Emperor Karl and his father, Archduke Otto

 On 17th August 1887, the future Emperor Karl of Austria was born. He was the son of Franz Ferdinand's brother, 'the gorgeous Archduke' Otto, whose beauty was unfortunately only skin deep. Otto was a complete cad, a drunkard and a womaniser who, with his companions, wrecked many cafes and bars in Vienna. On one occasion he took his drunken friends to his wife's bedroom at 3 o'clock in the morning so that they could have some fun 'with a nun.' Fortunately, one of his friends was sober enough to draw his sword to protect the poor woman until help arrived. 

 

 Archduke Otto

Otto's lifestyle soon caught up with him. He contracted syphilis, which not only left him in agony but also rotted his face. His nose was so eaten away that he had to wear a leather prosthesis and he died at the age of only forty-one. Karl, of course, was a very different character - devout and faithful to his wife.

 

Emperor Karl