Empress Zita (of Austria)

Empress Zita of Austria was the last Empress of Austria-Hungary, born in 1892 in Luxembourg. She married Crown Prince Karl (later Emperor Karl I) in 1911 and became Empress when he ascended the throne in 1916. During a turbulent time marked by World War I and the empire’s collapse, she was a devoted but resilient figure. After the monarchy fell in 1918, she and her family went into exile, living mainly in Portugal and the Netherlands. Known for her dignity and grace, Zita remained committed to her family and the legacy of the Habsburg dynasty until her death in 1989.