Supreme Commander of the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces

[1] The Emperor ran the armed forces (Bewaffnete Macht or Wehrmacht) through the Military Chancellery of His Imperial and Royal Majesty the Emperor-King (Militärkanzlei Seiner Majestät des Kaisers and Königs; Őfelsége a Császár-Király Katonai Kancelláriájá) that was established on 11 July 1867.

Amongst its heads, who usually bore the title Adjutant General (Generaladjutant), were: In his old age Franz Joseph I only rarely exercised the function of supreme commander in person.

[3] Besides Friedrich, whose duties were mainly ceremonial, Archduke Franz Ferdinand had a great influence on the armed forces in the last years of the monarchy, and worked hard to keep them united and to expand them.

In 1898, after a career as an officer, he was appointed "at the disposal of the Supreme Commander" (zur Disposition des Allerhöchsten Oberbefehles),[4] in order to oversee the army as a whole as well as the navy.

Charles himself gave up the supreme command at the end of the war, in order not to have to sign the peace treaty and terms of surrender personally.