Emperor Ferdinand was considered quite incapable of governing due to some kind of mental limitation. He also had some form of hydrocephalus and speech and neurological problems.
On June 29, 1875, the former Austrian Emperor and Croatian-Hungarian King Ferdinand I of the Habsburg-Lothringen dynasty died. Ferdinand was the great-grandson of the famous Empress Maria Theresa, and he ruled as the immediate predecessor of Emperor Francis Joseph I, to whom he was an uncle. Indeed, Ferdinand abdicated in favor of the young Francis Joseph I during the revolutionary year of 1848, thus ceding to him the thrones of all his states.
It was during the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I that Josip Jelačić was appointed Croatian ban. At that time (1848) revolutionary events were already underway, and Ferdinand abdicated in December of the same year, after Jelačić had already played a significant role in the struggles with the Hungarian revolutionaries.
Emperor Ferdinand was considered quite incapable of governing due to some kind of mental limitation. He also had some form of hydrocephalus and speech and neurological problems. At the time of his abdication in favor of his 18-year-old nephew Francis Joseph I, Ferdinand was 55 years old. It is very interesting that he lived for almost another 27 years, but outside the center of events (as a former emperor).
Ferdinand spent most of his life after his abdication in Prague. He lived in the area of the famous Hradčany, in Prague’s royal castle. In the same castle, one of the largest in the world, Czech presidents now have an official office and residence. Ferdinand died in Prague at the age of 83. He outlived Ban Jelačić by as much as 16 years, although he was 8 years older than him.
