Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the nephew of Francis Joseph I, who became the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne after the death of the emperor's only son, was considered a troublemaker by the old monarch, and their relationship was quite complicated. The Archduke had an unequal marriage with Countess Žofia Chotková, and from court intrigues he took refuge at Konopiště castle and his family, whom he loved very much. Although Konopiště, in the heart of Bohemia, became the heir's beloved residence, to which he devoted great care, he was not popular in the Benešov region because of his greed and arrogance.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand's plans to modernize and reorganize the empire were interrupted by the tragic deaths of both spouses in Sarajevo. Their deaths marked the beginning of World War I, the beginning of the disintegration of Austria-Hungary and the beginning of the new arrangement of Europe.