Ferdinand I Rolled Around In A Trash Can!
Ferdinand I, was the Emperor of Austria from 1835 until his abdication in 1848.
He was also a Habsburg, and another King who would sadly suffer from his family’s inbreeding.
Ferdinand I was born with the Habsburg jaw, epilepsy, and hydrocephalus, which causes an accumulation of fluids in the brain, and can lead to brain damage.
This made his head abnormally large, and in curious disproportion to his rather delicate frame.
His parents Emperor Franz II and Marie-Therese, were first cousins.
No suitable treatment existed for his condition, and the young boy was not encouraged or stimulated in any way.
Ferdinand was evidently incapable of pouring himself a glass of water, opening a door or climbing stairs unaided.
One report exists of Ferdinand’s astonished reaction, when presented with an eagle shot on a hunting excursion.
He allegedly refused to believe that it was an eagle, as the only kind he knew was the one on his coat of arms, which had two heads…..
In 1831 Ferdinand was married to Maria Anna of Savoy.
The bride was once again a distant relation of Ferdinand.
Maria Anna was devout and meek, and aged twenty-seven she was already regarded as old, and not in a position to be particularly choosy.
On first encountering her future husband, Maria Anna is said to have been shocked at his condition.
This was exacerbated when Ferdinand suffered a severe epileptic seizure during the Wedding ceremony!
When he tried to consummate the marriage he had five seizures, and the court physician considered it unlikely that he would never be able to consummate his marriage to Maria Anna.
Maria Anna stayed at her husband’s side with admirable composure.
She would refer to herself as her husband’s nurse.
Later on as empress, Maria Anna acquired great popularity thanks to her amiable disposition, and work for charitable causes.
Not surprisingly, the marriage remained childless.
Due to his many illnesses, Ferdinand did not directly get involved in running his empire.
Suffering as many as twenty seizures per day, severely restricted his ability to rule with any effectiveness.
Instead, the empire was being controlled by his various regents and counselors.
Ferdinand I would always find different ways to amuse himself.
One such thing was for him to sit down into a trash can, and roll around on the floor while inside.
When Ferdinand saw the Viennese populace demonstrating during the revolution of 1848, he reportedly said~
‘What are all these people doing making such a noise?’
‘They are having a revolution, Your Majesty.’
Ferdinand, perplexed, replied~
‘Yes, but are they allowed to?’
By 2nd December 1848, Ferdinand had been persuaded to abdicate, waiving his right to the throne in favour of his nephew Franz Joseph.
The former emperor then retired to Bohemia, spending the rest of his life amusing himself at Prague Castle, and on his extensive estates.
Ferdinand died at the ripe old age of 83 in Prague, on 29th June 1875.
He is buried in the Imperial Crypt of the Church of the Capuchin Friars in Vienna.
😮 Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria 1843 ~Eduard Edlinger
