Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Monarch
1741 – 1790
Who was Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor?
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, and was the brother of Marie Antoinette. He was thus the first ruler in the Austrian dominions of the House of Lorraine, styled Habsburg-Lorraine. Joseph was a proponent of enlightened absolutism; however, his commitment to modernizing reforms subsequently engendered significant opposition, which eventually culminated in an ultimate failure to fully implement his programmes. He has been ranked, with Catherine II of Russia and Frederick II of Prussia, as one of the three great Enlightenment monarchs. His policies are now known as Josephinism. He died with no sons and was succeeded by his younger brother, Leopold.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Mar 13, 1741
Vienna - Parents
- Siblings
- Spouses
- Maria Josepha of Bavaria
(1765/01/23 - ) - Princess Isabella of Parma
(1760/10/06 - )
- Maria Josepha of Bavaria
- Children
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Nationality
- Hungary
- Died
- Feb 20, 1790
Vienna - Resting place
- Imperial Crypt
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/joseph_ii_holy_roman_emperor>.
Discuss this Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In