Charles I of Austria Historical Figure Nationality: Austria Religion: Catholicism Date of Birth: 1887 Date of Death: 1922 Cause of Death: Pneumonia Occupation: Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary Spouse: Zita of Bourbon-Parma Children: Eight Affiliations: House of Hapsburg Turtledove Appearances: Southern Victory POD: September 10, 1862 Appearance(s): The Grapple Type of Appearance: Contemporaneous reference Nationality: Austria-Hungary Date of Death: Unknown

Charles I (Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen) (1887–1922) was the last Emperor of Austria, the last king of Hungary, Croatia-Slavonia and Bohemia (as Charles III), and the last monarch of the Hapsburg dynasty. He reigned as Charles I as Emperor of Austria and Charles IV as King of Hungary from 1916 until 1918, when he "renounced participation" in state affairs, but did not abdicate. He spent the remaining years of his life attempting to restore the monarchy until his died of pneumonia in 1922. Following his beatification, he has become commonly known as Blessed Charles.

Charles I in Southern VictoryEdit

Charles I (1887-19??) led his country to victory in two global wars.

Charles I became the heir-presumptive upon the death of his uncle Franz Ferdinand. He ascended as the King-Emperor of Austria-Hungary upon the death of his grand-uncle, Franz Joseph I in 1916. The world was in the throes of the Great War, with Austria-Hungary allied with Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and the United States. When Charles ascended, Austria and its allies had gained the strategic upper-hand in all theaters. By the following year, they had won.

Despite this victory, Charles found himself ruling an increasingly fragile empire, and Austria-Hungary found itself increasingly dependent upon Germany to hold its empire together. In 1929, Russia, one of the defeated countries of the Great War, defaulted on its financial obligations to Austria, throwing Austria and then the world into a economic depression. Moreover, various subjects of the Austro-Hungarian Empire grew restive. Charles was able to steer the country through the 1930s, but by the 1940s, the empire was barely holding together.

When France, Britain, and Russia declared war on Germany in 1941, Charles supported his traditional ally. Austria-Hungary acted once more in a subordinate role to the Germans, providing scientists to work on the German superbomb project. Austria-Hungary suffered from people bomb attacks during the Second Great War at the hands of its less willing subjects.

As in the previous war, Charles steered his country to victory in the Second Great War.

Literary CommentEdit

Most of this article is based on what Turtledove revealed about Austria-Hungary generally during the course of the series. The only direct reference to Charles comes in The Grapple, on page 567.

Regnal titles (OTL)
Preceded by Franz Joseph I	Emperor of Austria 1916–1918	Succeeded by Karl Seitz as President of Austria
	King of Hungary 1916–1918	Succeeded by Mihály Károlyi as Provisional President of Hungary
Regnal titles (Southern Victory)
Preceded by Franz Joseph I	Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary 1916-19??	Succeeded by Incumbent as of series' end

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