texas. He served as a role model and reported back to his homeland friends and family about the United States' extraordinary opportunities in the untamed landscape of the Longhorn State.

Sixteen years after the migrations became popular amongst Czech and Slovak people, another conflict arose in Europe. In 1866, the Austro-Prussian War came about as a tactic to unify Germany under Prussian rule. As Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck saw it, the goal was to push Austria out of the loosely constructed German Confederation. To regain Prussian control over Germany, Bismarck used his political power to force a conflict.

The primary contenders in the conflict were Prussia and Austria. Prussia was determined to remove Austria as a central power in Germany. The Austro-Prussian War resulted in Austria's occupation of German territory coming to a swift and bloody end. However, Prussia's victory further cemented its power over Germany and the North German Confederation was formed.

As Austrian authority is expelled from Germany, a new superpower formed in its place: Austria-Hungary. Weakened by its defeat in the Austro-Prussian War, the Austrian Empire is forced to strike a bargain with Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 sought to re-establish Hungarian authority over its state while simultaneously maintaining a link to the Austrian Empire.

The Compromise promised a delectable solution for both Austria and Hungary. Full autonomy from the Austrian Empire and the opportunity to make its own decisions, politically and economically, would be granted to Hungary, provided they accept one small caveat.

The newly formed Austro-Hungarian Empire instituted a complex dual-monarchy. Both Austria and Hungary would operate under separate Parliaments and Prime Ministers while still being ruled by a single monarch. Kaiser Franz Joseph I became the ruling body over both Austria and Hungary. His titles included Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.

Tragedies of an Empire:

*Crown Prince Rudolf and Mary Freiin von Vetsera.*

Nearly twenty-two years later, tragedy would befall the Emperor's family. In 1889, Kaiser Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth of Austria suffered the loss of their only son. During a hunting trip in Mayerling, Austria, Crown Prince Rudolf and his teenage mistress engaged in a suicide pact to protect their love. They were both found dead in the hunting lodge on January 30, 1889.

Several theories surround the suicide pact. One idea eludes to Kaiser Franz Joseph I, the Crown Prince's father, profoundly disapproving of the whole affair. The leading theory is that the thwarted lovers engaged in a Romeo-Juliet style compact. If they couldn't be together in this life, then they'd be together in the next.

Crown Prince Rudolf's suicide left the Kaiser without an heir, forcing Franz Joseph to pass his Empire on to his younger brother Archduke Karl Ludwig. Unfortunately, Archduke Ludwig would succumb to Typhoid Fever, passing away in 1896.

Once again, Kaiser Franz Joseph I was left without a suitable heir. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the only sensible option. His status as Ludwig's eldest son and the Kaiser's nephew made him the nominal candidate to succeed to the throne, but more on Ferdinand later.

Following her son's suicide, Empress Elisabeth existed in a constant mourning state for the remainder of her life. She became a political recluse and shied away from all of her duties as Empress. Not only did her son commit suicide with his lover, but Elisabeth also lost her father, mother, sister, and her best friend all within a decade.

In an attempt to distract herself from the tragedies that seemed to follow her, Elisabeth traveled the world with little or no protection. Eventually, this made her a target for a political anarchist to make a statement.

Originally the assassination wasn't meant for Empress Elisabeth of Austria; she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The assassin, 25-year-old Luigi Lucheni, intended the Duke of Orleans to be the target. However, on September 10, 1898, in Geneva, Switzerland, the Duke of Orleans was nowhere to be found. Lucheni was determined to prove a point to ordinary people and set his sights on any sovereign; it didn't matter who.

"I am an anarchist by conviction...I came to Geneva to kill a sovereign, with the object of giving an example to those who suffer and those who do nothing to improve their social position; it did not matter to me who the sovereign was whom I should kill...It was not a woman I struck, but an Empress; it was a crown that I had in view." - Luigi Lucheni.

Final resting place of Kaiser Franz Joseph I. Died on November 21, 1916. — Final resting place of Kaiser Franz Joseph I.
Died on November 21, 1916.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria's assassination was a shock to the people of both Austria and Hungary, leaving the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire in a period of mourning.

Luigi Lucheni was determined to be a martyr for future anarchists. Appalled that the death penalty was outlawed in Geneva, he pleaded to move his case to another country where it was still active. The courts refused to grant Lucheni's wish and sentenced him to life in prison. Lucheni was found hanging in his cell on October 10, 1910.

Decline of an Empire:

Tragedy surrounded the Monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Kaiser Franz Joseph I lost his son and wife, as well as the majority of his family. His options were dwindling. Monarchies require a bloodline to pass on the Empire's power, and with only one option left, Kaiser Franz Joseph I chose his nephew to succeed him. Archduke Franz Ferdinand became the presumptive heir and was groomed to take the throne.

A cascade of events led to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. First, the loss of possible heirs to the throne weakened the monarchical power. Secondly, tensions were mounting as the Annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina took place in 1908.

Historically, this hostile takeover of Ottoman Empire territory is the proverbial "first-shot-fired" in starting the conflicts that would become World War I.

At this time, tensions all over Europe exploded into various conflicts and hostile take-overs of territory, economic resources, and political power. The Annexation also angered Serbian and Pan-Slav nationalists who strove to remove the Austro-Hungarian influence over their countries.

In 1914, while in Sarajevo, the largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was targeted by a shadow organization hell-bent on removing all political and economic ties with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Black Hand Society was a shadow company created within the Serbian Military and run by high ranking officers in the Royal Serbian Army.

Failed assassination attempts rang out through Sarajevo's streets as the royal motorcade procession transported the Archduke and several other high ranking sovereigns. An attempted bombing occurred while the Archduke's motorcade was en-route to a Town Hall reception.

Ferdinand's speech was interrupted by distress and the fact that he was still covered in blood from the bombing that left nearly twenty people severely wounded. Though he delivered his speech, Ferdinand and his wife were more concerned about those who were hospitalized. They left the reception and headed for the hospital.

The coordinated attacks on the Archduke's life continued and finally proved fatal for him and his wife. The successful assassin, Gavrilo Princip, managed to corner the remaining motorcade vehicles. A miscommunication between the three motorcade vehicles about the new route change caused the Archduke's car to stall in an attempt to redirect themselves.

As the car stalled, Princip took advantage of the helpless sovereign officials and gunned them down at point-blank range. Once again, the Austro-Hungarian Empire found itself without a suitable heir to the throne.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914, and World War I began a month later, on July 28, 1914. At this time, tensions were at an all-time high between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia. Joined by their allies, war was on the horizon once again.

Dissolution of an Empire:

Protests, riots, revolutions, political upheaval, the rise of nationalism and democratic freedom, unresolved territorial disputes, famine, and war are all excellent reasons to flee one's homeland in search of refuge away from all the conflicts.

Protecting one's family at times of incredible duress becomes the most important goal. It's understandable why the Czechoslovak region saw multiple exoduses of people during this span of seventy-two years.

The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would come a few years after the end of World War I. In 1920, the Treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye would be signed by the Allies. The treaty effectively saddled the blame of the "Great War" on the Central Powers. The newly formed Republic of Austria would be forced to recognize the newly independent states of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs.

Written by James Lemons