Abstract
I have used Joseph Redlich’s witty characterization of the Habsburg monarchy as the »old empire of realized improbabilities« to explore the strained relations between state and society, between public officials and the State resp. the monarch during the First World War. Relying on a close reading of the debates at and decisions of the Austrian Supreme Court, I look at the improbable coexistence of the state of exception and the rule of law, of the codification of service regulations and the solipsistic engagement with them by public servants. I am particularly interested in the role of these ›realized improbabilities‹ for the delegitimization of monarchical rule.