In 1916 Franz Joseph died and was succeeded by Charles I. Charles – the last sovereign – upon losing the war, renounced the exercise of power, but did not abdicate. He was forced into exile on April 3, 1919. The Habsburg dominions were subsequently divided into independent republics. The House of Habsburg-Lorraine refused to swear its allegiance to the new Republic of Austria, therefore family members were forced into exile and their property was confiscated. The law of exile still applies to the descendants of Emperor Charles under the same conditions. Otto von Habsburg, the late head of the House and formerly a member of the European Parliament, signed the Act of Recognition of the Republic of Austria. In doing so, he relinquished the monarchy and the succession rights of his descendants in exchange for an end to exile. He was known in the Republic of Austria as Dr. Otto Habsburg-Lothringen, since the Republic does not officially recognise titles of nobility. There are Habsburg-Lorraine descendants not descended from Otto who continue to live abroad due to their unwillingness to renounce their succession rights to the former Austrian throne. The current leader of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine is Karl von Habsburg, who succeeded his father Otto as head of the royal house after his death in 2011. Karl is the eldest grandson of the last emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I.