As war raged in Europe in 1916, one of the longest-reigning monarchs in all of history, Kaiser Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, died of pneumonia. In his place, his great-nephew, Charles (Karl) the First assumed the throne at only twenty-two years old. He inherited from his great-uncle a quagmire on the Italian front, Romania emerging as an enemy on the Eastern Front, and the Russian Brusilov Offensive pushing into the Carpathian Mountains. Pressure from the German Empire to make gains on the Eastern and Southern fronts was mounting, as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, sinking deeper and deeper into reliance on the German military and economy, became more akin to a proxy state. The Austro-Hungarian army was plagued by the pluralistic nature of the country. While German was the lingua franca of the military, it was common for officers to not speak the language of the enlisted men they were to lead into battle. Austria suffered from poor infrastructure due to its geography, poor industrial development, and frequent recruitment issues as the plurality of ethnic groups under the Hapsburg banner felt marginalized under Austrian leadership. These, among others, were many of the practical reasons that should have compelled Austria-Hungary to drop out of the war. Considerations so basic and foreseeable that they should have prevented Austria-Hungary from waging war to begin with. However, imperial pride and a sense of honor needing to be avenged at any cost dragged the world into its most destructive war yet. It would further bring the seven-hundred-year Hapsburg dynasty in Austria crashing down, and Kaiser Karl, who is now recognized posthumously as Blessed Charles of Austria, would oversee its dissolution.
From a very young age, Karl was pious and highly interested in morality and theology. In 1899, his great-uncle, taking a cue from Pope Leo XIII, consecrated the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had a profound effect on young Karl. When he grew older and married, he and his wife, Zita, would pray the rosary daily, and made confession and daily Mass a habit. Upon assuming the throne, he made an effort to build more churches in Vienna, as the ones that were already built were becoming overcrowded, and he saw the necessity of making the Mass accessible to all. His religious upbringing was deeply thorough, and one nun who had been gifted with the stigmata even prophesied about his future. When asked why she was so particularly devoted to young Karl, she stated that he would one day be emperor, and that he would be a “special attack point for Hell.”
Following in his father’s footsteps, Karl took on a military post after his education. Most Austrian nobles at the time held military positions, although these were largely honorific titles that conferred no actual obligation of service. Karl, however, opted to actually serve in the military and earn the rank bestowed on him by his birth. He lived like a common soldier, spurning the luxurious lifestyle that even the few nobles who did legitimately serve in the military clung onto during their service. He enjoyed marching, drilling, and calvary charges. This close and personal connection with the army helped him, in part, to adopt his philosophy of being a “soldier of peace.”
Upon taking the throne, he immediately began seeking peace for Austria and the world at large. He pled with Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to not engage in submarine warfare against the British, citing fears that doing so would not only drag America into the war, but also because of the immoral nature of the action. Wilhelm II did not heed the warnings, despite respecting Karl a great deal. Karl also put in a great deal of administrative effort to get food, water, and medicine to the wounded and sick soldiers stuck on the frontlines. It would be justified to say that this effort led to thousands of lives being saved. However, his overall desire for peace was not achieved due to the fact that Austria had effectively become a military junta over the course of the war, with Karl as a mere figurehead. However, as the army came to the same conclusion that Karl had realized from the beginning—that the war couldn’t be won—they would soon cooperate with him.
His theological outlook concerning war was no doubt both consciously and unconsciously influenced by the Catholic doctrine of Just War Theory. However, a deeper, more integral understanding of what peace actually is informed his decision making. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict and war. Peace is the correct ordering of human nature to be in accordance with the will of God. Kaiser Karl set aside his pride, his own wellbeing, and the pressures placed upon him by his political allies to achieve the higher good: the end of a senseless war that couldn’t be won.
After the war, he was punished the most severely of any of the leaders of the Central Powers. This was in spite of the fact that he was the only leader of any nation of the war to actively seek peace, as well as the only one to not have been on the throne at the war’s beginning. He was stripped of his royal titles and forced to live in exile in Portugal. The whole time, he was hounded by the British government who wanted him to stand trial, though the exact charges weren’t clear. Portugal, despite being one of the powers at war with Austria, virtuously showed him mercy and allowed him to enter and live in relative peace with his beloved Zita. However, this exile indirectly led to his untimely death at only thirty-four years old due to the local lack of quality medical care.
On October 3rd, 2004, Pope St. John Paul II officially declared Kaiser Karl to be “Blessed Charles of Austria,” for his piety, humility, and steadfast dedication to peace. His legacy serves as a beacon for leaders of the world to look upon today. The cause for his canonization remains open, and may progress in the near future. As war once again rages in Europe, we pray that the light of Christ may shine upon their hearts, and bring their nations to peace.
