Emperor of Austria
The title of Emperor of Austria was proclaimed in 1804 by the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, who feared for the future of the old Reich in the face of Napoleon's aggressions, and wished to maintain his imperial title in the event that the Holy Roman Empire should be dissolved, as it indeed was in 1806. Francis thus became Emperor Francis I of Austria.The title lasted until 1918, but it was never clear what territory constituted the "Empire of Austria". Austria itself had been an Archduchy since the 15th century, and most of the other territories of the Empire had their own institutions and territorial history, although there were some attempts at centralization, especially between 1848 and 1859. When Hungary was given self-government in 1867, the non-Hungarian portions, although usually called Austria, were officially known only as the "Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council". The title, and the Empire (if there was such), were abolished at the end of the First World War in 1918, when German Austria became a republic, and the other kingdoms and lands represented in the Imperial Council established their independence or adhesion to other states.
Emperors of Austria, 1804-1918
| Emperor | Acceded | Deceded |
| Francis I | 11 August 1804 | 2 March 1835 |
| Ferdinand I | 2 March 1835 | 2 December 1848 |
| Franz Joseph I | 2 December 1848 | 21 November 1916 |
| Karl I | 21 November 1916 | 11 November 1918 |