List of heirs to the Austrian throne

This is a list of people who were heir apparent or heir presumptive to the Archduchy of Austria from its elevation in 1453 to the end of the monarchy in Austria-Hungary in 1918. Those heirs who succeeded are shown in bold.

The position of heir to the Empire was often of great importance. More than once a younger brother of the emperor was persuaded to renounce his succession rights in his son's favour to provide a young male heir to the throne. The apparent suicide of the Crown Prince in 1889 and the assassination of the subsequent heir in 1914 (considered one of the great causes of World War I) led to instability in the monarchy, perhaps contributing to its abolition at the end of the War in 1918.

Heirs to the Austrian Archduchy

Archduke	Heir	Relationship to archduke and status	Became heir	Ceased to be heir	Next in line
Maximilian I	Archduke Philipp	Son Heir apparent	August 19, 1493; father succeeded	September 25, 1506; died	Archduke Siegmund 1st cousin -2, 1493-1496
					none, 1496-1500
					Archduke Karl son, 1500-1506
	Archduke Karl	Grandson Heir apparent	September 25, 1506; father died	January 12, 1519; succession	Archduke Ferdinand brother
Karl I	Archduke Ferdinand	Brother Heir presumptive	January 12, 1519; brother succeeded	April 28, 1521; succession	none
Ferdinand I	none, 1521-1527
	Archduke Maximilian	Son Heir apparent	July 31, 1527; born	July 25, 1564; succession	none, 1527-1529
					Archduke Ferdinand brother, 1529-1551
					Archduke Ferdinand son, 1551-1552
					Archduke Ferdinand brother, 1552
					Archduke Rudolf son, 1552-1564
Maximilian II	Archduke Rudolf	Son Heir apparent	July 25, 1564; father succeeded	October 12, 1576; succession	Archduke Ernst brother
Rudolf V	Archduke Ernst	Brother Heir presumptive	October 12, 1576; brother succeeded	February 20, 1595; died	Archduke Matthias brother
	Archduke Matthias	Brother Heir presumptive	February 20, 1595; brother died	June 25, 1608; succeeded	Archduke Maximilian brother
Matthias I	Archduke Maximilian	Brother Heir presumptive	June 25, 1608; brother succeeded	November 2, 1618; died	Archduke Albert brother
	Archduke Albert	Brother Heir presumptive	November 2, 1618; brother died	March 20, 1619; succeeded	Archduke Ferdinand 1st cousin
Albert VII	Archduke Ferdinand	1st cousin Heir presumptive	March 20, 1619; cousin succeeded	October 9, 1619; succeeded	Archduke Ferdinand son
Ferdinand III	Archduke Ferdinand	Son Heir apparent	October 9, 1619; father succeeded	February 15, 1637; succeeded	Archduke Leopold Wilhelm 1619-1633, brother
					Archduke Ferdinand 1633-1637, son
Ferdinand IV	Archduke Ferdinand	Son Heir apparent	February 15, 1637; father succeeded	July 9, 1654; died	Archduke Leopold Wilhelm 1637, uncle
					Archduke Philipp August 1637-1639, brother
					Archduke Maximilian Thomas 1639, brother
					Archduke Leopold Wilhelm 1639-1640, uncle
					Archduke Leopold 1640-1654, brother
	Archduke Leopold	Son Heir apparent	July 9, 1654; brother died	April 2, 1657; succeeded	Archduke Charles Joseph brother
Leopold VI	Archduke Charles Joseph	Brother Heir presumptive	April 2, 1657; brother succeeded	January 27, 1664; died	Archduke Leopold Wilhelm 1657-1662, uncle
					Archduke Ferdinand Charles 1662, 1st cousin -1
					Archduke Sigismund Francis 1662-1664, 1st cousin -1
	Archduke Sigismund Francis	1st cousin -1 Heir presumptive	January 27, 1664; cousin died	June 25, 1665; died	none
	none, 1665-1667
	Archduke Ferdinand Wenzel	Son Heir apparent	28 September 1667; born	13 January 1668; died	none
	none, 1668-1670
	Archduke Johann Leopold	Son Heir apparent	20 February 1670; born and died		none
	none, 1670-1678
	Archduke Joseph	Son Heir apparent	26 July 1678; born	5 May 1705; succeeded	none, 1678-1684
					Archduke Leopold Joseph 1682-1684, brother
					none, 1684-1685
					Archduke Charles 1685-1700, brother
					Archduke Leopold Joseph 1700-1701, son
					Archduke Charles 1701-1705, brother
Joseph I	Archduke Charles	Brother Heir presumptive	5 May 1705; brother succeeded	17 April 1711; succeeded	none
Charles III	none, 1711-1713
	Archduchess Maria Josepha	Niece Heir presumptive	19 April 1713; Pragmatic Sanction of 1713	13 April 1716; son born to Archduke	Archduchess Maria Amalia sister
	Archduke Leopold Johann	Son Heir apparent	13 April 1716; born	4 November 1716; died	Archduchess Maria Josepha cousin
	Archduchess Maria Josepha	Niece Heir presumptive	4 November 1716; cousin died	13 May 1717; daughter born to Archduke	Archduchess Maria Amalia sister
	Archduchess Maria Theresa	Daughter Heir presumptive	13 May 1717; born	20 October 1740; succeeded	Archduchess Maria Josepha 1717–1718, cousin
					Archduchess Maria Anna 1718–1737, sister
					Archduchess Maria Elisabeth 1737–1740, daughter
					Archduchess Maria Anna 1740, daughter
Maria Theresa and Francis I	Archduchess Maria Anna	Daughter Heir presumptive	20 October 1740; mother succeeded	13 March 1741; son born to Archduchess	Archduchess Maria Carolina 1740–1741, sister
					Archduchess Maria Anna 1741, aunt
	Archduke Joseph	Son Heir apparent	13 March 1741; born	18 August 1765; succeeded	Archduchess Maria Anna 1741–1745, sister
					Archduke Charles Joseph 1745–1761, brother
					Archduke Leopold 1761–1765, brother
Maria Theresa and Joseph II	Pietro Leopoldo I of Tuscany	Son and Brother Heir presumptive	18 August 1765; brother succeeded	20 February 1790; succeeded	Archduke Ferdinand 1765–1768, brother
Joseph II					Archduke Francis 1768–1790, son
Leopold VII	Archduke Francis	Son Heir apparent	20 February 1790; father succeeded	1 March 1792; succeeded	Ferdinando III of Tuscany brother
Francis II	Ferdinando III of Tuscany	Brother Heir presumptive	1 March 1792; brother succeeded	19 April 1793; son born to Archduke	Archduke Charles brother
	Archduke Ferdinand	Son Heir apparent	19 April 1793; born	11 August 1804; Archduchy replaced by Empire	Ferdinando III of Tuscany 1793–1799, uncle
					Archduke Joseph Franz 1799–1804, brother

Heirs to the Austrian Empire

Heir	Status	Relationship to monarch	Became heir		Ceased to be heir		Duration as heir	Next in succession Relation to heir	Monarch
			Date	Reason	Date	Reason
Crown Prince Ferdinand	Heir apparent	Eldest son	11 August 1804	Father proclaimed emperor of Austria	2 March 1835	Became emperor	30 years, 6 months and 19 days	Archduke Joseph Franz 1804–1807 Younger brother	Franz I
								Archduke Franz Karl 1807–1835 Younger brother
Archduke Franz Karl	Heir presumptive	Younger brother	2 March 1835	Brother became emperor without children	2 December 1848	Renounced his own claim to the throne when his brother abdicated	13 years and 9 months	Archduke Franz Joseph Eldest son	Ferdinand I
Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian	Heir presumptive	Younger brother	2 December 1848	Brother became emperor without children	21 August 1858	Supplanted: son born to emperor	9 years, 8 months and 19 days	Archduke Karl Ludwig Younger brother	Franz Joseph I
Crown Prince Rudolf	Heir apparent	Eldest son	21 August 1858	Born	30 January 1889	Committed suicide (Gunshot wound)	30 years, 5 months and 9 days	Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian 1858–1864 Uncle
								Archduke Karl Ludwig 1864–1889 Uncle
Archduke Karl Ludwig	Heir presumptive	Younger brother	30 January 1889	Nephew committed suicide	19 May 1896	Died	7 years, 3 months and 19 days	Archduke Franz Ferdinand Son
Archduke Franz Ferdinand	Heir presumptive	Nephew	19 May 1896	Father died	28 June 1914	Assassination (Gunshot wound)	18 years, 1 month and 9 days	Archduke Otto Franz Joseph 1896–1906 Brother
								Archduke Karl 1906–1914 Nephew
Archduke Karl	Heir presumptive	Grandnephew	28 June 1914	Uncle was assassinated	21 November 1916	Became emperor	2 years, 4 months and 24 days	Archduke Otto Son
Crown Prince Otto	Heir apparent	Eldest son	21 November 1916	Father became emperor	12 November 1918	Monarchy abolished	1 year, 11 months and 22 days	Archduke Robert Brother	Karl I