1836
On February 2 Emperor Franz I dies in his sleep after beiong ill for a year. His Chosen sucesor is his second Son Franz Karl who takes the throne Name of Franz II.
HIs full regnal title is:
„Seine Kaiserlich-königliche Apostolische Majestät, Franz II., von Gottes Gnaden Kaiser von Österreich, König von Hungarn, König von Böhmen, dieses Namens der Dritte, König der Lombardei und Venedigs, König von Dalmatien, Kroatien, Slavonien, Galizien, Lodomerien und Illyrien; König von Jerusalem etc. Erzherzog von Oesterreich, Großherzog der Toskana, Herzog von Lothringen, Salzburg, Steyer, Kärnthen, Krain, Ober- und Niederschlesien, von Modena, Parma, Herzogtum Piacenza und Herzogtum Guastalla, von Auschwitz und Zator, von Teschen, Friaul, Ragusa und Zara; Großfürst von Siebenbürgen; Markgraf von Mähren; Gefürsteter Graf von Habsburg und Tirol, von Kyburg, Görz und Gradiska; Fürst von Trient und Brixen; Markgraf der Ober- und Nieder-Lausitz und in Istrien, Graf von Hohenembs, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg etc. Herr von Triest, von Cattaro und auf der windischen Mark.“
After the coronation as Emperor in Vienna Franz and his wife Empress Sophie travel to Buda to be coronated as King of Hungary. During his stay at th Buda Castle he announces his plan to Reform the Monarchy and promises to the Hungarian People (actually to the MAgnates) that they will have a greater say in the new Monarchy. THis is actually not a lie, but is less than it seems as Franz plans to establish separate "Landtage" throughout his different posessions which in its entirety make up the Monarchy. THus he plans to makt the different nationalities stronger within their own Kronland, but Limits their power on the Level of the Empire.
After his stay in Hungary he travels to Prag (to be crowned as King of Bohemia) and after a stay in Bavaria with his wifes Family he travels to Mailand/Milano to be croewned with the Iron Crown of Lombardia - in both cities he repeats his announcement. After this he spends a part of the summer in Venice.
Later in the year he assembles deputies from all over the Monarchy in a congress to debate about the planned constitution. Franz himself does not take part in the negotiations as he says that the People will make their proposal without being influenced by the Person of the Emperor. In reality his Staatskanzler Kolowrat-Libsteinsky, who is considered a liberal, steers the congres into a direction preferred by the Emperor.
Internally the empire is divided into (initially) 20 "Kronländer" each with ist own "Landtag" (elected: census suffrage - males 24+ only, 20 initially). The members of the Landtage are elected in Wahlkreisen (electoral districts) - Each district has (initially) around 25.000-35.000 inhabitants. For example the Landtag for Upper Austria has 24 electoral districts which consist of 12 political districts, 3 districts are split in 2 electoral districs each and the three statutory cities are also split into two electoral districs.
Erzherzogtum Österreich unter der Enns
Erzherzogtum Österreich ob der Enns
Herzogtum Salzburg
Herzogtum Steiermark
Gefürstete Grafschaft Tirol mit dem Lande Vorarlberg
Herzogtum Kärnten
Herzogtum Krain
Küstenland (Gefürstete Grafschaft Görz und Gradisca, Triest, Markgrafschaft Istrien)
Königreich Böhmen
Markgrafschaft Mähren
Herzogtum Schlesien
Königreich Galizien und Lodomerien
Herzogtum Bukowina
Königreich Ungarn
Königreich Kroatien
Königreich Slawonien
Königreich Lombardo-Venezien
Königreich Dalmatien
Großfürstentum Siebenbürgen
Mark (Serbische) Wojewodschaft und Temescher Banat (Wojwodina und Banat)
On the imperial level there is the "Upper House" consisting of certain aristocrats, Bishops and members of the ruling house (hereditary members). The emperor has the right to appoint Members for "Services to the Empire" (lifetime). and the lower house consisting of members sent by the individual "Landtage" based on population (around 1 per 100k inahbitants). (common houses for the empire)
Both houses have the right to propose laws - if they find majority in both houses they are sent to the "Staatskanzlei" and the Staatskanzler has to review them and "give counsel to the Emperor", who then may sign them. The Staatskanzlei may also propose laws, which are discussed in both houses, but they don't Need a majority there (customary proposals which find no majority are NOT sent to the Emperor, The emperor might propose laws too, but customary there are People who take suggestions of the emperor to the houses, so he does not do this often - except in times of emergencies.
Things like legal procedures, Organisation on Offices are "common" to the empire, while other things may be regulated differently on the Level of the Kronländer (e.g. Holidays,...). Common law takes precedence over laws of the Kronländer.
Civil servants have to know German and the dominant language(s) of the Kronland they are working in - they may not be forced to change the Kronland, but if they Change they have to learn the new language (changing may be a step in the career as high officials are chosen from those who have served at least in three different Kronländer - which makes it easier for Germans as there are several German speaking Kronländer, but only one or two for most other languages.
Taxation, Military, Foreign Affairs and Security is not subject to the legislation, but imperial prerogative.
THis is called the 1840 constitution as it came into force in 1840.
NOTE: there are no political partys in the "common" houses. In the Landtage there are so called Clubs - informal alliances of the representatives with similar views- Upper Austria (24 members) has three Klubs: Großgrundbesitzer (Landowners/14), Deutsch-Nationale (5), Liberals (3) with 2 not members of any Klub. This means that the Landowners send 7 members tho the lower (common) house as they have the absolute majority in the Landtag. If they had only 11 members they would need other members who might demand the right to send 1 or two of their own to Vienna (you can be member in both a Landtag and the lower house)
