LOL
let's repeat what i already said: had rudolf not died, franz ferdinand would not have been heir to the throne and most likely would not have gone to sarajevo... franz ferdinand assasination IN SARAJEVO was the pretext for the first world war. had he not died there (he or whoever would have been crown prince), there would have been no pretext and the hostilities would have probably been delayed a little. you said it yourself that franz ferdinand's security was deliberately not taken care of. had rudolf gone (assuming this was a visit that had to be done), there would have been more security, therefor no assasination, therefor no pretext...
are you starting to follow my logic?
But you can also blame Franz Joseph and Elisabeth that they only get one son!
You're right, Rudolf's influense in WW1 was his early dead - plus he had just a daughter...
I think if the throne was for his own son or grandson, maybe Franz Joseph hasn't rushed into war,
and tried to hold the Dual Monarchy together for his heir, but just for a nephew...
I also think that FJ was too old for a decision of peace or war,
his wife was murdered, his son dead and he might have died any day,
so nothing really mattered to him anymore.
All this and the complete support of Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II. the war was unvitable.