Ferenc József I, the first ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, was on the throne between 1867 and 1916. He was born on August 18, 1830 in Vienna and died on November 21, 1916, also in Vienna. His father was Archduke Franz Károly and his mother was Archduchess Zsófia Friderika of Wittelsbach. Actions carried out during his reign: 1848–49: The Austrian army, with the help of the Russian Tsar Miklós I, defeated the Hungarian freedom struggle of 1848–1849, and with Field Marshal Julius Haynau, the "Bresciai with a hyena" he executed the general staff of the entire Hungarian army. 1850-59: During this period he strengthened his power, limited political freedoms and the freedom of the press. 1860-67: The Monarchy reconciled with Hungary, and the dual-execution monarchy was established. As Monarchy's ruler (1867-1907 ): After the coronation in 1867, Ferenc József I ruled in the dualist system, where Hungary operated as an independent kingdom. 1908–14: During his reign, the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the outbreak of the First World War took place. I. During his long reign, Ferenc József did a lot to modernize the country, but at the same time, political and social changes were also a challenge for him. He was the longest-reigning monarch of the Habsburg monarchy and the fourth longest-reigning monarch in Europe. His wife, Elisabeth (Sissi): The Bavarian princess of Wittelsbach, whom Francis Joseph I married in 1854. Sissi was known for her famous beauty and love of freedom. However, due to the rigid rules of the imperial court and political pressure, he did not find happiness. Sissi was a woman with a tragic fate, who was murdered in Geneva in 1898 as the victim of an assassination attempt. Their son, Rudolf, was the heir to the imperial throne, but he lived a peculiar life. He was interested in the arts and held liberal views. Unfortunately, he died in Mayerling under tragic circumstances in 1889, he committed suicide. Franz Joseph I never forgot this tragedy. His daughter, Gisella, was the third child of the imperial couple. She was also a woman of tragic fate, as her husband, a Bavarian prince, died at an early age. Gisella was known for her devotion to charity and religion. Her daughter, Marie Valeria, was the youngest child of the imperial couple. He was the only one who had a long and happy marriage. Marie Valerie was one of the most beloved members of the family and did a lot for the unity of the family.I. József Ferenc's family life was full of tragedy, but also love and commitment.
During the almost six decades of the reign of the longest-reigning Hungarian king, Ferenc József I (1848–1916), the monetary system changed several times. During the first decade of his reign, the conventional monetary system introduced by Mária Theresa in 1753 was valid, which was replaced by the Austrian forint in 1857. The Austrian forint bill of exchange was 20 krajcár (1868), 10 krajcár (1869), 4 krajcár (1868). , 1 krajcár (1879). In 1857, the Vienna Convention, also known as the Vienna Monetary Treaty (Wiener Münzvertrag) was established. Austria, Liechtenstein and some of the German states signed a contract for the introduction of a single currency. According to the agreement, 45 Austrian forints or 30 "union" thalers (Vereinsthaler) were minted from the customs pound (500 grams) for ten years. The base unit of pure silver currency therefore became the HUF (Gulden), although gold coins were also issued according to a specific standard. However, the gold coins with a denomination of one and a half crowns did not fulfill the hopes attached to them, so they were only minted in Hungary for a few years between 1859 and 1861. .The introduction of the Austrian forint was also accompanied by a 5% devaluation, as 100 conventional forints became equal to 105 Austrian forints. In 1867, the minting of "union" thalers ended, and the silver forint worth 100 krajcár became the sole base unit of the monetary system. The 10 and 20 krajcár coins decorated with the portrait of the ruler on the obverse were made of silver, the Hungarian Holy Crown and the denomination were placed on their reverse, half (5/10), 1 and 4 krajcár coins were produced. However, from then on – due to the drop in the price of silver and greater gold production – this ratio reversed. The face value of the silver coins exceeded the value of the precious metal they contained, and money could only be minted from state-mined silver. One after another, the countries of Europe switched to the gold-based monetary system, so silver flowed into the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The only solution was the introduction of the gold-based krona monetary system in 1892. Common Austro-Hungarian banknotes appeared from 1880. Their image faithfully reflected the duality of the era, one side was in German with the Austrian coat of arms, while the other side featured Hungarian motifs next to the Hungarian coat of arms. Despite the fact that development was occasionally interrupted by crises, the reign of Ferenc József I is a success story for the Hungarian economy.
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