The "Erzherzog Karl" class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built before World War I. All of the battleships of the "Erzherzog Karl"-class were built in the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyards in Trieste. The first battleship, was laid down in 1902. Construction on the remaining two battleships, and continued up to 1905. "Erzherzog Karl" was commissioned in 1906, while "Erzherzog Ferdinand Max" and "Erzherzog Friedrich" were commissioned in 1907. The three "Erzherzog Karl"-class battleships were considered relatively modern by the time they were commissioned. However, small docking space and budget restraints resulted in the class being fairly compact. Nevertheless, they were well designed and properly protected. The "Erzherzog Karl" class were the last and largest pre-dreadnoughts built by the Austrian Navy. They were named after members of the Austrian Royal family.