This is an account of Franz Joseph's life and reign, set in the context of the momentous changes in European society over which he presided and carried great influence. Professor Bled begins with an account of Franz Joseph's privileged childhood as a member of the imperial family. He then examines the state of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the eve of the 1848 Revolution, and of Franz Joseph's succession at the age of 18. Jean-Paul Bled examines not only the key political events of the period, but also daily life under Franz Joseph and life at court. This story is set against the turmoil of late 19th-century Europe and the conflict between two ideals and two cultures, that of the multinational state and that of the nation state.