A couple of months ago, I changed up my format for introducing Holy Role-Models (aka Saints and those on the road to becoming Saints who were married).  I started formatting these posts as Top 10 Things You Should Know lists, and the response has been very positive.

October’s Holy Role-Models were the last official emperor and empress of the Austro-Hungarian empire.  Bl. Karl I and Servant of God Zita were among my very favorite married saintly people I met in researching for my book.  I often gush about Karl- how great of a husband and father he was, how devoted to Jesus he was, how hard he worked for peace and stability for his homeland.  But several people who have read the chapter in my book on him seem less convinced.  I think some of my (American) readers come to the material with a bias against Karl.  I mean, he was the emperor of one of the countries we fought against in WWI.  

Dear reader, even if you are a red-blooded, patriotic American, I ask you… Please try to check your bias.  Karl was a truly holy man of God, and I feel strongly that he has been misunderstood and unfairly judged by history.  And… He’s already been beatified, so the Church must agree with me a little bit!

Ok, disclaimer out of the way… Let’s begin!  10 things you should know about Bl. Karl I of Austria-Hungary and his wife, the Servant of God Zita of Bourbon-Parma.

1. They were both given pretty awesome names at birth.

Royal families at the time gave their children many names.  Karl was born in 1887 with the full name Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen; Zita was born in 1892 with the full name Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese.  Karl had only one brother (Max), but Zita had (wait for it) 23 siblings, 20 of whom survived infancy.

2. As a young woman, Zita thought she might become a nun.

Zita’s grandmother, the widowed former queen of Portugal, was an abbess, and three of Zita’s sisters became nuns at her convent.  Zita, however, discerned that God was calling her to a different vocation.  Soon, she was reintroduced to her childhood friend, Karl, and they were quickly engaged.

One commentator noted that Karl and Zita had “the same deep faith, the same simple tastes, the same love of home and— not so far behind these three in enduring value for a marriage—the same sense of humour.”

‘A Heart for Europe’

3. Karl was born in the royal family, but never thought he would actually be emperor.

When he was born, Karl’s great uncle Franz Josef was the emperor.  Karl was sixth in line for the throne- too far to even be trained in leadership to prepare.  After the death or assassination of all five of the men before him (including his uncle, Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination sparked WWI), the throne ended up going straight from Franz Josef to Karl.  Karl was 29; Zita was only 24.  Interesting fact- Pope Pius X had actually predicted that Karl would be emperor much sooner than he expected during a private audience with Zita.

4. Karl and Zita had eight children, whom they raised in the faith.

Karl and Zita welcomed their first baby, the Crown Prince Otto, just after their first anniversary in late 1912.  Their youngest child, Elisabeth, was born only 11 years later… but just about everything had changed for the family by that time.

Karl and Zita loved teaching their children to pray, and fostered a love for the Eucharist and the Mass in their children’s hearts.

5. Karl sought to serve his people through social reform.

Karl wanted to rule as a Christian first and foremost.  He gave much of his own fortune to the poor.  He also helped establish policies like rent control, employee welfare, and protections for children. Some of these are still in use today in Austria.

6. Karl was virtually the only world leader who worked for peace during WWI.

Karl was known as the Friedenskaiser, or “Peace Emperor.”  He had been on the frontlines himself at the start of the war (before he was emperor), so Karl knew the horrors of war all too well.  He opposed all civilian bombing and German attacks on neutral ships.  Karl tried multiple times to get Austria-Hungary out of the war, even attempting to negotiate a separate peace for his country when it was clear their ally Germany would not be surrendering.  This ended up becoming complicated (read more about the “Sixtus Affair” here) and unfairly marring his reputation.

7. Karl and Zita served as the last emperor and empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

After the war, Karl and Zita were dethroned and forced into exile, and the country adopted a republican government. It is interesting to note that Karl had been trying to set up a new form of government himself, where the different ethnic regions of his large empire could draw up plans for their own governance while still being united under one economy and army for their protection.  Karl was blocked by advisors, but many historians believe his system would’ve been highly successful.  Perhaps it could have saved many parts of his former empire from falling to Nazism, communism, or general chaos in the coming years.

8. Karl died very young, during the family’s exile.

Karl and Zita were sent into exile in November 1921, not even knowing if they would ever see their children again.  They were sent to Madeira, a Portuguese island that is very humid- possibly Karl’s enemies knew of his poor lung health.  Just a few months after the family had been reunited on Madeira, Karl died of pneumonia.  He had told his wife he felt God was calling him to die on behalf of his people, and she firmly believed that he would’ve gotten better immediately if he told God he would not do it.  But he stayed firm in his faith, receiving the sacraments frequently and praying with Zita every day.  He died at 34 after telling Zita, “I love you endlessly!” and kissing a crucifix.

9. Zita spent the (very long) rest of her life in service to her husband’s legacy and her family.

When Karl died, Zita was not yet 30 and still pregnant with their eighth child.  She clung to her faith, protected her family and ran campaigns for Austrian independence.  She worked to have her husband considered for beatification, and served as a strong matriarch to her children and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Zita lived as a widow for 67 years.  In 1982, after 60 years away, she was allowed to return to Austrian soil for the first time.

10. Karl I was beatified in 2004, and now Zita’s cause has also been opened.

Bl. Karl’s feast day is celebrated on October 21, the anniversary of his 1911 marriage to Zita.  You can learn lots more about both of them through the Emperor Karl I League of Prayer page.

“Emperor Charles conceived of his office as a holy service to his people. His chief concern was to follow the Christian vocation to holiness also in his political actions.”

Pope John-Paul II, Karl’s beatification speech

References:

Bogle, James, and Joanna Bogle. A Heart for Europe: The lives of Emperor Charles and Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary. 2nd ed. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1993.

“Charles I of Austria Explained.” Everything Explained. Last modified 2020. https://everything.explained.today/Charles_I_of_Austria/.

Cochran, O.S.B., Br. Nathan. “Novena.” Blessed Karl of Austria.

Ferrara, Meghan. “Zita, Empress in Exile, Servant of God.” Regina. Last modified October 21, 2016. https://reginamag.com/zita-catholic-empress-exile/.Leonard, Seth B. 

The Emperor Karl League of Prayer, USA/ Canada. Blessed Karl of Austria. Last modified, 2004. http://www.emperorcharles.org/.Zebner-Spitzenberg, Dr. Hans Karl. “Death of an Emperor.” Blessed Karl of Austria.