7 Years in Vienna

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THE LIBRARYOFTHE UNIVERSITYOF CALIFORNIA

RIVERSIDEGIFT OF

Col. Arnold V. Shutter


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SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNA


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SEVEN YEARSVIENNA

{August, \(^o-iAugust, 1 9 14)

A RECORD OF INTRIGUE

BOSTON AND NEW YORKHOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY1917


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Printed in Great Briinin.


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CONTENTSCHAPTER I.

PAGEKING EDWARD AT ISCHLTHE PARTING OF THE WAYS ICHAPTER n.

THE emperor's ILLNESS IICHAPTER ni.

ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND iSCHAPTER IV.

COUNTESS CHOTEK 27CHAPTER V.

VIENNA 37CHAPTER VI.

SALONICA 44CHAPTER VII.

KAISER WILHELM IN VIENNA 53


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viii CONTENTSCHAPTER VIII.

PAGEAFFAIRS IN TURKEY 6l

CHAPTER IX.THE ANNEXATION 67

CHAPTER X.PRINCE EGON FURSTENBERG AND COUNT TCHIRSKY :

HOW THE KAISER " WORKED " VIENNA ... 76\

CHAPTER XI.THE "GREAT SERVIA " IDEASERVIAN ORGANISATION 84

CHAPTER XII.ALBANIA AND MACEDONIA 92

CHAPTER XIII.THE BALKAN WAR lOI

CHAPTER XIV.KING FERDINAND OF BULGARIA, THE VAINEST MAN

IN EUROPE Ill

CHAPTER XV.THE PRINCE OF WIED I20

CHAPTER XVI.THE KING OF THE BLACK MOUNTAINS 1 32


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CONTENTS ixCHAPTER XVII.

FAGKEMIGRATION PROMOTED BY GERMANY SOCIAL QUES-TIONS IN THE DUAL MONARCHY 1 39

CHAPTER XVIII.THE AGRARIANS AND THE SHORTAGE OF FOOD . , . 147

CHAPTER XIX.COUNT LEOPOLD BERCHTOLD AND COUNT STEPAN

TISZA, THE MEN WHO DECIDED ON WAR . . . 157CHAPTER XX.

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY AS A MILITARY AND NAVAL POWER 171CHAPTER XXI.

ARCHDUKE CARL FRANCIS JOSEPH iSoCHAPTER XXII.

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY FACED BY REVOLUTION OR WARTHE FINANCIAL FACTOR 1 92

CHAPTER XXIII.THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN CONSTITUTION .... 203

CHAPTER XXIV.WHO MURDERED THE ARCHDUKE? 211

CHAPTER XXV.WHY GERMANY DECIDED UPON WAR 222


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X CONTENTSCHAPTER XXVI.

DIPLOMATIC METHODS : A COMPARISON 23CHAPTER XXVI I.

V^UNITIVE EXPEDITION OR WORLD-WAR? .... 244CHAPTER XXVIIl.

WHAT WOULD ENGLAND SAY? 255CHAPTER XXIX.

AUSTRIA'S AWAKENING 263


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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSFrom Photographs supplied by Newspaper Illustrations, Ltd.The German Emperor and the Emperor of

Austria driving in Vienna in 1908 . FrontispieceThe Archduke Francis Ferdinand . . facing page 24The Duchess Hohenberg 24Baron Aehrenthal 46Prince Max Egon Fiirstenberg ... 78King Ferdinand of Bulgaria .... 114King Nikita of Montenegro .... 114The Prince of Wied ,, 126Count Berchtold ,, 168Count Tisza , 168Archduke Carl Francis Joseph ... ,, 184Princess Zita of Parma 184


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SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNACHAPTER I

KING EDWARD AT ISCHLTHE PARTING OF THEWAYS

It was mid-August in 1907. King Edward ofEngland, who had been undergoing a " cure "at Marienbad, was expected at Ischl, where theAustrian Court was in residence. The wholeplace was hung with flags that were put up atthe last moment, as the " Gem of the Salzkam-mergut," as Ischl is often called, is one of thewettest spots in the country. The local trainsbrought large numbers of peasants, in theirpicturesque costume, who wanted to take advan-tage of the opportunity of seeing the King ofEngland. Other " peasants," in badly-fittingcostumes, also came down in the Vienna nightexpress. Their white knees, left bare beneaththe short leather breeches, plainly showed that

B


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2 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAthey were not accustomed to wearing theStyrian costume. The peasant girls eyed themdubiously; one suggested that a little walnut-juice would improve matters, while their littlebrothers whispered " police." The real peasantscrowded around the station, and watched thered carpet being laid, ready for royalty. Theythen turned to see Emperor Francis Josephdrive up to the gates. He arrived twentyminutes before the train was expected, asusual, for being a great stickler for etiquette healways feared that some accident or contretempsmight delay him, and the visitor reach thestation before the host. He dreaded nothing somuch as a breach of etiquette or good manners,and was willing to take any trouble to avoideven the possibility of such a thing. The trainfrom Marienbad steamed into the station, themonarchs embraced; their intercourse hadalways been most cordial. The King respectedthe simple old man, who had until then guidedthe destinies of his country with great astute-ness; while the Emperor of Austria esteemedthe statesman, for in Austria-Hungary and theBalkans King Edward was reckoned as themost skilful diplomatist of his time. As theImperial carriage, with the gilt wheels, drovethrough the streets, the people cheered heartily.


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THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 3King Edward was the most popular of foreignmonarchs in Austria, and the minimum of pre-cautions were taken for his safety. In spite ofthis the Austrian police, ever watchful, tookstock of every fresh arrival in the place for daysbefore the King appeared. On the morning ofthe visit they ascertained what persons wouldbe seated in windows commanding the line ofroute, and carefully watched the houses thatmight harbour anarchist or other assassins. Theuninitiated suspected nothing of all this. Thelong line of firemen that lined the streets lookedlike members of the local brigade. It was notsuspected that they were specially trained men,who knew how to act and to co-operate at theright moment with the " peasants," also mem-bers of the same highly-organised force. Theyall stood apparently careless and inattentive.Presently a carriage, in which a spare, tall,pock-marked man was seated, drove throughthe street. He was the Emperor's private detec-tive. His appearance always heralded that ofthe monarchs, and the firemen braced them-selves for a combined movement, either to theright or left, forwards or backwards, as pre-viously arranged. The police behind helpedwith the work, and just as the Imperial carriageflashed by, everyone in the crowd pushed for-

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4 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAward, sideways, or backwards, as though byaccident. Any intending assassin would havelost his place at the front, and have missedthe golden opportunity, through this clevermanoeuvre of the police. These precautionswere always taken for every Royal visitor, foralthough Emperor Francis Joseph himself wasaccustomed to stroll about the Ischl woods,and went hunting in the forests quiteunattended, he took care that his guests wereexposed to no risks.

Everything went off as arranged, althoughthere was a strained feeling in the air, partlydue to the thundery weather. It was known,too, that King Edward was on a diplomatictour throughout Europe, and the people knewthat meetings of monarchs in summer are oftenof great importance, even when they are unac-companied by their Ministers. Emperor FrancisJoseph is practically a despotic monarch, forthe Austro-Hungarian Constitution existsmerely on paper. He alone decides the foreignpolicy of the country, and determines whetherthere shall be peace or war. Thus he is in aposition to make decisions for his country, with-out consulting his Ministers. Austria-Hungaryhad long been quiet, almost to the point of stag-nation. Her statesmen had been fully occupied


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THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 5in paying off the burdens incurred during thelast war, and were now delighted that, after asuccession of deficits, they could at length turnout Budgets with surpluses at the end of thefinancial year.

There was trouble with Servia, it is true,Austrian machinations had deprived Servia ofan outlet to the sea. Servia, being a pastoraland agricultural country, wished to sell her pro-ducts, and Austria, the natural market, wasclosed to her.The Austrians, who were very short of meat,

promised to take over Servian meat, but theHungarian agrarians, or large land-owners, whowanted to keep up the prices of their ownproducts, managed to prevent this. Theyappointed veterinary surgeons to examine im-ported meat; and by unjustly condemning theServian meat at the frontier, they succeeded inpreventing its import. This line of conductcaused much greater discontent among theServs than a downright refusal to admit theirproducts would have done. They naturallyobjected to being cheated by their powerful andunscrupulous neighbours, and the frictioncaused by the " Servian Pig " question was con-tinual. Otherwise the Balkans were strangely,almost uncannily, quiet. There were no mas-


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6 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAsacres to report, no bands who roamed thecountry and committed depredations. It seemedthat the two monarchs could have nothing todiscuss. As the Emperor brought the Kingback to the Hotel Elisabeth in the afternoon,the faces of both monarchs could be seen veryplainly in the blaze of the sun that was pouringdown with great fierceness. Emperor FrancisJoseph looked much older than he had donethat morning. His face was drawn, the finelines on the parchment-like skin were deepened.It did not need any unusual acuteness to seethat something had gone wrong. King Edwardwalked up to his suite of rooms with somethingweary in his step. The Emperor, freed fromthe restraint of the King's presence, returned tothe Imperial villa, his slight frame shrunken tohalf its usual size, his soldierly bearing gone.

All Ischl went home to dress for the gala per-formance at the tiny Court theatre. It wasalways difficult to get tickets at the bijou theatrewhen members of the Imperial family were ex-pected; on the night of King Edward's visit itwas impossible to obtain them. The policeexcluded all foreigners by careful manipulation.By evening it was already known in Ischl thatthe Emperor and the King had quarrelled vio-lently. Attendants, posted behind doors, ready


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THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 7to spring to attention, overhear many things.They could give no details of what the subjectunder discussion had been, but they said thatEmperor Francis Joseph had lost his temper inthe presence of a foreign King, and althoughoutbursts of this kind were common enoughwithin the family, it was an unprecedented thingin the presence of a stranger. They knew thatthe occasion had been no ordinary one, and thatthe future policy of the country had been underconsideration.

Just as the curtain went up for the perform-ance of some light musical comedy, the sort ofplay that is at its very best in Vienna, thethunderstorm that had been threatening all daylong, broke outside. The rain rattled down onthe roof of the theatre. The real heroine of thepiece, who had been brought down from thecapital on purpose, was a dazzlingly beautifulwoman ; she laughed, danced, and pirouetted allover the stage. She was the very embodimentof Vienna " cheek." Just at the end of the firstactroyalty never sees a piece through whenon State visitsshe abruptly turned her backtowards the Imperial box. She was lightly clad,even for the Austrian stage, as she trippedlaughingly to the front, and carried out herinstructions. A thrill went through the audience.


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8 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAWould the King understand? His Britishphlegm stood him in good stead. He remainedin his seat, although he was sufficientlyacquainted with Austrian manners and customsto comprehend the somewhat heavy witticism.Only when the curtain fell did he rise and leavethe theatre. " What was the meaning of theinsult?" asked all Ischl. "What did itportend?" They learnt the answer justseven years later to the very day.The people about the palace discussed the

incident at the theatre. They understood thatit was meant as a hint to the King that hispresence in Austria was not desired, if he cameto discuss politics. As a private friend and abrother monarch he was always welcome. Hehad attempted to show the Emperor that theclose alliance with Germany was not for the goodof Europe. Not merely that, but Austria-Hun-gary herself would imperil her existence as agreat Power if she allowed herself to becomemerged in Germany. The aged Emperor, whohad long been accustomed to depend uponGermany for assistance against the Slavs, wouldnot listen to the King. He was perhaps awarethat his policy was wrong, but being obstinate,like all the Habsburgs, he would not acknow-ledge it. He did not intend to alter his policy


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THE PARTING OF THE WAYS 9at the eleventh hour, in any case. If there mustbe a change let his successor see to it. KingEdward made due allowance for the Emperor'sage, but it is doubtful whether he everagain made any direct effort to turn Austriafrom her fatal path. She stood at theparting of the ways. Her Emperorchose her destiny that summer day in Ischl.Diplomatists and Ambassadors took up theKing's task; they repeatedly pointed out thedisastrous consequences of the close alliancewith Germany. Instead of discussing thesituation with Italy, Austria-Hungary informedGermany of what was happening. Insteadof keeping the balance equal betweenItaly and Germany, Austria-Hungary reallyconcluded a partnership with Germany; theTriple Alliance degenerated into a ' DualAlliance that kept up an understanding withthe third partner. Italy was quick to realisethis. So long as Russia and France were allied,and occupied a position that was a set-off to thatheld by Germany and an Austria that had notgiven up her liberty of action, European peacewas assured. Great Britain and Italy were notbound to their Allies to any great extent.The result of the meeting at Ischl soon made

itself felt. Italian diplomatists began to back


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10 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAout of their obligations towards Germany andAustria-Hungary. Their policy of " coolingdown," at first barely perceptible, took iormsomewhat later, at the renewal of the TripleAlliance, when Italy promised very little inreturn for the many " benefits " heaped upon herby Germany. Great Britain, aware of thedanger of the centre of the European chess-board being occupied by one vast State, stretch-ing from the North Sea and Baltic to theAdriatic, was more inclined to listen toadvances from France and Russia, and todeliberate upon the advantages of a closer con-tact with Germany's enemies. The suggestionmade by France, that Great Britain shouldintroduce conscription, prevented the under-standing becoming anything more. Francepointed out the necessity of preparing for anaggressive move on the part of Germany, butGreat Britain would not even consider a propo-sition so far from her theories of government aswas conscription.


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CHAPTER IITHE EMPEROR S ILLNESS

The Austrian Court returned to Vienna assoon as the first snows on the mountainsround Ischl gave warning that the summerseason was at an end. Emperor FrancisJoseph, who is a strenuous worker, and carrieson the business of State daily, whether inresidence in Vienna or in the country, beganhis life as usual. On certain days of the weekhe held general audiences, and received any-one, high or low, aristocrat or peasant, whowished to present a petition. He was alwaysup at 4 a.m., and had got through most of hisState duties by 8 a.m., when he began to receiveMinisters and others. In the month of Octoberit was suddenly announced that the Emperorwas ill. The news caused great consternation,as the monarch had never been ill in his life.He had been confined to his room for some


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12 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAtime as a young man after an attempt made onhis life, when he was stabbed in the neck,but he had never had the slightest ailmentsince. His life was carefully regulated by theCourt physician, Doctor Kerzl, a militarysurgeon, a rough doctor of the old school,who had grown old with the Emperor.Members of the Imperial family frequently triedto have a younger and more up-to-date manappointed as Court physician. They con-sidered that the Emperor's health was soprecious that its care ought not to be confidedto a man who had gained his experience withthe Army. The Emperor, however, stood firm,and the results of the somewhat draconictreatment have certainly justified his decision.The Emperor sleeps on a camp-bed, eats theheavy Vienna food with relish, and is alwaysaccustomed to drive in an open carriage with-out his military cloak. It is probable that hetook the chill during the drive.

Specialists were summoned to the Emperor'sbedside, and they found that the Royal patientwas suffering from inflammation of the lungs.He, however, refused to go to bed. Crowdsof people went out to the summer palace ofSchonbrunn, where he was staying, and waitedunder his window until he appeared to reassure


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THE EMPERORS ILLNESS 13them, when cheers rang out and echoed alongthe arched corridors beneath the palace. Theanxiety felt by the common people was sharedby everyone in Austria-Hungary, and the onehope of high and low was that the Emperormight live. This was not so much on accountof his personal popularity, although this wasgreat, as because of the dread of the future.The heir to the throne, Archduke FrancisFerdinand, was the most hated man in Austria-Hungary. The Emperor's death meant thathe would succeed to the throne. The Emperorhimself felt a profound hatred for his heir, andit was a matter of common knowledge that hewas filled with a firm determination not onlyto recover from his illness, but to outlive hisheir. Day after day the struggle went on withinthe white walls of Schonbrunn Palace; thedaily papers spoke of the Emperor's illness asa slight cold, for the monarch was not satisfiedwith reading extracts from the official organs,as was his ordinary custom, but insisted uponhaving all the papers, opposition organs as wellas bounty-fed periodicals, brought to his room.He wished to find out whether the doctors weretelling the truth about his illness. The threespecialists came to the conclusion that he couldnot recover; Doctor Kerzl alone stood firm and


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14 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAsaid that he would get well again. TheEmperor refused to take to his bed, having asuperstitious horror of lying down in the day-time. Kerzl supported him in this, and it isprobable that he owed his recovery to it. Thedisputes among the doctors were unseemly, andthe specialists insisted on calling the family toVienna. Archduchess Gisela, the Emperor'selder daughter, arrived in great haste, and hisyounger daughter, Valerie, also appeared onthe scene. Both women are very pious, andthey immediately wished the Emperor to re-ceive Extreme Unction. The Archbishop ofVienna, with a retinue of priests, actually cameout to Schonbrunn to administer it, but theywere met downstairs by Frau Catherina Schraatt,who told them that it would frighten him todeath, and induced them to return withoutcarrying out their mission. Archduke FrancisFerdinand arrived at the capital. He and hismorganatic wife, Duchess Hohenberg, estab-lished themselves at the Belvedere Palace forthe season. The Archduke, a man who lackedrefinement and who was utterly devoid of tact,immediately began to act as if he had alreadysucceeded to the throne. Statesmen, fearingthat the Emperor would never recover, wereafraid to oppose him, and he got an insight


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THE EMPEROR'S ILLNESS 15into affairs of State during the Emperor's ill-ness that enabled him to assume a position thathe never gave up afterwards. The Habsburgswere obliged to look on while Duchess Hohen-berg, then merely Countess Chotek, took aposition that would never have been concededto her had the Emperor been in his usual health.Kaiser Wilhelm, ever watchful, began to counton the possibility of the Emperor's death, andthe friendship between him and the Archdukedates from this epoch. Kaiser Wilhelm didnot like the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary; he recognised the fact that he wouldhave to deal with a determined man, who knewexactly what he wanted and would refuse tobelieve the flattering assurances that satisfiedEmperor Francis Joseph, who, although stillin full command of his mental faculties, wasbeginning to feel the weight of years. TheEmperor was never so acute a man as his heirthe Archduke, too, had a wife whose intelli-gence was remarkable. Countess Chotek wasambitious, and her husband was accustomed tofollowing her advice in State affairs. KaiserWilhelm therefore shared the wish of theAustrian people, that the aged Emperor mightlong be spared to them. Week after weekwent by. People from all parts of the


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16 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAmonarchy sent the Emperor quaint remedies,charms, and specifics of all kinds to cure hisillness; several officials were engaged all dayin writing to thank the senders, who were noteven aware of what ailed the Emperor. Whenit was finally announced that he was out ofdanger there was great jubilation throughoutthe realm; the people poured scorn upon thespecialists, and acclaimed Dr. Kerzl as thesaviour of the country whenever they couldcatch sight of his rough, honest face, bronzedby exposure upon many a battlefield. TheEmperor had given his attendants great troubleduring his illness and convalescence, as he hadrefused to allow anyone to enter his rooms ex-cept Dr. Kerzl, his soldier-valet, who slept upona rug in the antechamber of his bedroom, andthe sentry, who always paced to and fro out-side the Emperor's bedchamber, and watchedthrough a spyhole, cunningly made in the door,for any change. No woman was allowed toenter the suite of rooms during the night hours,the patient saying he preferred an orderly tonurse him.

Gradually the Emperor recovered his powers.He was never the same man again; his vigourwas gone, and, although he was little changedin appearance, his grasp upon affairs had


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THE EMPEROR'S ILLNESS 17weakened. The Archduke, who disliked Viennacordially, remained in town, a thorn in theEmperor's side. The latter, however, could findno pretext for dismissing him to the country.Councillors, already anticipating the probabledemise of the reigning monarch at no distantdate, advised the Emperor to consult with hisheir and to try to inculcate the inexperiencedman with some of his statecraft. The Emperorwas induced to bestow some powers upon theArchduke, although much against his will, anda new era in the history of the country began.


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CHAPTER IIIARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND

All Europe was asking one and the samequestion at this epoch : " What kind of a manis the heir to the throne ?They got the answer that he was "a little-known man," and this was true to a certain

extent. The Emperor, an old autocrat, neverallowed any member of the Imperial family totake a leading part in public affairs. Theywere expected to do their duty in openingcharitable institutions, presiding at fetes inprovincial cities, but in both Vienna and Buda-pesth they found it advisable to keep well inthe background. Whenever a young Archdukebecame too popular, even in the ballrooms ofVienna, he was promptly banished to some out-of-the-way place, ostensibly on a mission, butreally as a punishment for presuming to courtpopularity.


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ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND 19This was well understood among the Habs-burgs, who, as a rule, did not care for Court

life. Most of the Archdukes lived on theircountry estates, where they enjoyed almostregal power for nine months of the year, merelycoming to Court to pay their respects to themonarch at the New Year.Archduke Francis Ferdinand was very fondof power and very ambitious, but he did not carefor playing the role of heir to the throne whenhe had reached middle age and was at theheight of his powers. He therefore remainedin the country for the greater part of the year.This did not increase his popularity. Peoplegrumbled at the sadness that hung like a pallover the Court. They said that it was merelya resort for military men and officials, andwished that young life could be introduced torestore Vienna and Budapesth to their formergaiety. Archduke Francis Ferdinand hadlaboured under great disadvantages sincesudden and unexpected events had made himheir to the throne. His attendants and theCourt officials summed up the position in onesentence : " He has never been trained for athrone." He was entirely lacking in tactquality which, if not a natural gift, must beacquired by painful experience by personages

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20 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAwho will one day occupy a throne. He spokeno languages except his own. He had, ofcourse, some knowledge of French and Italian,and was learning Hungarian; but he wasnot in a position to carry on delicatenegotiations in French. He had a badrecord even for an Austrian Archduke. Hisyouthful career had been full of incident, andhis doctors had been compelled to put a suddenstop to a course of youthful dissipation bysending him on a voyage round the world.He was reported to be suffering from consump-tion in its preliminary stages, and it was said hisonly chance of life was a complete change ofclimate. The Archduke, who was an artist andwell acquainted with ancient and modern cul-ture, started off on the Imperial yacht for theEast with nothing but pleasurable feelings. Hisfavourite study was ethnology, and he made acollection of objects of great interest duringthis voyage. They were to be seen in one of thegalleries of the Hofburg, which had recentlybeen added to the main block of the town palace.The Archduke converted the new part into amuseum, as the Emperor had forbidden thearchitect to fit the new building with lifts orother modern appliances. Lifts he hated, andfirmly refused to enter one even when he was


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ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND 21having his portrait painted by an artist whosestudio was on the sixth floor of a Vienna house.The Archduke, who was intensely modern,

decided that a palace without lifts and properheating appliances was not fit to live in, andpromptly converted the new gallery into a pic-ture gallery and museum without waiting forthe Emperor's advice or permission.The aged Emperor and his heir clashed in

every direction ; they were diametrically op-posed in all their tastes and convictions. Bothwere pious to an exaggerated degree. TheEmperor disliked the Jesuits; his heir con-sorted with them constantly, and listened totheir advice in matters of State. This alonewould have been sufficient to prevent the Em-peror from ever wishing him to succeed to thethrone. The Archduke, too, although so pious,had contrived to estrange both the Church andthe Emperor by one act of boyish folly. As ayoung officer he was stationed at a depot inthe depths of the country to learn his profes-sion, far from critical crowds. One day he wasriding across the fields, when some peasants,carrying the mortal remains of one of theirfellows, crossed by the footpath. The Arch-duke, in a fit of youthful exuberance, set hishorse at the bier and cleared it at a jump. The


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22 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNApriest protested at the act of sacrilege. Thestory reached the ears of the Emperor, whonever forgave him. Although the Archdukewas not careful of the feelings of the RomanCatholics, the non-Catholics' in the countrybelieved that he would be capable of perse-cuting them with a rigour such as had been un-known since the Middle Ages. At the time ofthe Emperor's illness the Liberal papers pro-phesied in their leading articles that he wouldbuild up martyr fires around the Cathedral ofSt. Stefan, in the centre of Vienna. They saidhe would show the utmost relentlessness inburning or hanging his Jewish, Protestant, andMahommedan subjects, all of whom were accus-tomed to a wide tolerance, based on indifferenceto them and their doings. The Archduke wasbitterly hated in Hungary; it was commonlyreported that his life was not safe in that partof his future kingdom. He gave colour to thesereports by his strange conduct. When he wentdown to Budapesth he did not put up at anhotel, as was customary. He remained all nightin the royal train, which was run up the line to asiding, no one being aware of the exact spotat which it had drawn up. This confession offear and lack of confidence in the loyalty of hissubjects did the Archduke great harm. The


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ARCHDUKE FRANCIS FERDINAND 23alternative explanation, sometimes advanced,that the Archduke, who was known as themeanest man in the kingdom, merely wished tosave an hotel bill, did not improve matters.The hotel-keepers looked upon members of theImperial House as most desirable guests ; theynever overcharged them, for the advertisementwas worth a great deal to them. Archdukes whoneither commanded a palace to be prepared fortheir coming nor put up at an hotel werenaturally not popular with anyone. ArchdukeFrancis Ferdinand crowned all his otherdelinquencies by his marriage. Instead of con-tracting an alliance with some powerful reign-ing house, he made a morganatic marriage witha lady-in-waiting. Countess Chotek was aBohemian aristocrat, it is true, but she was nota peer of any member of the House of Habs-burg. The Emperor allowed the marriage totake place, and when all the circumstances aretaken into account, especially the ease withwhich persons whose existence was disagree-able to the Vienna Court were removed, it canonly be concluded that the Emperor approvedof the marriage. He evidently did not wish thechildren of the Archduke to come to the throneon account of their father's tendency to tuber-culosis, which was reported to have gone to the


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24 SEVEN YEARS IN VIENNAbrain. It was common knowledge that theArchduke was accustomed to fly into fearfulrages. Whether this habit, which is commonto all the Habsburgs, was owing to epilepsy, orsome obscure brain disease, it is difficult to saybut the Emperor evidently shared the commonfeeling that it was some obscure affection of thebrain, and shared the doctors' opinion that theArchduke's descendants ought not to come tothe throne of Austria-Hungary.Archduke Francis Ferdinand, who was

always short of money, tried to engage in busi-ness, and, as usually happens with men of hisposition, made a sad failure of it. Instead ofleaving the management of his estates tostewards, who would only take their customaryperquisites, he engaged in business transactionshimself. He was badly swindled, and gained areputation for meanness which was richlydeserved. His varied excursions into therealms of speculative business w^ere attendedby no better luck. He dared not associate him-self with eminent business men, so he sum-moned a number of companions to his side whowere difficult to shake off. With them he em-barked upon business of an illegitimate kind.His only excuse was his complete lack of under-standing of all matters relating to business.


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