The Ferdinand of Austria reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Ferdinand of Austria

Imperial Majesty Ferdinand I Karl Leopold Joseph Franz Marchlin Emperor of Austria King of Hungary and Bohemia (April 19, 1793 - June 29, 1875) succeeded his father (Franz II Holy Roman Emperor/Franz I of Austria) as Emperor and King in 1835 and was forced to abdicate in 1848.

He was both feeble-minded and epileptic and placed on the throne by Metternich, cynically, as a puppet for Metternich's own purposes. His marriage to Maria Anna of Sardinia was never consummated, nor did he have any other liaison -- he would not have been capable of it. He is famous for his one coherent command, when someone tried to keep him from eating dumplings because his digestive system could not stand them: "I'm the Emperor, and I want dumplings!" (German: "Ich bin der Kaiser und ich möchte Knödeln!")

Preceded by: Francis

Emperor of Austria

Succeeded by: Franz Joseph

External link

• "Biography of the sadly retarded Emperor Ferdinand"

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