CHARLES I. (1887-1922), emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, born Aug. 17, 1887, in Persenbeug, in Lower Austria, was the son of the archduke Otto (1863-1906), and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (b. 1867). The death of his father in 1906 and the renunciation by his uncle, the archduke Francis Ferdinand, on his marriage with the countess Chotek (1900) of any right of succession for the children of this union, made him heir-presumptive to his great-uncle, the emperor, Francis Joseph. In Oct. 1911 he married the princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Of this marriage there were several sons and daughters, the eldest of whom, Otto, was born in 1912. Charles' relations with the emperor were not intimate, and those with Francis Ferdinand not cordial. After the death of Francis Ferdinand the old emperor took steps to initiate him in affairs of State ; but these studies were interrupted almost immediately by the outbreak of the World War. After a period at headquarters at Teschen, Charles commanded the loth Corps in the offensive of 1916 against Italy, later commanding an army on the eastern front.
Charles as Emperor.-On Nov. 21, 1916, he succeeded to the throne, at a period of extreme difficulty, which he hoped to meet by making a complete change in the leading military and political posts in the monarchy. The changes, however, usually proved unfortunate. Charles himself was an amiable man of excellent intentions, but his abilities were mediocre and his preparatory training inadequate. He lacked calmness and en durance, and was prone to headlong, precipitate actions. He was powerfully influenced by his immediate entourage-his wife and mother-in-law-while distrusting all other advisers. But he was most bitterly-and justly-reproached for insincerity. Not merely his enemies, but his allies, particularly German statesmen and the emperor William, soon felt that they could not trust his word ; a sentiment shared by the peoples of the Danubian monarchy.
On Charles' accession the Constitution in Austria was still sus pended. In May 1917 he summoned parliament once more, but the concessions Charles now made to the Slavonic nationalities remained fruitless, merely alienating the majority of the German Austrians, while his concessions to the Magyars in Hungary sim ilarly irritated the conservatives of Vienna and the non-Magyars of Hungary, without checking the separatist movement. He was equally unfortunate in his peace proposals. While refusing the idea of a separate peace for Austria, he endeavoured to persuade Germany to buy a general peace by territorial concessions in the west. But the negotiations opened by Count Czernin only bred ill will, which culminated on the publication of the so-called "Sixtus letter" of March 24, 1917. Charles' belated effort to convert Austria into a Federal State on national lines (Oct. 16, 1918) was rendered futile by the failure to apply it to Hungary; and Charles was obliged to renounce participation in the Govern ment of Austria on Nov. it, 1918, and of Hungary two days later. (See HABSBURGS.) After the proclamation of the Austrian re public, Charles retired to his castle of Eckartsau ; thence he went, the Austrian Government having demanded his departure, on March 24, 1919, to Switzerland, where he stayed first at Schloss Gstaad and later at Prangins. His attempt at the end of March 1921 to secure his restoration as king of Hungary failed owing to the attitude of the regent, Horthy, and other leading Hun garians and the unanimous opposition of the Succession States and the Entente.
Charles returned to Switzerland, where a provisional prolonga tion of his residence was accorded him subject to certain condi tions. In Oct. 1921, however, he made a surprise air flight with his wife from Switzerland to the Burgenland, where he was joined by a small force of armed Royalists, at whose head he marched on Budapest. But the Allied Powers, as well as the "Lit tle Entente," made it clear that a coup d'etat would not be toler ated, and there was a strong rally at Budapest to the side of the Horthy Government. The Royalists were met near Budapest and defeated, Charles and Zita being themselves arrested at Tihany.
On instructions from the Powers, the definite deposition of Charles and renunciation of his claims to the throne were in sisted upon, and he and his wife were handed over to the custody of the Allies for internment. Refused the right of asylum by Switzerland, on the ground that he had not adhered to the condi tions agreed upon, and accorded a reception by Portugal alone, he was conveyed upon the English ship "Cardiff" to Funchal, Madeira. Here he lived in straitened circumstances until his death on April I, 1922.