Anarchists Destroy Christendom
During this time, the Black Hand and Young Bosnia, two revolutionary groups fueled by anarchy ideologies plotted the destruction of the Habsburg dynasty in Serbia. They imagined a “Greater Serbian State” without a monarch.[1] In 1903, anarchists assassinated the Serbian King Alexander Obrenović and his consort queen inside the royal palace. Alexander held many ties with Austria-Hungary and the violent revolutionaries believed this murder would help obtain their desired Serbian State.[2]
In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina to limit the influence of the Turkish Ottoman Empire in Southeastern Europe. Austria-Hungary had administered these provinces since 1878 and the Ottoman Empire had only maintained a nominal legal title to the lands. Yet the revolutionary groups saw this as a “window of opportunity” to advance their ideological agenda. They sought to end dependence on Austria-Hungary and fulfill their radical dreams of obtaining “for all Serbs a Serbian nation under Serbian rule,” irrespective of whether the majority of Serbs wanted this or not.[3]
Apparently, one royal assassination was not enough. So, to achieve their goal, the Black Hand decided they needed to kill the heir-apparent, Franz Ferdinand.[4] This set the stage for the infamous event of June 28, 1914, when the young anarchist Gavrilo Princip killed Franz Ferdinand and his beloved wife in Sarajevo. This assassination spun the world into disaster, havoc, and bloodshed from which it has still not recovered.[5] In many ways, it marked the end of the Christian civilization (Christendom) which had existed since Charlemagne, and which even stretched its roots back into the Rome of Emperors Constantine and Theodosius.
Nations Rush Headlong into a Great World War
The well-known result of this regicide was Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war against Serbia in retribution for the death of their heir-apparent. Because Serbia had previously created an alliance with Russia, Russia aided Serbia against Austria-Hungary.[6] Germany had a similar alliance with Austria-Hungary. Therefore, when Russia declared war against Austria-Hungary, Germany declared war against Russia.[7] France had established an alliance with Russia in 1894, leading them to declare war against Austria-Hungary and Germany.[8]
Great Britain never had any obligatory alliance or treaty to enter the continental conflict; nevertheless, the King and his cabinet chose to issue an ultimatum against Germany and then to declare war.[9] It is generally accepted that Great Britain’s principal motivation was preserving its leading role within Europe’s delicate ‘balance of power.’ A German victory over France would have elevated Germany to the most powerful nation in Western Europe, a position the British wished to keep for themselves.
However, another insight into their entrance into the war can be gained from a statement given by a Czech revolutionary, who was visiting London in 1915. In Thomas Masaryk’s book, Making of a State, he comments that “the dismemberment of the Habsburg Empire appears to be the primary objective of the war.”[10] There was certainly also a strong “war hawk” current among some leading Englishmen. For example, concerning the war, Winston Churchill said in 1915: “I think a curse should rest upon me – because I love this war. I know it’s smashing and shattering the lives of thousands every moment – and yet – I can’t help it – I enjoy every second of it.”[11]
How different were the sentiments expressed by the Catholic Archduke Karl. He stated to his wife: “I am an officer with all my body and soul. But I do not understand how anyone who sees his dearest relations leaving for the front can love war.”[12] He personally fought on the front lines, seeing the sufferings and horror of his men.[13] He also worked closely with the Emperor in efforts of peace, traveling back and forth to Vienna.[14] He said, seemingly prophetically, “I leave with a heavy heart because when this war is over, whatever happens in it, this Austria-Hungary that I know and love will no longer exist.”[15] In the midst of the war he declared, “If everyone would only practice his Christian duty, there would not be so much hate and misery in the world.”[16]
A New Emperor
However, Blessed Karl’s time of directly leading battalions and regiments would soon come to an end. The Archduke was summoned by the Emperor, whose health was failing. Karl and Zita knelt by the bedside of the Emperor and prayed the Rosary until Franz Josef passed peacefully on November 21, 1916. Those in the room quietly addressed Karl by his new title “your majesty,” and the former Archduke realized the weight and duty that was suddenly placed upon his shoulders.[17]
The coronation ceremony was set for December 30, 1916. Cardinal János Csernoch, the Primate of Hungary and Archbishop of Esztergom, performed the coronation. Regarding the young Emperor, the highest-ranking prelate in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire said:
“He prepared himself conscientiously for this great ceremony. He examined every detail and pondered the inner meaning of it all…It was moving to see how the difficult burden of the feelings of responsibility had imprinted itself on his young soul. It was neither the ornamentation or the pomp that interested him, it was only the duty, that he was undertaking before God, before the nation, and before the Church. He wished to be worthy of this, for which he had been chosen.”[18]
Upon his accession to the throne, Emperor Karl proclaimed, “I will do all within my power to banish the horrors and sacrifices of war at the earliest possible date and to win back for my peoples the sorely missed blessings of peace.”[19]
No End to the War
From the beginning of his reign, Emperor Karl sought every opportunity to achieve peace – just as he had promised. He tried to collaborate with Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, suggesting the surrender of Austrian territory and allowing France to keep Alsace-Lorraine. He was willing to sacrifice much, even of his own kingdom, to purchase peace and save Christendom. He worked tirelessly with the papacy and used all diplomatic channels to try and bring the nations of Europe to peace talks. Yet the major European leaders, motivated by the lust for greed, revenge, and power, were determined to annihilate their adversaries. Blessed Karl’s work for peace was all to no avail.[20] The war dragged on. An entire generation of young men – nearly ten million – were mercilessly and senselessly sent to their deaths on the muddy, gas streaked, machine gun riddled, bloody battlefields of Europe.
In 1917 Pope Benedict XV published his Peace Proposal, which asked that the fighting cease and every nation involved return to their former territories. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and even the Muslim Ottoman Empire responded respectfully that they were willing to co-operate with the proposal.[21] However, the Allied Powers stated that the Peace Plan was a German creation, or as Great Britain retorted, that there was no purpose in even replying.[22] In the United States, President Woodrow Wilson brusquely remarked: “What does he [the Pope] want to butt in for?”[23] The Allied Powers did not seem to wish for peace that would preserve the last vestiges of Christendom.
Our Lady, Queen of Peace
When it had become evident that all human efforts had failed, the Holy Father turned to Heaven. He asked that men in every corner of the earth beseech the Blessed Mother, that She would be moved, and that peace would be obtained for the devastated and war-torn world.[24] On May 5, 1917, Benedict XV had his letter read publicly in all the churches of Rome. He invoked Our Lady under the title of Regina Pacis (Queen of Peace) and formally added this epithet to the Litany of Loreto.
Just one week after Pope Benedict XV offered this prayer, Our Lady appeared at Fatima.[25] To three small children, the Mother of God would ask for penance, sacrifice, and prayer and entrust the most important message of our time. Our Lady promised that the war would end soon, but if man did not cease offending God, then a worse war would break out. She also warned that Russia would spread its errors throughout the world if Her commands were not obeyed. From this time forward the three children began offering penances in reparation for the sins of men.
Meanwhile, in the United States Woodrow Wilson spoke to Congress and urged them to join the conflict in Europe to, “make the world safe for democracy”.[26] Wilson advocated for the whole of Austria-Hungary to be “blotted out” as an empire, because of the hindrance that its existence caused for his ideals.[27] Emperor Karl tried to communicate directly with Wilson, well knowing the weight of the United States’ entrance into the war. This effort also failed, perhaps because Wilson believed that Emperor Karl’s peace terms in 1918 would “leave in place a monarch – and a Catholic[.][28]
The Errors of Russia Begin to Spread
In addition to all the struggles associated with international war, internal revolution arose in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This was largely influenced by the Bolshevik ideas fomenting in Russia.[29] Already the errors of Russia of which Our Lady forewarned were fanning across the continent. The Czech national Council in Prague, imbued with a revolutionary spirit, declared its independence on October 28, 1918. Yet, Czechoslovakia or the “Czech Republic” had never before existed in history – it was an entirely new non-traditional political entity. The Duchy of Bohemia was founded in the late 9th Century. Bohemia became an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire in 1002. In the 16th Century, Bohemia legally came under the crown of the Hapsburg monarchy.
Nevertheless, the Czech revolutionaries were adamant in “severing all links with the Habsburg crown,” which was the legitimate and rightly established authority.[30] This group was headed by none other than Thomas Masaryk, whom, as stated earlier, declared in England that the object of the war was the demise of the Habsburg Empire.[31] Soon after this rebellious declaration, and encouraged by Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points,’ other ethnicities declared their independence. In a letter from Emperor Karl to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Karl stated that, “We are fighting against a new enemy which is more dangerous than the Entente [Allied Powers]: international revolution[.]”[32]
Due to the insurrection within the crumbling Holy Roman Empire, Emperor Karl and Pope Benedict XV had to face the hard and sad truth that they were alone in their attempts for peace. They realized the anti-monarchical and anti-Catholic revolution was now both within and without the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The freemasonic inspired French Revolution had the express motto of destroying Altar and Throne. Now Karl and Benedict XV were facing the continuation and conclusion of that luciferian revolt. In order to usher in a ‘new world order’ under the freemasonic banner, the old order, which included both the Catholic Church and the Catholic monarch, had to be destroyed. The Napoleonic Wars had failed in this endeavor. The Marxist revolutions which destabilized Europe in the 19th Century had likewise been unable to accomplish this nightmarish vision. A Great War – which would engulf the whole world – would be necessary to bring about this freemasonic goal.
It was in fact the freemasonic lodges of France, Italy, and England, who met in 1912 for a very specific reason, that were able to accomplish this goal. In that same year, Vienna hosted a glorious World Eucharistic Congress. The whole world observed Austria-Hungary profoundly adoring Our Divine Lord. Only a few days after this Congress, these three countries’ lodges met in Paris. There it was decided “unanimously that Austria and its monarchy would be destroyed. They resolved to use every means necessary to destroy the empire and to separate its diverse people by exploiting the national principle. They voted and swore on this occasion the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, would be shot.”[33]
EDITORS NOTE:
Readers who have enjoyed reading about this topic might also be interested in attending the Blessed Emperor-King Karl von Habsburg Symposium in Dallas, Texas on October 15, 2022. Speakers will include Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Archduke Eduard von Hapsburg, Hungarian Ambassador to the Holy See, and direct descendent of Emperor Franz Josef (Blessed Karl’s predecessor), an interview with with Princess Maria-Anna Hapsburg-Galitzine, granddaughter of Blessed Karl, and Suzanne Pearson.
Read about the Conference and get tickets HERE.
ENDNOTES:
[1] Robert Wilde, “The Black Hand: Serbian Terrorists Spark WWI,” May 28, 2019, thoughtco.com, p. 2.
[2] Tarkan Rosenberg, “The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: The Murder that Started World War I,” thought co.com, p. 4; Robert Wilde, “The Black Hand: Serbian Terrorists Spark WWI,” May 28, 2019, thoughtco.com, p. 2.
[3] Rosenberg, Jennifer, “What Everyone Should Know About World War I: The Great War From 1914-1919,” June 27, 2018, thoughtco.com, p. 1.
[4] Rosenberg, “The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand,” September 11, 2019, p. 4.
[5] Rosenberg, “The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand,” thoughtco.com, p. 4.
[6] Wilde, Robert, “World War 1: A Short Timeline Pre-1914, Political Disputes and Secret Treaties Led to WWI,” February 23, 2018, thoughtco.com, p. 3.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Pearson, Susan, “Blessed Karl of Austria and the Surprising Fatima Connection”.
[11] Chojnowski, Peter, “1917 and the Pope’s Peace,” January 1, 2020, https://www.thepostil.com/
[12] Coulombe, Blessed Charles of Austria, p. 133.
[13] Pearson, “Blessed Karl of Austria and the Surprising Fatima Connection”: https://www.emperorcharles.org
[14] Coulombe, Blessed Charles of Austria, p. 134.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Zeßner-Spitzenberg, Prof. Hans Karl, Ein Kaiser Stirbt, emphasis added.
[17] Coulombe, Blessed Charles of Austria, p. 142.
[18] Bogle, A Heart for Europe, p. 68, emphases added.
[19] Zeßner-Spitzenberg, p. 38.
[20] Warren H. Carroll, 1917 Red Banner, White Mantle, (Christendom Press, Front Royal, Virgina, 1981) pp. 406-407.
[21] Chojnowski, “1917 and the Pope’s Peace,” https://www.thepostil.com/.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Carroll, 1917 Red Banner, White Mantle, p. 91.
[24] The Fatima Center, https://fatima.org/pope-benedict-xv-demands-world-peace-may-5-1917/
[25] Ibid.
[26] Carroll, 1917 Red Banner, White Mantle, p. 91.
[27] Robert Lansing, War Memoirs, (Indianapolis, 1935), pp. 267 ff. & Bionic Mosquito, “More Alike Than Unlike.”
[28] Bionic Mosquito, “More Alike Than Unlike,” December 6, 2018, https://www.lewrockwell.com/2018/12/bionic-mosquito/more-alike-than-unlike/
[29] Bogle, A Heart for Europe, p. 101.
[30] Ibid., p. 107.
[31] Coulombe, Blessed Charles of Austria, p. 201.
[32] Balfour, Michael, The Kaiser and His Times, quoted in Bogle’s, A Heart for Europe, p. 95.
[33] Sister Mary Clair MICM, From the House Tops, gathered from the “Position for the Cause of Canonization of Bl. Karl.”