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| FRANCIS JOSEPH I |
Francis Joseph, emperor of Austria, was born at Vienna, on Aug. 18, 1830, and ascended the throne in 1848. He was crowned King of Hungary in 1867. His first task was to subdue the Hungarian revolt and pacify Lombardy. After this was accomplished a reaction set in. Lombardy was ceded to Sardinia; and by the war with Prussia in 1866 Austria was excluded from Germany. The emperor then adopted a policy of conciliation, and the now aged monarch reigns at present the most peaceful of European sovereigns. By the death of his only son, Rudolf, the crown passes to Francis Ferdinand, son of the emperor's brother, Charles Louis, who renounced his claims to the throne.