Amid an uproar, on December 31, 1905, Franz formally abdicated in favor of Friedrich, and the Holy Roman Empire officially entered Friedrich's era.
Unlike previous transfers of power, this handover went exceptionally smoothly. The outside world might not have known Franz's true physical condition, but that did not mean the upper ranks of the government were equally unaware.
Although they did not understand why Franz was so eager to abdicate, as long as the old Emperor was still alive, no one dared make any reckless moves.
Europe had no saying about "the bird that sticks its head out gets shot," but the principle was the same. No matter how hungry someone was for power, they would not dare stir up trouble at such a moment.
With the upper echelons of government steady, the political factions attached beneath them naturally remained steady as well. Even those who dared poke their heads up were suppressed by the Cabinet.
This was the time to test everyone's competence. If they could not even maintain the most basic stability, then they had no business remaining in politics.
With the transfer of power completed without a ripple, Franz was more than happy to take things easy. Once people grew old, they no longer liked all that upheaval.
From the Austrian Empire to the present Holy Roman Empire, Franz had already worn himself out over fifty-seven years as Emperor.
Frankly speaking, in this era of competing over who was worse, the overall performance of the Holy Roman bureaucrats had been quite commendable.
Though they had failed to eradicate corruption and bureaucratic indolence, compared with the bureaucrats of other nations in the same period, they could absolutely be called "capable and efficient."
Having confirmed that he was not leaving behind a complete mess, Emperor Franz, after abdicating, contentedly