Part 2/13:
The Last Habsburg King: Karl I (Carl IV)
The last Habsburg ruler of Hungary, Emperor Karl I of Austria, had been king of Hungary as Carl IV. When his empire crumbled in 1918, he pledged to relinquish his constitutional powers but notably refused to formally abdicate his throne, claiming divine right and constitutional law. In exile in Switzerland, Karl maintained hope that someday he could return and restore the monarchy.
He famously declared in 1919:
"As long as God grants me the strength, I will not renounce the throne of Hungary."
He asserted his intent to uphold the traditional rights of the monarchy and insisted that he was the legitimate ruler, despite the widespread political shift against the Habsburgs.