The Ferdinand I of Austria reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Ferdinand I of Austria

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Emperor Ferdinand
Imperial Majesty Ferdinand I Karl Leopold Joseph Franz Marchlin Emperor of Austria King of Hungary and Bohemia (April 19, 1793 - June 29, 1875) succeeded his father (Franz II Holy Roman Emperor/Franz I of Austria) as Emperor and King in 1835 and was forced to abdicate in 1848.

He was both feeble-minded and sexually dysfunctional, placed on the throne by Metternich, cynically, as a puppet for Metternich's own purposes. His marriage to Maria Anna of Sardinia was never consummated, nor did he have any other liaison -- he would not have been capable of it. He is famous for his one coherent command, when someone tried to keep him from eating noodles because his digestion could not stand it: "I'm the Emperor, and want noodles!" ("Ich bin der Kaiser und ich möchte Knödeln!")

Preceded by:
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Emperors of Austria Succeeded by:
Franz Josef of Austria

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