What a remarkable period of reign from that Franz Joseph. He was 18 when he assumed the throne in 1848 and reigned until his death in 1916 with his empire crumbling around him. It is often said this was a classic example of somebody clinging on to the reins (sorry) of power for too long. He was still living in the middle of the 19th century when WW1 was instigated. It is a beguiling thought of 'what would have been' if he had died ten years earlier and his more liberal son, Karl been on the throne in 1914.