Emperor
The first Austrian Emperor was the last Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. In the face of aggressions by Napoleon, Francis feared for the future of the Holy Roman Empire. He wished to maintain his and his family's Imperial status in the event that the Holy Roman Empire should be dissolved, as it indeed was in 1806 when an Austrian-led army suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz. After which, the victorious Napoleon proceeded to dismantle the old "Reich" by severing a good portion from the empire and turning it into a separate Confederation of the Rhine. With the size of his imperial realm significantly reduced, Francis II, "Holy Roman Emperor" became Francis I, "Emperor of Austria". The new imperial title may have sounded less prestigious than the old one, but Francis' dynasty continued to rule from Austria and a Habsburg monarch was still an emperor ("Kaiser"), and not just merely a king ("König"), in name.
Charles V European Award
The Award bears the name of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, in the Aachen palatine chapel, the same place where previously Charlemagne had been crowned. 
Charles, of Spanish and German ancestors, in the sixteenth century ruled Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and other nations of Central Europe. This emperor, although born in Ghent, he developed a deep appreciation for Spain and its habits, as well as for the Spanish language. 
He spent his last days suffering gout in the Monastery of Yuste, in Estremadura, 
where he had meetings with his son John of Austria.