Austria is a former great power in Europe, once dominating Eastern Europe, until the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1890, in the last stages of the Third Global War, the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell apart into several nations. The Austro-Hungarian Emperor remained as Emperor of Austria, which consisted primarily of the German-speaking regions of the former Empire. Emperor Franz Joseph was assassinated in the chaos, and his brother Maximilian took the throne.