November 21, 1916
Vienna, Austria-Hungary
It has been announced that Emperor Franz Joseph I has passed away at age 86 from complications of pneumonia. He had ruled Austria Hungary since 1848. His nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, is next in line to the throne in this nation with 53 million. The emperor's 7 decade long reign was marked by war with Prussia in 1866, by the creation of a dual monarchy which turned the Austrian Empire into Austria-Hungary in 1867, and by the annexation of Bosnia in 1908. It was also marked by tragedy, including the execution of his brother Maximillian, Emperor of Mexico, the suicide of his son Rudolf in 1889 and the assassination of his wife Elisabeth in 1898. The new emperor will be faced with numerous challenges, namely increasing demands from the many minority groups, in this heavily diverse nation, for increased representation, as well as the rivalry with Russia.