Sophie was given the title of Princess of Hohenberg and Duchess of Hohenberg. The Emperor, his brothers, and their families refused to attend the ceremony. Undeterred, the couple tied the knot on July 1, 1900, at Zákupy Chateau in northern Bohemia near the German border. Sophie was also forbidden to sit in the royal carriage or royal box. The couple’s offspring would not be heirs to the throne. Yet the Emperor set down some harsh conditions. Supported by other rulers and the Pope, the Archduke finally got Emperor Franz Joseph’s permission to marry Sophie in 1899. Stubborn and determined, Franz Ferdinand refused to marry anyone else. Smitten, the two lovebirds were forced to keep their relationship a secret for two years because Sophie’s family members were not descendants of the Habsburgs or of any other European ruling dynasties, making her ineligible to marry someone of the Archduke’s status. Smitten by SophieĪ life-changing event occurred in 1894 when the heir to the throne met Countess Sophie Chotek, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabella, at a ball in Prague. He also believed that if Serbia was treated harshly, Russia would react violently. The Archduke also promoted federalism that would make the empire into 16 states and saw Hungarian nationalism as a serious threat. Striving to give more freedom to ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he supported the Czechs as well as the Croatians and Bosnians. Politically, Franz Ferdinand aligned himself with centralism and Catholic conservatism. Often disagreeing with the Empire’s leaders, he was not very popular. The Archduke’s relationship with Emperor Franz Josef was laden with friction. Now, some 100,000 of his trophies and many of his antiques are on display at Konopiště Chateau, near Benešov, not far from Prague. He had another hobby as well – collecting antiques. Obsessed with hunting, he acquired approximately 300,000 hunting trophies. An avid supporter of the Empire’s Navy, Franz Ferdinand has been described as energetic, reckless, proud, mistrusting, and moody. In 1913 he was named Inspector General of Austria-Hungary’s Army. The Archduke had a distinguished military career, gaining promotions to captain, major, colonel, and general. Franz Ferdinand found himself heir to the throne. In 1889 his cousin, the Emperor’s son, Crown Prince Rudolf killed himself, and then in 1896, his father succumbed to typhoid. Burns Becoming heir to the Habsburg throneīorn in Graz, Austria on December 18, 1863, Franz Ferdinand was the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the brother of Franz Joseph.

Archduke franz ferdinand