Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria

Archduke Karl Ludwig
Karl Ludwig about 1861, photograph by Ludwig Angerer
Born	(1833-07-30)30 July 1833 Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
Died	19 May 1896(1896-05-19) (aged 62)
Burial	Imperial Crypt, Vienna
Spouse	Princess Margaretha of Saxony Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal
Issue	Archduke Franz Ferdinand Archduke Otto Franz Archduke Ferdinand Karl Archduchess Margarete Sophie Archduchess Maria Annunziata Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie
Father	Archduke Franz Karl of Austria
Mother	Sophie, Princess of Bavaria

Monarchical styles of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria
Reference style	His Imperial and Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Imperial and Royal Highness
Alternative style	Sir

Archduke Karl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria (30 July 1833 – 19 May 1896) was the younger brother of Franz Joseph I of Austria (1830–1916), the father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863–1914), whose assassination ignited World War I, and grandfather of the last emperor, Charles I.

He was born at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria (1802–1878) and his wife Sophie of Bavaria (1805–1872). His siblings included Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and Maximilian, the Emperor of Mexico executed in 1867.

His mother ensured he was raised a devout Roman Catholic by the Vienna Prince-archbishop Joseph Othmar Rauscher, a conviction that evolved into religious mania in his later years.

Though not interested in politics, the 20-year-old joined the Galician government of Count Agenor Romuald Gołuchowski and in 1855 accepted his appointment as Tyrolean stadtholder in Innsbruck, where he took his residence at Ambras Castle. However, he found his authority to exert power restricted by the Austrian cabinet of his cousin Archduke Rainer Ferdinand and Baron Alexander von Bach. He finally laid down the office upon the issue of the 1861 February Patent for a life as patron of the arts and sciences.