Archduke of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia by birth, and a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, as the eldest son of Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria (1833–1905) and his wife Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1846–1927). Joseph August’s grandfather had been Palatine Joseph of Hungary (1776–1847), Palatine and Viceroy of Hungary, a younger son of Emperor Leopold II.
He was for a short period head of state of Hungary. On 27 October 1918 Emperor Karl made August the “Homo Regius” of Hungary, but August asked to be released from his oath of allegiance from the Kaiser. He then began negotiations and appointed Graf János Hadik to build a new national government. However the Aster Revolution broke out on 31 October 1918, deterring his plans. In November, the socialist Hungarian Democratic Republic was proclaimed, only to be replaced a few months later by the communist Hungarian Soviet Republic. This revolution was to fail: the popular August survived unharmed and once again became the head of state as “Reichsverweser” (regent) and appointed a Prime Minister. Since the Allied forces declined to accept Archduke Joseph, a Habsburg, as Hungary’s head of state, he was forced to resign on 23 August 1919.
On 15 November 1893, in Munich, he married Princess Augusta Maria Louise of Bavaria (1875–1964), daughter of Prince Leopold of Bavaria (1846–1930) and his wife Archduchess Gisela of Austria (1856–1932). They had six children.
The Archduke Joseph Diamond, a 76.02 carat colourless diamond with internal flawless clarity, is named after the Archduke and officially recorded as his property.
He died on 6 July 1962, aged 89, in Rain, Bavaria.
Link to Wikipedia biography