King Francis I of France, portrait by Pierre Dumonstier, after a drawing by Jean Clouet; in the Bibliotheque Natio- nale, Paris.
COURTESY OF THE BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE, PARIS
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Francis Joseph > Franco-Russian Alliance I 703
Francis Joseph German Franz Josef (b. Aug. 18, 1830, Schloss Schonbrunn, near Vienna—d. Nov.
21, 1916, Schloss Schonbrunn)
Emperor of Austria (1848-1916) and king of Hungary (1867-1916). He became emperor during the Revolu¬ tions of 1848 after the abdication of his uncle, Ferdinand I. With his prime minister, Felix, prince zu Schwarzen- berg, he achieved a powerful position for Austria, in particular with the Punctation of Olmutz convention in 1850. His harsh, absolutist rule within Austria produced a strong central government but also led to rioting and an assassination attempt.
Following Austria’s defeat by Prus¬ sia in the Seven Weeks' War (1866), he responded to Hungarian national unrest by accepting the Compromise of 1867. He adhered to the Three Emperors' League and formed an alli¬ ance with Prussian-led Germany that led to the Triple Alliance (1882). In 1898 his wife was assassinated, and in 1889 his son Rudolf, his heir apparent, died in a suicide love pact. In 1914 his ultimatum to Serbia fol¬ lowing the murder of the next heir presumptive, Francis Ferdinand, led Austria and Germany into World War I.
Francis of Assisi, Saint orig. Francesco di Pietro di Bernar- done (b. 1181/82, Assisi, duchy of Spoleto—d. Oct. 3, 1226, Assisi; canonized July 16, 1228; feast day October 4) Italian saint and founder of the Franciscan religious order.
Born into a wealthy family, he was a soldier and prisoner of war before he experienced a conversion in his early 20s. He sold his property, gave the proceeds to the church, and began a life of poverty and devoutness. He soon attracted followers, whom he sent to preach throughout Europe, and in 1209 Innocent III gave approval for the Franciscan order.
The Rule of St. Francis stressed the need to imitate the life of Jesus. In many ways a mystic, Francis viewed all nature as a mirror of God, calling all creatures his brothers and sisters.
In 1212 he allowed formation of an order for women, called the Poor Clares. In 1219 he went to Egypt, preached to the sultan, and visited the holy places of Jerusalem. In 1224, after a vision, he became the first person to receive the stigmata.
His influence helped restore popular faith in a church much corrupted by wealth and political aspirations.
Franciscan Member of a Christian religious order dedicated to the apostolic life of poverty and preaching founded in 1209 by St. Francis of Assisi. The Franciscans actually consist of three orders. The First Order comprises priests and lay brothers who have sworn to a life of prayer, preaching, and penance. The Second Order (founded 1212) consists of cloistered nuns known as the Poor Clares. The Third Order consists of religious members and laypersons who observe Franciscan principles in teaching, charity, and social service. The Rule of St. Francis stipulated that Franciscan friars could own no property of any kind, either individu¬ ally or communally. The friars wandered and preached among the people, helping the poor and sick. Their impact was immense; within 10 years they numbered 5,000. A milder version of the rule was approved in 1223, and after the death of St. Francis in 1226 the order was divided by con¬ flicts over the vow of poverty. A moderate interpretation of the rule was established while St. Bonaventure was minister general of the order (1257-
74), and the friars spread throughout Europe, their missionaries penetrat¬ ing as far as Syria and Africa. Though continuing controversy over the definition of poverty led to the intervention of the Pope John XXII, who persecuted the advocates of strict poverty, and to divisions of the order that lasted into the 19th century, the Franciscans flourished. They remain the largest Roman Catholic religious order.
Franck VfraqkV, Cesarf-Auguste) (b. Dec. 10, 1822, Liege, Neth.—d. Nov. 8, 1890, Paris, France) Belgian-French composer. A piano prodigy, he arrived in Paris at age 14 to study at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1858 he became organist at the large church of Sainte-Clotilde, where he would remain the rest of his life. In 1872 he became professor of organ at the Conservatoire. His compositions, which tend to be serious, German- influenced, and often religious, include the famous Symphony in D Minor (1888); the tone poems Les Eolides (1876), Le Chasseur maudit (1882), and Psyche (1888); the oratorio Les Beatitudes (1879); chamber works including a piano quintet (1879), a violin sonata (1886), and a string quartet (1889); and many works for organ and piano.
Franco Yfraq-koA English Vfraq-koV Francisco in full Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teodulo Franco Bahamonde (b. Dec. 4, 1892, El Ferrol, Spain—d. Nov. 20, 1975, Madrid) Spanish general and head of the government of Spain (1939-75). A career army officer, he was noted as a skillful leader and became army chief of staff in 1935. He joined the insurgents in the Spanish Civil War and was named El Caudillo (“The Leader”) of the Nationalist forces (1936). In 1937 he reorganized the fas¬ cist Falange party into a more pluralistic group and made it the regime’s official political movement. Though in sympathy with the Axis Powers in World War II, Spain remained formally neutral, but after the war Franco was ostracized as the “last surviving fascist dictator.” Relations with other nations regularized with the onset of the Cold War, as Franco became a leading anticommunist statesman. In the 1950s and ’60s, his domestic policies moderated, and Spain made great economic progress. He pro¬ vided for his succession by an official referendum in 1947 that made the Spanish state a monarchy, ratifying his powers as regent for life. In 1969 he designated Prince Juan Carlos as his successor.
Franco-Cantabrian \kan-'ta-bre-on\ school Oldest and most com¬ plete of several artistic traditions of the Paleolithic Period that flourished in southwestern France and the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain c. 40,000-10,000 bc. It developed in huge limestone caves, such as Alta- mira and Lascaux Grotto, which served as ceremonial centres for ancient hunters. Inspired by magical-religious beliefs, the art consists of large numbers of cave paintings of single, lively, unrelated animals, which may have been used in rituals invoking success in the hunt and animal fertil¬ ity. Small carved figurines incised with linear details have also been found.
Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War (1870-71) War in which a coalition of German states led by Prussia defeated France, ending French hegemony in continental Europe and creating a unified Germany. The immediate cause was the candidacy of Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen for the Spanish throne, which raised the pos¬ sibility of a combination of Prussia and Spain against France. Following diplomatic maneuvers to block Leopold’s candidacy, the Prussian chan¬ cellor Otto von Bismarck published the Ems Telegram to provoke the French government into declaring war, which it did. The other German states sided with Prussia, and German troops under Gen. Helmuth von Moltke, superior in numbers and organization, scored repeated victories. After Napoleon III surrendered at the Battle of Sedan, French resistance was car¬ ried on by a new government, which deposed the emperor and established the Third Republic. Paris surrendered, but while treaty negotiations were going on, an insurrection by radicals in Paris created a short-lived gov¬ ernment, the Paris Commune. After its suppression, a harsh peace treaty was implemented: Germany annexed Alsace and half of Lorraine, and France was occupied until a large indemnity was paid. The German empire was established when William I of Prussia was proclaimed German emperor in 1871. The peace was an unstable one, marked by France’s determination to recover Alsace-Lorraine and Germany’s mounting impe¬ rialism, led by Prussian militarism. Their mutual animosity was a driving force that led to World War I.