Franz Joseph was the first-born son of the brother of Emperor Franz I (Archduke and Viceroy of Austria). In Olomouc, in the revolutionary year of 1848, he was enthroned as Emperor in the Archbishop’s Palace. He later visited the city several more times, mainly in connection with the organisation of military manoeuvres.
When he was 18 years old, his uncle abdicated on the advice of Prime Minister Schwarzenberg. The revolution that broke out in 1848 forced the Emperor to leave Vienna and take refuge in Moravia. Franz Joseph I was summoned to the Austrian imperial throne in Olomouc after the resignation of Ferdinand I the Good. This happened on 2 December 1848 in the Archbishop’s Palace in Olomouc. The young emperor then stayed in Olomouc for five more months (until 10 May 1849), during which time he took a particular interest in the local military garrison and made preparations with the government and the courtiers to suppress the revolution. In Olomouc the so-called octroi imperial constitution was also issued.
Franz Joseph I visited Olomouc several more times. His visits were often connected with the organisation of military manoeuvres. In 1851, even the Russian Tsar Nicholas I took part in them. Two years later, Olomouc again experienced the largest manoeuvres in its history with the participation of both these rulers. In 1866, the Austrian Emperor stopped in Olomouc for two days on his tour of the territories affected by the Austro-Prussian War.
Franz Joseph I died in Vienna in 1916 during the war conflict that resulted in the fall of the Habsburg Empire.
