Franz Joseph I also
Franz Josef I or
Francis Joseph I (Franz Joseph Karl; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was
Emperor of Austria,
King of Hungary, and monarch of other states in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, from 2 December 1848 to his death. From 1 May 1850 to 24 August 1866 he was also President of the
German Confederation. He was the longest-reigning Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, as well as the third-longest-reigning monarch of any country in European history, after
Louis XIV of France and
Johann II of Liechtenstein. On 28 June 1914, the
assassination of his nephew,
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in
Sarajevo resulted in Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against the
Kingdom of Serbia, which was Russia's ally. That activated a system of alliances which resulted in
World War I(
Source)