Archduke Franz Ferdinand: An Uncharming Prince?

Abstract

This chapter investigates a ‘Black Swan’—an heir to the throne who appeared to have largely disdained any sustained attempts at winning over audiences of subjects through charm and soft power techniques. Archduke Franz Ferdinand opted instead for building and operating an effective political machinery and preparing for himself a future role as a powerful monarch. The chapter explores the nature of the archduke’s power, his relations with the press and how his image was constructed and received across contemporary society. Alma Hannig explains the ‘mystery’ that was Franz Ferdinand by placing him within the specific contexts of his dynastic, political and private position in late Imperial Austria.