Ferdinand I of Austria

Not to be confused with Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.
Ferdinand I & V
Portrait by Eduard Edlinger (1843)
Emperor of Austria
King of Hungary
(more...)
Reign2 March 1835 – 2 December 1848
Coronations28 September 1830, Pressburg
7 September 1836, Prague
6 September 1838, Milan
PredecessorFrancis I
SuccessorFranz Joseph I
Head of the Präsidialmacht Austria
In office
2 March 1835 – 12 July 1848
Preceded byFrancis I
Succeeded byFranz Joseph I
Born(1793-04-19)19 April 1793
Vienna, Archduchy of Austria,[1] Holy Roman Empire
Died29 June 1875(1875-06-29) (aged 82)
Prague, Austria-Hungary[1]
Burial
Imperial Crypt
Spouse
​
(m. 1831)​
Names
German: Ferdinand Karl Leopold Joseph Franz Marcellin
English: Ferdinand Charles Leopold Joseph Francis Marcellin
HouseHabsburg-Lorraine
FatherFrancis II, Holy Roman Emperor
MotherMaria Theresa of Naples and Sicily
ReligionRoman Catholicism
SignatureFerdinand I & V's signature

Ferdinand I (German: Ferdinand I. 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy–Venetia and holder of many other lesser titles (see grand title of the Emperor of Austria). Due to his passive but well-intentioned character, he gained the sobriquet The Benign (German: Der Gütige) or The Benevolent (Czech: Ferdinand Dobrotivý, Polish: Ferdynand Dobrotliwy).[2]

Ferdinand succeeded his father Francis I upon his death on 2 March 1835. He was incapable of ruling the empire because of severe epilepsy, so his father, before he died, made a will promulgating that Ferdinand should consult his uncle Archduke Louis on all aspects of internal policy and urged him to be influenced by Prince Metternich, Austria's Foreign Minister.[3]

Following the Revolutions of 1848, Ferdinand abdicated on 2 December 1848. He was succeeded by his nephew, Franz Joseph. Following his abdication, he lived in Hradčany Palace, Prague, until his death in 1875.[4]

Ferdinand married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child of Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia. They had no children.

  1. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ferdinand I. of Austria" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  2. ^ Thomas Nipperdey: Deutsche Geschichte 1800-1866. Bürgerwelt und starker Staat, C.H. Beck, broschierte Sonderausgabe 1998, S. 339.
  3. ^ Taylor, A. J. P.: "The Habsburg Monarchy 1809-1918" (Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1990, ISBN 978-0-14-013498-8), pp 52-53
  4. ^ van der Kiste, p. 16