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Double Emperor: The Life and Times of Francis of Austria
For forty-three years, Francis I of Austria ruled a vast heterogenous Empire that came to dominate the continent of Europe. Ascending Charlemagne’s thousand-year throne of the Holy Roman Empire at the age of twenty-four on the unexpected death of his father, this scion of the ancient Habsburg dynasty became the first Emperor of Austria and for two years, the only Double Emperor in history.
Both the father in law of Napoleon Bonaparte and his chief rival for dominance of the continent of Europe, Francis eventually led a coalition of nations to Paris in 1814 and sent Napoleon into exile. The exiled Napoleon’s only son and heir lived with his grandfather thereafter in Vienna until his tragic early death.
Kings, ministers, generals and the glitterati of Europe gathered under his watchful eye at the Congress of Vienna to decide the fate of a continent in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars in which he played a pivotal role. The Congress saw the emergence of his new Austrian Empire as the most dominant power in continental Europe until long after his death twenty years later.
A devoted husband, father and grandfather, his modest lifestyle and simple tastes that set the tone of the Biedermeier era concealed a complex and calculating ruler whose initial, cautious liberalism gradually evolved into a stoic conservatism. No other life-biography in English has been written about this mysterious but powerful figure of early 19th century Europe whom Metternich and Radetzky called their master.
Both the father in law of Napoleon Bonaparte and his chief rival for dominance of the continent of Europe, Francis eventually led a coalition of nations to Paris in 1814 and sent Napoleon into exile. The exiled Napoleon’s only son and heir lived with his grandfather thereafter in Vienna until his tragic early death.
Kings, ministers, generals and the glitterati of Europe gathered under his watchful eye at the Congress of Vienna to decide the fate of a continent in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars in which he played a pivotal role. The Congress saw the emergence of his new Austrian Empire as the most dominant power in continental Europe until long after his death twenty years later.
A devoted husband, father and grandfather, his modest lifestyle and simple tastes that set the tone of the Biedermeier era concealed a complex and calculating ruler whose initial, cautious liberalism gradually evolved into a stoic conservatism. No other life-biography in English has been written about this mysterious but powerful figure of early 19th century Europe whom Metternich and Radetzky called their master.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 19, 2025
Double Emperor: The Life and Times of Francis of Austria is a richly detailed and elegantly crafted biography that brings to life one of Europe’s most enigmatic rulers. Chip Wagar delivers a sweeping, authoritative portrait of Francis I, tracing his evolution from a cautious young monarch to the only “Double Emperor” in history—holding both the crown of the Holy Roman Empire and the newly created Austrian Empire.
What stands out most is Wagar’s ability to illuminate the paradoxes of Francis: a man of modest tastes presiding over a vast empire; a ruler initially open to liberal ideas who gradually hardened into conservatism; and a famil-oriented patriarch who found himself entangled with Napoleon, both as an adversary and as a father-in-law. The narrative brings the Congress of Vienna, the complex diplomacy of Metternich, and the shifting political landscape of post-Napoleonic Europe fully to life.
Clear, compelling, and historically vivid, this biography offers not just a chronicle of power, but an intimate exploration of a ruler whose influence shaped the trajectory of 19th-century Europe. A must-read for lovers of history, biography, and political drama.
What stands out most is Wagar’s ability to illuminate the paradoxes of Francis: a man of modest tastes presiding over a vast empire; a ruler initially open to liberal ideas who gradually hardened into conservatism; and a famil-oriented patriarch who found himself entangled with Napoleon, both as an adversary and as a father-in-law. The narrative brings the Congress of Vienna, the complex diplomacy of Metternich, and the shifting political landscape of post-Napoleonic Europe fully to life.
Clear, compelling, and historically vivid, this biography offers not just a chronicle of power, but an intimate exploration of a ruler whose influence shaped the trajectory of 19th-century Europe. A must-read for lovers of history, biography, and political drama.
April 17, 2024
not bad
I learned plenty
Some bits were less informative than I wished, ie Peace of Pressburg is massively incomplete. It was disappointing because I really hoped to learn more about the HRE in this book then I did. The author mistakenly believed that the dangers of inbreeding were not understood in the 18th century, they very much were.
Suitable for most readers who have some understanding of Austria at the time
I learned plenty
Some bits were less informative than I wished, ie Peace of Pressburg is massively incomplete. It was disappointing because I really hoped to learn more about the HRE in this book then I did. The author mistakenly believed that the dangers of inbreeding were not understood in the 18th century, they very much were.
Suitable for most readers who have some understanding of Austria at the time
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews