Franz Joseph I of Austria

Franz Joseph I was Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary for sixty-seven years and eleven months (1848–1916), reigning as the third-longest-reigning monarch in recorded European history. Coming to the throne at age eighteen amidst the violent revolutions of 1848, Franz Joseph was the embodiment of duty, rising at 4:00 AM every morning and spending his life in military uniform working at his desk in the Hofburg Palace.

In 1857, Franz Joseph ordered the demolition of Vienna's ancient medieval fortifications to construct the magnificent Ringstraße boulevard, surrounding the city with world-class opera houses, museums, and palaces. Following military defeat against Prussia in 1866, he concluded the historic Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (Ausgleich), establishing the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary with separate parliaments. His personal life was haunted by unimaginable family tragedy: his brother Maximilian was executed in Mexico, his only son Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at Mayerling, his beloved empress Sisi (Elisabeth of Bavaria) was assassinated in Geneva, and his nephew Franz Ferdinand was assassinated at Sarajevo in 1914, prompting Franz Joseph to declare war on Serbia and ignite World War I. He died in the midst of the conflict in 1916.