Um, you would seem to be the one with a "poor understanding of history." Emperor Franz Joseph died in 1916; Bl. Emperor Karl (the one I described as a saint) was his successor.
While Franz Joseph may not have been as saintly as his grandnephew, and I wish he hadn't approved the attack on Serbia, he was still a better man than any of the elected Allied leaders.
"While Franz Joseph may not have been as saintly as his grandnephew, and I wish he hadn't approved the attack on Serbia, he was still a better man than any of the elected Allied leaders."
Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary single-handedly initiated The First World War by his invasion of Serbia (note: massive war crimes against the Serbs after the invasion).
Yet you call him *better* than all other leaders of his day.
Note also that his successor, Emperor Karl, did not successfully sue for peace in 1916, 1917, or 1918. Moreover, Emperor Karl was allied with both Germany and the Islamic Ottoman Empire.
It was only the U.S. Army that ended that war, though credit should be given to Pope Benedict XV for trying.