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August 26, 2021Who is Blessed Charles of Austria? He was the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that was defeated with Germany in World War I (1914-1918). Charles or Karl Habsburg did not expect to become emperor or king. There were a few others who were more likely to do that, but assassination and natural death brought about him coming to be Emperor Franz Joseph's successor in 1916.
Charles Coulombe, author of “Blessed Charles of Austria: a holy emperor and his legacy,” in the first part or “book” presents the history of the Habsburg dynasty and the Holy Roman Empire. In the second part or “book” he presents the life of Blessed Charles.
Ch. 5 and Ch. 6 is a presentation of Charles' birth, education and training as a soldier. Ch. 7 is about him meeting his wife Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, whose cause for canonization is underway too. Chs. 8-10 are about Austria's involvement in World War I, which Charles did not believe Austria should have gotten involved with.
Once he was emperor, he tried different ways to get Austria out of the war, but Germany and some Allied leaders would not agree. Charles feared that the empire would be split into various countries, which is what happened. The war ended in 1918.
Charles and his family were forced into exile in Switzerland and was told he could not come back to Austria. There was an attempt to restore him as king of Hungary, but this failed. So, he and the family were exiled to Madeira, an island that belongs to Portugal. Charles and his family did not have enough money to take care of their needs for food, clothing and housing. The situation was so bad Charles got sick and died on April 1, 1921. He was buried in Madeira because his body was not allowed by the Austrian government to be buried in Austria.
In Ch. 14 of book two, Coulombe presents what happened to the rest of Charles’ family. They stayed in various places. Archduke Otto, Charles' oldest son and heir worked toward regaining the throne, but was prevented by World War II. The Habsburgs worked with the Allies to defeat Hitler's Germany as much as they could. In the third part or “book” is the story of Archduke Otto and the canonization cause for Charles. Charles was beatified on Oct. 3, 2000, by Saint John Paul II.
This book was written with the help of Archduke Karl Habsburg, Archduke Otto's successor and oldest son. One of the purposes of this book is to promote the cause for canonization of Blessed Charles and in some way his wife Empress Zita, who lived a long life after his death.
There are several black and white photos and color illustrations. There are bibliographical references and some internet information on Blessed Charles. A map or two would have been good to figure out what places the author was talking about. This book is highly recommended to those interested in Blessed Charles’ life and the last days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There is one problem with the book; there are words missing or typos, other than that the book is an interesting read.
Brother Benet Exton, O.S.B., St. Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
