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00:00The First World War, the so-called War to End All Wars, brutality on a scale never before
00:09witnessed in a world on the edge of an abyss, the Habsburg Empire is facing its own imminent
00:15demise. The young Emperor Charles I has only just ascended to the throne, but must now save
00:22both his empire and his dynasty at any price.
00:26His primary goal is to end this war.
00:30For Emperor Charles, peace must come by way of France.
00:38It is a game of high stakes, peace negotiations with the enemy, behind the backs of the German
00:45Allies.
00:46From their point of view, this was total betrayal.
00:49Do you wish to declare war on Austria-Hungary, Your Majesty?
00:56The final journey of an Emperor. Charles I of Austria's Habsburg dynasty and his wife Tzieta
01:05board the ship that is to take them into exile. The First World War is the first war of Austria.
01:11The First World War has cost the Habsburgs their crown and their empire. Now, Austria's last
01:21Emperor is leaving the historical stage forever.
01:23Mr. Habsburg, Mrs. Habsburg, I am Captain Arthur Snack. Welcome on board HMS Global.
01:33Thank you, Captain. I must ask for your word that there will be no attempt to flee as long as you are in my custody.
01:43Certainly, sir. I have received instructions. I hereby give the Captain my word that during my journey, while I find myself under his supervision, I will certainly not make any attempt whatsoever to regain my freedom.
01:55With this promise, I consider myself bound in honor to him personally.
02:20Signed. The Emperor of Austria? King of Hungary?
02:33Certainly. A ruler can never abdicate. He can be ousted or executed. Good, that is, violence. But abdicate? No. No, no.
02:48So be it. Your Majesties. Where are you taking us?
02:55There's been no orders yet. Please.
03:06The journey of HMS Glowworm will take the former Imperial couple down the Danube, through the countries that once belonged to the Habsburg Empire.
03:16Emperor Charles had hoped to save Austria-Hungary and end a war he did not start.
03:23In order to achieve his aims, Charles entered into a dangerous conspiracy, which began at the height of the bloodshed during the First World War.
03:31Autumn, 1916. For more than two years, the armies of the Central Powers, Austria-Hungary and Germany, have been fighting the Triple Entente of France, Great Britain and Russia on several fronts.
03:49Millions of soldiers have fallen, and millions more face the same fate. The conflict is taking its toll across Europe. For the Habsburg Empire, it is no longer merely a matter of military survival, but of the survival of the Empire's population.
04:08In Vienna, a new Emperor has recently ascended to the throne. The tens of thousands of people who line up at the soup kitchens every day place all their hopes in the young monarch. Every day of famine places more pressure on Charles I.
04:27Don't send the war minister to the front, Your Majesty. That remains the least of our problems for now. Send him to the outskirts of Vienna. To Ottokring. To Father Eaton. Where the almost unrecognizable forms of starving women clutching emaciated children are queuing up in front of the stores.
04:50Hunger is our greatest enemy. It worsens the social divisions. Then show the masses that you are with them.
05:05Emperor Charles and Tita have inherited an empire that is in danger of being consumed by war and hunger.
05:15It was clear that we would not survive another winter. It was therefore necessary to secure peace at any price. That was paramount. The most important thing.
05:30It was widely accepted that if the war was not swiftly brought to an end, defeat would be just one consequence. The entire political system would go up in flames. In fact, the end of the monarchy was already foreseeable at this stage.
05:46The differences between the two central powers could not have been greater. Germany's military commanders Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff were committed to the idea that peace would only be achieved through victory. Their distrust of their brothers in arms grew rapidly.
06:07There was a lot of prejudice against the Austrians. From a Prussian point of view, they were considered somewhat negligent. They weren't efficient enough. They weren't well trained. They weren't sufficiently motivated. Increasingly, the Germans felt that they were fighting for people who didn't deserve it.
06:26In truth, without Germany's assistance, Austria's troops would no longer be able to fight effectively. As a result, Emperor Wilhelm's generals increasingly take control of the military campaign.
06:41If we don't get the Austrians under control, we will face the risk that they drag the entire German Empire down with them.
06:52What would you suggest, gentlemen?
06:54Lieutenant Colonel Stolzenberg has produced a report I asked for. It suggests the best thing we can do is to get the heir to the throne on our side.
07:08Charles, I disagree. Everybody knows he is no friend of Germany.
07:13Then we make the Emperor our friend. Let us embrace him while we can still shape him.
07:22However, Emperor Charles is unwilling to be embraced. Instead, he does his best to extricate himself from Germany's clutches. This is also a result of his family situation.
07:33His wife, Zita, is of the House of Bourbon, part of a Franco-Austrian connection dating back to the days of Maria Theresa.
07:42The heir to the throne's attitude to the Germans can be summed up very simply.
07:51He didn't like them much. He respected them, but he didn't like them. And the moment he sensed their growing power, he liked them even less.
08:04I fear I'm out of practice. At the front. Did you not shoot there? Of course not. Well, your soldiers did. And at my countrymen no less. I did not want this war. I never wanted this war. You could have ended it. You are... You were the Emperor.
08:32The Emperor. I tried everything. Believe me.
08:38He had set himself three goals. The first was to avoid a revolution and maintain the dynastic system.
08:46The second was to preserve some sense of unity among the many different nations of the Empire.
08:55Thirdly, he hoped to make peace after two and a half years of the insanity of war.
09:02And go down in history as the Emperor who brought peace.
09:12Thirdly, let's pass.
09:13Thirdly, let's go.
09:22In January 1917, the Imperial officers in Baden near Vienna become the center of Habsburg
09:32power.
09:33Charles sets about achieving his goals.
09:39Charles assumes command of his troops and moves his military headquarters to Baden.
09:44Now, he hopes to take his armies out of the war as fast as possible.
09:49He is aware that he will receive no support from the Germans, so he decides to act on
09:54his own.
09:56Initially, the emperor enjoys the full backing of his new foreign minister, Count Ottokar
10:01Chenin.
10:02Count Chenin.
10:03Your Majesty.
10:05But the most important support is provided by his wife, Zita of Bourbon-Palmer.
10:12Two aspects define Zita in particular.
10:16She was the more intelligent, ambitious and politically active of the two.
10:21And she was also the person who clearly and confidently led the way, which many people
10:26disliked.
10:27Zita was never merely the beautiful empress responsible for representing the imperial
10:33family in public.
10:35Charles always considered her an equal.
10:38She was always a partner for him.
10:45See here, a new memorandum from Chenin.
10:50Considerations for ending the war?
10:52I find it extremely insightful.
10:55What does he write?
10:57That continued fighting will be our downfall.
10:59That is a mathematical certainty.
11:02We should accept the wounds we have received, abandon territorial ambitions and make peace.
11:09That is what I've been saying.
11:11The Entente cannot be defeated.
11:13I have asked my mother to talk to my brothers to make contact.
11:18Then we will know what the two of them can do for us.
11:22Sextus and Xavier.
11:28Family ties will hopefully provide a path to peace.
11:36Charles has been close friends with Zita's brothers since they were children.
11:40Now, they are also related by marriage.
11:43Charles' wedding to Zita of Bourbon Parma in October 1911 may have been an arranged one,
11:50but it is founded on love and brings the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties even closer together.
11:56Six years after the wedding, at Zita's suggestion, Charles' brothers-in-law Sixtus and Xavier are tasked with extending a peace offer to France.
12:16However, the war has divided the families.
12:19Both Sixtus and Xavier serve in the Belgian army.
12:23Nonetheless, blood remains stronger than nationality.
12:27The Bourbon princes are members of France's former royal family,
12:31and Charles considers them to be the perfect go-betweens,
12:35even if they no longer have any official influence in the French Republic.
12:40The two of them continued to maintain pronounced pro-French and anti-German political positions.
12:54In addition, Sixtus and Xavier had a number of contacts at higher levels of government,
13:02including direct access to the President of France, Poincaré.
13:08The family connections in all directions were a source of great strength despite the war and all the other difficulties.
13:22Despite the war and all the difficulties.
13:28What follows will go down in history as the Sixtus Affair.
13:32Charles I's secret peace negotiations with France, behind Germany's back.
13:39For more than a century, what really happened behind closed doors remained shrouded in mystery.
13:53Now, new evidence has come to light which can finally clarify the historical events
13:59that might have saved the Habsburg Empire and brought the First World War to an earlier end.
14:07In February 2017, the diaries of one of Emperor Charles' closest friends and confidants were discovered in Vienna.
14:15Thomas Erdődi recorded the events of those significant days in minute detail, while also playing an important role.
14:27But are these diaries genuine?
14:29Historian Manfred Rauchensteiner and the Austrian State Archives are determined to find out.
14:38A certain level of mistrust is always appropriate when one is dealing with historical records,
14:43particularly journals or diaries, so much is sugar-coated.
14:54Erdődi's memoirs are compared with official documents from the archives to provide authentication.
15:02Does the handwriting match?
15:05Erdődi used a modern style of writing in 1917, which makes the comparison easier.
15:13The evaluation of the handwriting reveals that Thomas Erdődi's journals are, in all likelihood, the real thing.
15:26Thomas Erdődi's records are so interesting, because they are authentic and were written as the events took place.
15:31It allows us to establish a chronology we didn't have before.
15:37He did not write this with the public or future historians in mind, but rather for himself.
15:42And one has the sense that he was fully aware of the intrigue that surrounded him and that he was a part of.
15:49The dramatic events of the Sixtus Affair unfold over the following three months.
16:00From the outset, the Austrian Emperor places responsibility for the greatest diplomatic challenge of his reign
16:07in the hands of his friend, Thomas Erdődi.
16:108th February 1917.
16:13Today, his majesty unexpectedly required my presence.
16:19Thomas, wonderful.
16:21Tell me, how are we doing with food supplies?
16:24Well, you know, your majesty, we need some time.
16:29Time is precisely what we don't have.
16:31Please, Thomas, are you able to travel to Switzerland this evening?
16:39With pleasure.
16:41It is a very delicate and very dangerous matter.
16:44Whatever your majesty desires.
16:46Good. You will take the 7.30 express to Zurich.
16:50As the Emperor's special emissary, Thomas Erdődi will play a central role in the secret negotiations with France.
16:57Zita.
16:59Your majesty.
17:00Thomas, greetings.
17:02Charles and Zita are unwilling to entrust the delicate issue to their regular diplomats.
17:07You will go to Rue du Pommier, number 7, in Neuchâtel.
17:12Erdődi's first mission takes him to Switzerland.
17:16An old man, Monsieur Bé de la Tour, will open the door.
17:21He knows that you are coming.
17:23There you will meet Sixtus and Xavier.
17:26Give my brothers these letters.
17:30Will there be negotiations with the French?
17:36Listen, Thomas, your only order is to hand over these letters.
17:40You will explain that you are not at liberty to receive any information at all.
17:46Answer no questions that Sixtus or Xavier may ask you.
17:49Do not discuss the situation of the monarchy, the lack of food, the atmosphere in the country, anything.
17:53Do you understand?
17:54Do the Germans know of this?
18:00I don't plan to abandon them, but I hope to force them to make concessions.
18:05It is a risky step. Watch out for spies.
18:10So, my friend.
18:12Godspeed.
18:16Should you be captured, neither His Majesty nor the Foreign Ministry will have any knowledge of you.
18:22And now, go with God, Thomas.
18:34The stakes are high.
18:36Holding secret negotiations with the enemy behind the back of the German allies could prove disastrous.
18:41That is the incredible thing. These weren't the actions of the Austrian government. It was a private initiative of the emperor and his wife.
18:54This was the result of a sense of dynastic superiority.
19:06They simply assumed that the word of an emperor carried more weight than that of a president or any other politician.
19:13But how would France react to the signals from the enemy camp?
19:28Sixtus had held initial discussions with the French President Poincaré in advance to determine whether peace efforts at a family level should go ahead.
19:36In fact, France is facing many of the same difficulties as Austria.
19:43The population is tired of war. Mutinies are breaking out.
19:48And many fear that the impending revolution in Russia could strengthen Germany.
19:53The peace initiative from Vienna provides a glimmer of hope.
19:56French expectations of Emperor Charles were very clear.
20:08They wanted to make a separate peace.
20:11To put it another way, the aim of the French was to drive a wedge between Germany and Austria-Hungary.
20:17To separate Austria-Hungary from Germany.
20:24Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
20:27Throughout the First World War, the neutral country is a playground for spies and a hub for the transfer of secret information among the warring powers.
20:36Sixus and Xavier arrange to meet the emissary carrying the Austrian Emperor's message of peace in a house near the lake.
20:501335. It is time.
20:53Tomas Erdody is travelling in the guise of an Austrian merchant.
20:57In his recently discovered journals, Erdody describes events in Neuchâtel in detail.
21:04In the name of His Majesty the Emperor, I thank you for coming. I have a letter from the Emperor. For you.
21:12I found myself in a beautifully furnished room.
21:16Here you are.
21:18We confirmed each other's identities, and I then handed over the papers.
21:22The Emperor hopes that this will be followed by a personal meeting.
21:39I cannot leave here with empty hands. I need a concrete offer.
21:44The message is clear. There will be no peace with the Entente without sacrifices.
21:50Serbia must have sea access.
21:55Belgium to be restored with the Congo, and the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France.
22:01The Princes now told me the wishes of the Entente, which are largely impossible to fulfill.
22:10I made a note of everything, and then Prince Sixtus confirmed the demands with his signature.
22:16Thank you. Farewell.
22:18Farewell.
22:22This is a very interesting, important section.
22:28The demands the Entente conveyed to Count Erdody were undoubtedly extremely ambitious, and there was little chance of all of them being met.
22:38The issue of Alsace-Lorraine is by far the most significant. Chateau du Haut-Königsburg is now a French national monument, but at the time the castle was the personal property of the German Emperor Wilhelm II.
22:54It was therefore symbolic of the struggle between France and Germany for control of the territory. A struggle which had lasted more than a thousand years.
23:03Germany had annexed Alsace-Lorraine during the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. A national humiliation for the French.
23:15Now, the Great War has transformed the region between Verdun, Metz and Nancy into a wasteland.
23:23France's President Poincaré is himself a native of Lorraine, and hopes for the return of his homeland to France.
23:29Emperor Charles informs Poincaré almost immediately that a return of Alsace-Lorraine may be negotiable.
23:48This is a promising start.
23:49The stage is set for further negotiations.
23:58In his memoirs Poincaré wrote that he considered Austria responsible for the outbreak of the First World War.
24:05Perhaps he believed, following a certain logic, that Austria would also bring the war to an end.
24:10The cloak and dagger efforts continue. The Princes Sixtus and Xavier are sent to Austria to enter into negotiations.
24:24And Tomáš Erdődý is tasked with removing all traces of their presence.
24:29Even going so far as to buy the photo plates used to produce their travel papers.
24:33Traveling under assumed names, the Princes take a train from Switzerland to Liechtenstein, and then on to Austria to meet the Emperor.
24:47After 36 hours, the Bourbon Princes reach Luxemburg Castle, Charles and Tieta's residence south of Vienna.
24:53Entering in secret via a narrow spiral staircase, the two Princes are accompanied by Tomáš Erdődý, who will subsequently record many salient details of the meeting that takes place in the Imperial couple's private rooms.
25:19Your Majesty's?
25:21The subsequent reunion was extremely touching.
25:26Her Majesty had not seen her brothers for almost three years, and embraced them both with tears in her eyes.
25:31Xavier!
25:33Charles!
25:34My dear Sixtus!
25:36Servus!
25:37It's a pleasure!
25:38Xavier!
25:39Charles!
25:40Gentlemen!
25:41Tomáš Erdődý guards the door.
25:48Nothing of what is to be discussed may leave the room.
25:57Negotiations continue through the night of the 23rd of March 1917 in Luxemburg, as the parties work to formalize an offer which will allow Austria-Hungary to make peace with France, if not the other Entente powers.
26:10They were positive about your intentions.
26:13Foreign Minister Chenin, however, is concerned.
26:17Your Majesty, do not forget that you have responsibilities as a German ally.
26:22I have not forgotten Count Chenin, but one thing at a time. First, we must reach agreement with France, then we will have to convince the Germans. If we fail, we're on our own.
26:33The experienced politician knows where the greatest problem lies. If Charles promises France the return of Alsace-Lorraine, this would be tantamount to betrayal of an ally.
26:47I am aware of this fact. I will take it under consideration. Gentlemen?
26:53From Charles' point of view, his offer to France to convince Germany to make concessions concerning Alsace-Lorraine was easy to make. After all, it wasn't his country. On the other hand, it would be unfair to say that Germany was completely opposed. Some Germans believed it was important to make concessions in the case of Alsace-Lorraine.
27:16The burden of the Habsburg dynasty must have weighed heavily on Charles' shoulders during those tense weeks in early 1917.
27:31Twelve emperors and nineteen empresses, including Maria Theresa, lie buried in Vienna's imperial crypt.
27:38The future of this dynasty, with its long and glorious past, now hangs on the success of Charles I's peace initiative.
27:53The rise of the Habsburg dynasty, which originated in Switzerland, began along the Danube in Austria at the end of the 13th century.
28:01Originally, the Habsburgs were mere counts, but they rose to become emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.
28:12On the 17th of August, 1887, the young Archduke Charles is born at Persenbeug Castle in Lower Austria. Few people take note.
28:21The new arrival is eclipsed by the shining lights of the Habsburg universe, Emperor Franz Josef and his wife Elizabeth, the legendary Empress Sisi.
28:35Nobody could have predicted that Charles would eventually succeed the great Franz Josef.
28:41And yet, this photo Charles' mother requests of the Emperor with her son seems eerily prescient.
28:50Several twists of fate will eventually bring the Archduke from the back of the line of succession to the very front.
28:58The last of these fateful events occurs on the 28th of June 1914 and is destined to change both Charles' life and the course of history itself.
29:11It is the spark that ignites the First World War. In Sarajevo, the student Gavrilo Princip has assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Habsburg throne and his wife.
29:40A Serb, for God's sake.
29:47At this moment, it becomes clear that Charles will eventually become Emperor.
29:55Undoubtedly, this development also placed incredible strain on him, as he was never prepared for the role of Emperor.
30:03The aging Emperor Franz Josef no longer has the time or strength to prepare Charles for his future responsibilities.
30:17After 68 years in power, he dies, aged 84, in November 1916.
30:29As we left the room in which the Emperor died, his former adjutant, Lobkowicz, approached us. With tears in his eyes, he made the sign of the cross on his forehead and said,
30:43May God protect you, your majesty. Amen.
30:46And that was the first time Charles was addressed as Emperor.
30:55All the responsibility was placed on his shoulders. I supported him as much as I could, like any Austrian woman would have done for her husband if she believed she could help.
31:13When Charles became Emperor, the public was largely enthusiastic about the new imperial couple. Of course, they presented themselves as the perfect young family with lovely children.
31:25In the beginning, they were very popular and people were optimistic about his reign. The Emperor himself was very accessible, friendly and willing to listen.
31:34His subjects placed a lot of faith in him and there was an extremely positive atmosphere.
31:43However, Charles and Citta have assumed control of a crumbling empire. Incorporating a number of different nationalities, Austria-Hungary had become a powder kick.
31:53A satirical map from 1911 shows the ethnic prejudices that drove the eleven main nationalities, with their own languages and religions, further and further apart.
32:11The outbreak of war had united the different factions under the Habsburg flag once more.
32:16But as the situation at the front deteriorates, pressure mounts internally.
32:22Austria-Hungary's ally Germany plays an ever greater role in maintaining stability.
32:31Increasingly, Austria was seen as a burden.
32:35However, politically and militarily, it remained the only ally that could still be considered at least somewhat compatible.
32:43As such, Germany was trapped.
32:47The German Empire was forced to assume the weight of the problems that Austria-Hungary faced.
32:54But there was simply no alternative.
32:56Now, however, Charles I is prepared to betray his brothers-in-arms to save his own enemies.
33:01My dear Sixtus.
33:02Following his meeting with the Bourbon princes, Charles drafts a letter nominally addressed to his brother-in-law Sixtus.
33:15In fact, the letter is actually directed at President Poincaré of France and, therefore, also at France's ally England.
33:32My dear Sixtus, the end of the third year of the war that has brought so much sadness and suffering to the world draws near.
33:43Charles agonizes over every word.
33:46He will compose more than a dozen versions before he is satisfied.
33:50It is, therefore, my great pleasure to acknowledge that, although we are currently adversaries, my empire and France are not divided by insurmountable conflicts of interest.
34:03And? You are making progress?
34:08Yes.
34:12But you just…
34:14Zita certainly took the lead and was the driving force.
34:19Tomas Erdudi's journals have now provided confirmation that she was present during the writing of the Sixtus letters.
34:25Prince Sixtus carries the Emperor's letter to France and personally delivers it to President Poincaré in the Élysée Palace.
34:40I therefore ask you to convey to the President of the French Republic in secret and unofficially.
34:48Two weeks later, news of the Emperor's letter reaches the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George.
34:53That I will use all the means at my disposal with my allies to support France's just demands pertaining to the return of Alsace-Lorraine.
35:05And, finally, England's King George V.
35:08In the hope that we can together end the suffering of so many millions of people.
35:18Charles.
35:23This means peace, Prince Sixtus.
35:28God willing, Your Majesty.
35:31This, of course, took events to a whole new level.
35:35The Austrian Emperor was now using his personal relations to open negotiations with the French and English governments.
35:41The fact that he neglected to inform the Germans at such an important phase of the war was politically short-sighted.
35:49Emperor Charles hopes to rectify the situation and present his allies with his peace plan just days later during a meeting with the German Emperor Wilhelm.
36:02However, face to face with the German military command, Charles' courage fails him and he is able to do little more than drop vague hints.
36:11Emperor Charles had told his German counterparts that if we did not make peace soon, the people would take matters into their own hands and that this would be to their detriment.
36:29Charles eventually leaves without admitting to his actions.
36:39However, his allies suspect something, and their suspicions are reinforced by reports from the intelligence services.
36:46His troops can be trusted, but can he?
36:52The Germans know that they cannot afford to break with Austria, politically or militarily.
36:59I heard a saying recently, we are obliged to consider everyone we meet a good person, until they convince us of the opposite.
37:18It was widely known that Austria was interested in peace.
37:22However, most assumed that their interests lay in a general end to hostilities, rather than peace at the expense of an ally.
37:31That came as a big surprise.
37:34Charles makes a further grave error.
37:37He ignores the role played by Italy.
37:40Originally allied with Austria at the outset of the war, Rome had switched allegiances in 1915,
37:46and now has far more to gain from a victory over Austria than from any compromise.
37:53Above all, Italy hopes to claim the pride of the Habsburgs, the port of Trieste.
38:01During a meeting in the French Alps, the British and French attempt to persuade the Italians to grasp the opportunity for peace.
38:08However, the conference in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne on the 26th of April 1917 fails.
38:16Charles simply cannot afford, politically, to make concessions to a country he considers traitorous.
38:23In his memoirs, Poincaré records that the Italians were absolutely furious.
38:28The dilemma was that the Italians had been offered a lot to convince them to fight on the side of the English and French.
38:39There was now no way they were prepared to make compromises or take a smaller share of the treasure they had been promised.
38:46As a result, these very complex and vigorous efforts, and the high hopes associated with them, came to nothing.
39:03The brief chance of peace vanishes as quickly as it appeared, and the drums of war beat louder than ever.
39:10Germany intensifies its U-boat warfare, and any ship is liable to be sunk without warning.
39:21As a result, the USA enters the war.
39:28Unexpectedly, German and Austrian troops celebrate an overwhelming victory over the Italians at the 12th Battle of the Isonzo.
39:36The Central Powers and their adversaries now increase the use of a controversial weapon which adds to the horror of the conflict.
39:47Poison gas.
39:53After two revolutions, Russia withdraws from the First World War, and its soldiers lay their weapons down.
39:59Half a million German soldiers can now be transferred to the West for the final push.
40:04The Spring Offensive begins in March 1918.
40:09It is the largest military campaign the world has ever seen, and the German Empire is now all but certain that victory lies within its grasp.
40:20Even the otherwise circumspect Austrian foreign minister, Count Cernin, allows himself to be swept up in the spirit of victory.
40:29One year after his Emperor's peace initiative comes to nothing, he gives a speech at City Hall in Vienna.
40:36Contrary to all accepted diplomatic practice, he claims that France's Prime Minister Clémenceau has secretly asked him to open negotiations for peace.
40:47And then it all blows up.
40:53Cernin makes his speech, and Clémenceau promptly responds that it's all a lie, and that he has the letters to prove that the Austrians approached France in secret to negotiate a separate peace.
41:07It's an early 20th century version of a fake news war. There is no Twitter, but Cernin publicly makes a false claim, and Clémenceau can't possibly let it stand. He has to find some way of bringing facts back into the debate.
41:25Within a few days, the affair becomes an international scandal, with each side accusing the other of spreading lies.
41:36Eventually, the French Prime Minister releases incontrovertible proof to the media, the Austrian Emperor's Letters of March 1917.
41:44On the 13th of April 1918, Erdede wrote in his journal. Today, the letter is in all the newspapers. It has caused great commotion. It is a letter from the Emperor to Prince Sixtus that I remember well.
42:05Unfortunately, Charles' reaction was the wrong one. Instead of standing by his efforts and admitting that they failed, he says, I have no knowledge of any letters.
42:20It is a personal as well as political disaster for Charles. He has been revealed to be a liar on the international stage, in full view of his German allies.
42:29No man shows me gratitude. My faith was misplaced.
42:34Your Majesty, I told you Austria was not a suitable country for a political alliance.
42:40Do you wish to declare war on Austria-Hungary, Your Majesty?
42:45Be silent, Ludendorff. Make yourself useful and get me the Austrian Emperor.
42:49Naturally, the Germans are appalled by the revelations that there were offers of talks and negotiations with the Allies.
43:00From a German point of view, at a time when the country believed it would eventually be victorious, this amounted to total betrayal.
43:08The Germans certainly wanted revenge.
43:10And that's why they're right in the real sense of the word.
43:16Emperor Charles is unable to deal with the mounting pressure.
43:20Czernin demands the Emperor issue a formal statement that the foreign minister had nothing to do with the letters. An outright lie.
43:30Count Czernin, you cannot possibly expect the Emperor to sign this.
43:33The Emperor has compromised himself. He must choose, abdicate or deny everything.
43:38Sir, you must be insane.
43:41These events are also recorded by Tomasz Eredi in his journal.
43:46Then you must take responsibility, Tomasz.
43:49I wouldn't dream of it.
43:52I'm here to act on the Emperor's orders, not to cover for some minister.
43:57If you refuse, then I am a dead man.
44:01Then a bullet is my only option.
44:03So?
44:08Charles' reign would appear to have come to a shameful end.
44:24Czernin even attempts to force the Emperor to relinquish power and accept a provisional regent.
44:29That was, however, his final move. I got rid of him.
44:44The Empress gave me back my confidence.
44:47Captain Snag.
44:50Don't you think that the Emperor and I deserve to know where you were ordered to take us?
45:00I had to read in the paper that it is probably Madeira.
45:03Oh. I hope so, for your sake.
45:06You hope so?
45:07The Admiral seems to think that Ascension might be possible.
45:12Ascension?
45:13Ascension?
45:26Here.
45:28Ascension.
45:30A small volcanic island.
45:33Population 100, governed by an English officer.
45:37Tropical heat.
45:38Tropical heat.
45:39Worse than St. Helena.
45:42Napoleon's St. Helena.
45:44Exactly.
45:46That's why I say Madeira before those in London change their minds.
45:55How would Austria-Hungary's German allies react to the Emperor's betrayal?
45:59On the 12th of May 1918, in the Belgian town of Spa, Charles is summoned to appear before Emperor Wilhelm.
46:07The German Emperor makes no secret of his disdain.
46:12When Wilhelm receives the Austrian Emperor, he makes it very clear that he considers him both weak and a traitor.
46:20And that he plans to punish him as you would a naughty schoolboy.
46:23As part of Germany's revenge, Charles is forced to sign everything the Germans demand of him.
46:30From that point on, Austria is no more than a vassal state of the Reich.
46:37The memorandum of the meeting in Spa is a protocol of the complete and utter subjugation of Emperor Charles.
46:44And essentially makes Austria-Hungary a part of the German Empire.
46:48As a result, Germany now has total control over the armies of the Central Powers.
46:55The war will be decided on the battlefield.
47:02Tomasz Erudy, Charles' friend, is at the Emperor's side in Spa.
47:08He knows the end is coming.
47:09We can count ourselves lucky if the Germans don't attack us.
47:20Excuse me, Your Majesty.
47:25Does Your Majesty know what the Viennese call you?
47:29Well?
47:31Charles the Last.
47:33On the 17th of August 1918, Charles celebrates his last birthday as Emperor, surrounded by his inner circle.
47:53He is just 31 years old and a resounding failure.
47:57At the beginning of his reign, people had considered Charles and the Austro-Hungarian Empire an important check on German power.
48:05Now, everything has changed.
48:10Essentially, the Allies had made their decision.
48:15As it was impossible to negotiate a separate peace with Austria, they saw no alternative to the complete defeat and capitulation of the two powers.
48:29The short version is that the Sixtus Affair and Charles' actions contributed to the end of the Empire.
48:37However, the question is whether the monarchy had any chance of survival at all once the war broke out.
48:47Charles hoped to achieve peace, but his once great Empire descends into total war.
48:53There is nothing left for the pious Emperor to do but pray.
48:56Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
49:02In August of 1918, Austrian and German resistance begins to crumble across Europe.
49:09At the end of October, in the course of a few days, the nations of the Austro-Hungarian Empire declare their independence.
49:16The Habsburg, Romanov and Hohentollern families are forced to accept their subjects' demand for self-determination, bringing their historical reigns to an end once and for all.
49:29Once and for all.
49:32The old Europe of the aristocrats has vanished.
49:35But what will replace it?
49:36The peace treaties of Versailles and Saint-Germain create a new order, and sow the seeds for future conflicts.
49:50Just two decades later, these seeds will give rise to an even more savage war that will once again set Europe and the world on fire.
50:02On fire.
50:03Now and at the hour of our death.
50:05Amen.
50:06Emperor Charles I wanted to end the war and save the Habsburg Empire. Both ventures failed.
50:16He allowed himself to be driven, rather than being a driving force himself. He did not believe he could have a significant impact. This may have been an aspect of his character, his personality. Above all, however, I believe it was a result of the course of the war.
50:46One week after Austria's surrender on the 3rd of November 1918, the Imperial family leaves Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace. The following day, the establishment of the Republic of German Austria is proclaimed.
51:05What happens now?
51:09Now, everything ends, Your Majesty.
51:17Charles is forced to relinquish all his political functions, but he refuses to abdicate. Over the next few years, assisted by his friend Tomasz Erdody, he will launch two attempts to reclaim the crown of Hungary, without success.
51:32After almost 650 years, the era of the Habsburgs is over.
51:39Perhaps Charles was actually the right person at the right time, in that he so clearly demonstrated the problems associated with monarchies, that certain people inherited so much power that they were not qualified to deal with. People who simply lacked the ability to lead a country.
51:57Following the failure of the attempted coups by the former imperial couple, the victorious Entente powers decide to solve the problem once and for all.
52:12Charles and Tita's journey into exile takes them along the Danube, through the new countries established by their former subjects, and to the Romanian river harbour town of Galats.
52:25It is the humiliating end to an empire of many nations, united under the banner of a single dynasty.
52:38Empress Tita is never able to accept the new Europe of nation states. Until her death at 97, she continues to maintain that the Habsburgs have a divine right to power. Exile does nothing to change her views.
52:55Just four months later, Charles dies of pneumonia in Madeira at the age of 34.
53:14How will the last Habsburg emperor eventually be remembered by history? For his sincere ambition to secure peace? Or for the somewhat inept betrayal of his ally?
53:29The
53:39Tijon
53:43Chester
53:46Chester
53:48Chester
53:55Chester
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