Charles I of Austria vs Tekle Giyorgis I

Charles I became Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary upon the death of his great-uncle Franz Joseph I. He inherited a war-weary empire in the midst of World War I, facing military defeat and internal disintegration.

Charles I conducted secret peace negotiations with France through his brother-in-law, Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma. He proposed supporting French claims to Alsace-Lorraine in exchange for a separate peace. The negotiations failed when Germany refused to cede territory, and the affair was leaked, damaging Charles's credibility.

Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I, Charles I issued a proclamation renouncing participation in state affairs but did not formally abdicate. He went into exile in Switzerland, ending over 600 years of Habsburg rule.

Charles I made two attempts to regain the Hungarian throne, traveling to Hungary in March and October 1921. Both attempts failed due to lack of support from the Hungarian regent Mikl

Tekle Giyorgis I was first elevated to the throne by powerful regional lords during the Zemene Mesafint. His reign was short-lived as he was deposed by rival factions, beginning a pattern of repeated enthronements and depositions.

Tekle Giyorgis I reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia six separate times between 1779 and 1800. Each reign was brief, lasting from a few months to a few years, as he was repeatedly deposed and restored by competing noble factions.

After his final deposition, Tekle Giyorgis I lived in obscurity until his death. His repeated changes of fortune exemplified the political fragmentation of the Zemene Mesafint, where emperors were pawns of regional warlords.