Ferdinand I ( 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was

Emperor of Austria The emperor of Austria (, ) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorr ...

from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also

King of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

(as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy–Venetia and holder of other lesser titles (see

grand title of the Emperor of Austria The grand title of the emperor of Austria () was the vast lists of the crowns, titles, and dignities which the emperors of Austria carried from the foundation of the empire in 1804 until the end of the monarchy in 1918. After the House of Habsb ...

). Due to his passive but well-intentioned character, he gained the

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

The Benign () or The Benevolent (, Polish: ''Ferdynand Dobrotliwy''). Ferdinand succeeded his father Francis I upon his death on 2 March 1835. He was incapable of ruling the empire because of severe

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

, 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 In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

. Taylor, A. J. P.: "The Habsburg Monarchy 1809-1918" (Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1990, ), pp 52-53 Following the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

, Ferdinand abdicated on 2 December 1848. He was succeeded by his nephew,

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

. Following his abdication, he lived in Hradčany Palace,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, until his death in 1875. Ferdinand married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child of

Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel I (; 24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) was the Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from 4 June 1802 until his reign ended in 1821 upon abdication due to a liberal revolution. Shortly thereafter, hi ...

. They had no children.

Biography

Early life

Ferdinand was the eldest son of

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and I (; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor as Francis II from 1792 to 1806, and the first Emperor of Austria as Francis I from 1804 to 1835. He was also King of Hungary, List of rulers of Croatia, Croa ...

and Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Possibly as a result of his parents' genetic closeness (they were double first cousins), Ferdinand had

hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...

, neurological problems including

, and a

speech impediment Speech disorders, impairments, or impediments, are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean fluency disorders like stuttering and cluttering. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is co ...

. He was educated by Baron Josef Kalasanz von Erberg, and his wife Countess Josephine von

Attems The House of Attems (Attimis in Italian) is the name of an ancient and illustrious Parliamentary sovereignty, parliamentary family from Friuli that held the titles of princes, counts and barons. The family, from the native castle of Attimis, branc ...

Reign

Ferdinand suffered from epilepsy. Although he has been depicted as feeble-minded and incapable of ruling, he kept a coherent and legible diary and has even been said to have had a sharp wit. However, suffering as many as twenty seizures per day severely restricted his ability to rule with any effectiveness. Though he was not declared incapacitated, a Regent's Council ( Archduke Louis, Count Kolowrat, and Prince Metternich) steered the government. When Ferdinand married Princess Maria Anna of Savoy, the court physician considered it unlikely that he would be able to consummate the marriage.van der Kiste, John. ''Emperor Francis Joseph'' London: Sutton Publishing, 2005 . p 2 When he tried to consummate the marriage, he had five seizures. He is also remembered for his command to his cook: when told he could not have apricot

dumpling Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...

s ('' Marillenknödel'') because

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

s were out of season, he said "I am the Emperor, and I want dumplings!" (!).Regan, Geoffrey. ''Royal Blunders'' page 72

1848 Revolution

As the revolutionaries of 1848 were marching on the palace, he is supposed to have asked Metternich for an explanation. When Metternich answered that they were starting a revolution, Ferdinand is supposed to have said "But are they allowed to do that?" (

Viennese German Viennese German (; ) is the city dialect spoken in Vienna, the capital of Austria, and is counted among the Bavarian dialects. It is distinct from written Standard German in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Even in Lower Austria, the st ...

: ''Ja, dürfen's denn des?'') He was convinced by Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg to abdicate in favour of his nephew,

(the next in line was Ferdinand's younger brother Franz Karl, but he was persuaded by his wife

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

to renounce his succession rights in favour of his son) who would occupy the Austrian throne for the next 68 years. Ferdinand recorded the events in his diary:

In retirement (1848–1875)

Ferdinand was the last

King of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia was established in 870 and raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in Golden Bull of Sicily, 1198. Several Bohemian monarchs ruled as non-hereditary kings and first gained the title in 1085. From 1004 to 1806, Bohemia was part of th ...

to be crowned as such. Due to his sympathy with Bohemia (where he spent the rest of his life in

Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...

) he was given the

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

nickname "Ferdinand V, the Good" (''Ferdinand Dobrotivý''). In Austria, Ferdinand was similarly nicknamed "Ferdinand der Gütige" (Ferdinand the Benign), but also ridiculed as "Gütinand der Fertige" (Goodinand the Finished). Ferdinand was also the last ruler to be crowned with the

Iron Crown of Lombardy The Iron Crown (in Italian, Latin, and Lombard: ''Corona Ferrea''; ) is a reliquary votive crown, traditionally considered one of the oldest royal insignia of Christendom. It was made in the Middle Ages, consisting of a circlet of gold and j ...

in his capacity as King of Lombardy-Venetia. He is interred in tomb number 62 in the

Imperial Crypt The Imperial Crypt (), also called the Capuchin Crypt (''Kapuzinergruft''), is a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church and monastery in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632, and located on the Neuer Markt square of ...

in Vienna.

Honours

Ancestry

Ferdinand's parents were

double first cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the kinship system used in the English-speaking world, c ...

s as they shared all four grandparents (Francis' paternal grandparents were his wife's maternal grandparents and vice versa). Therefore, Ferdinand only had four great-grandparents, being descended from each of them twice. Further back in his ancestry there is more

pedigree collapse In genealogy, pedigree collapse describes how reproduction between two individuals who share an ancestor causes the number of distinct ancestors in the family tree of their offspring to be smaller than it could otherwise be. Robert C. Gunderson ...

due to the close intermarriage between the Houses of Austria and Spain and other Catholic monarchies.

References

External links

* Tomáš Kleisner
"Medals of the Emperor Ferdinand the Good 1793-1875"
Prague 2013

* * * ''Ferdinand I'' In: * ''Ferdinand I'' In: * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand 01 Of Austria Ferdinand of Austria Ferdinand of Austria 19th-century emperors of Austria 19th-century monarchs of Bohemia 19th-century Hungarian monarchs Dukes of Opole Monarchs who abdicated House of Habsburg-Lorraine Ferdinand of Austria Grand masters of the Order of the Golden Fleece Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Recipients of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Royalty and nobility with epilepsy People with hydrocephalus 19th-century archdukes of Austria Burials at the Imperial Crypt Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna Sons of emperors Children of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Habsburg monarchs of Bohemia Kings of Hungary Kings of Croatia Monarchs of Galicia and Lodomeria 18th-century Austrian people 19th-century Austrian people Austrian royalty and nobility with disabilities Sons of dukes Sons of counts