Charles of Habsburg, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary and Bohemia, was born in Persenbeug, on 17 August 1887. He began his military career at a very young age and, stationed with provincial garrisons, lived at a distance from the throne. As Crown Archduke, he succeeded Franz Joseph at the height of the First World War, and was the only Head of State of a belligerent power to welcome Pope Benedict XV’s peace initiatives.
Between October and November 1918, the fall of his empire began. Abandoned by all, he was forced to withdraw from government executives indefinitely. He refused to renounce the throne, believing this to be a dereliction of duty. He lived with his family in Eckartsau Castle, near Vienna, under close surveillance, and left for Switzerland on 24 March 1919. On 3 April that year, he was stripped of all his assets.
The last Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Charles I and his wife, Empress Zita of Bourbon arrived in Funchal, in exile, on 19 November 1921, aboard the British warship Cardiff. They were initially lodged at Vila Vitória, on Estrada Monumental, and later at Quinta do Monte. From the outset, the Emperor won over the people of Madeira, who called him the ‘Holy King’. He was often accompanied by his children, in whom he instilled a love for the Catholic faith, for peace and for the people. He got close to locals, always exuding friendliness and kindness, sharing the little he had with the poor who knocked at his door.
He died with a reputation for holiness, on 1 April 1922, and his body was buried at the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, in Funchal. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 3 October 2004.
Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, said of him: ‘He served the people with justice and charity; he strove for peace, helped the poor and committed himself to a spiritual life.’
A hundred years after his death, we remember this man of peace who became the first saint to live and die in Madeira, with pilgrims from all around the world flocking to his tomb.
A good man. A saint.
Funchal Diocese – Parish of Nossa Senhora do Monte Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Culture
