Emperor of Austria
| Emperor of Austria | |
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Imperial
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Charles I
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| Details | |
| Style | His Imperial Majesty |
| First monarch | Francis I |
| Last monarch | Charles I |
| Formation | 11 August 1804 |
| Abolition | 11 November 1918 |
| Residence | |
| Appointer | Hereditary |
| Pretender(s) | Karl von Habsburg |
The Emperor of Austria (German: Kaiser von Österreich) was a hereditary imperial title and position proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and continually held by him and his heirs until Emperor Charles relinquished power in 1918. The emperors retained the title of Archduke of Austria. The wives of the emperors bore the title of empress, while other members of the family the title archduke or archduchess.
Members of the House of Austria, the Habsburg dynasty, had for centuries been elected as "Holy Roman Emperor" and mostly resided in Vienna. Thus the term "Austrian emperor" may occur in texts dealing with the time before 1804, when no Austrian Empire existed. In these cases the word Austria means the composite monarchy ruled by the dynasty, not the country. A special case was Maria Theresa; she bore the imperial title as the consort of Francis I (r. 1745–1765), but she herself was the monarch of the Austrian Hereditary Lands including Bohemia and Hungary.
In the face of aggressions by Napoleon I, who had been proclaimed "Emperor of the French" (French: Empereur des Francais), by the French constitution on 18 May 1804, Francis II feared for the future of the Holy Roman Empire and wished to maintain his and his family's Imperial status in the event that the Holy Roman Empire should be dissolved. Therefore, on 11 August 1804 he created the new title of "Emperor of Austria" for himself and his successors as heads of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. For two years, Francis carried two imperial titles: being Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and "by the Grace of God" (Von Gottes Gnaden) Emperor Francis I of Austria.
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