Joseph II (13 March 1741-20 February 1790) was the Holy Roman Emperor from the 1765 to 1790 and the ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. Joseph II was the eldest son of the Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, and was the brother of Marie Antoinette.
Joseph II was thus the first ruler in the Austrian dominions of the House of Lorraine, styled Habsburg-Lorraine. Joseph was the proponent of enlightened absolutism, however, his commitment to modernizing reforms subsequently engendered significant opposition, which eventually culminated in an ultimate failure to the fully implement his programmes. Joseph II policies are known as Josephinism. He died with no sons and was succeeded by his younger brother, Leopold.
Joseph’s policy of religious toleration was the most aggressive of any state in Europe. Probably the most unpopular of all his reforms was his attempted modernization of highly traditional Catholic Church.
Early Life:
Joseph was born in the midst of the early upheavals of the War of Austrian Succession. His real education was given to him through the writings of Voltaire and by the example of the king Frederick II of Prussia. His useful training was conferred by the government officials, who were directed to instruct him in the mechanical details of the administration of numerous states composing the Austrian dominions and the Holy Roman Empire.
Joseph’s policy of religious toleration was the most aggressive of any state in Europe. The most unpopular of all his attempted modernization of the highly traditional Catholic Church which in ancient times helped establish the Holy Roman Empire beginning with the Charlemagne. He tried to make the Catholic Church in his empire the tool of the state, independent of Rome.
n November 1788, he returned to Vienna with ruined health, and during 1789, was a dying man. The concentration of his troops in the east gave the discontented Belgians an opportunity to revolt. In Hungary, the nobles were in all but open rebellion, and in his other states, there were peasant risings and a revival of particularistic sentiments. Joseph was left entirely alone. His minister Kaunitz refused to visit his sick-room and did not see him for two years. His brother Leopold remained at Florence. At last, Joseph, worn out and broken-hearted, recognized that his servants could not, or would not, carry out his plans. On 30 January 1790, he formally withdrew almost all his reforms in Hungary, and he died on 20 February 1790.
He is buried in tomb number 42 in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. He asked that his epitaph read: "Here lies Joseph II, who failed in all he undertook." Joseph was succeeded by his brother, Leopold II.
Joseph II was thus the first ruler in the Austrian dominions of the House of Lorraine, styled Habsburg-Lorraine. Joseph was the proponent of enlightened absolutism, however, his commitment to modernizing reforms subsequently engendered significant opposition, which eventually culminated in an ultimate failure to the fully implement his programmes. Joseph II policies are known as Josephinism. He died with no sons and was succeeded by his younger brother, Leopold.
Joseph’s policy of religious toleration was the most aggressive of any state in Europe. Probably the most unpopular of all his reforms was his attempted modernization of highly traditional Catholic Church.
Early Life:
Joseph was born in the midst of the early upheavals of the War of Austrian Succession. His real education was given to him through the writings of Voltaire and by the example of the king Frederick II of Prussia. His useful training was conferred by the government officials, who were directed to instruct him in the mechanical details of the administration of numerous states composing the Austrian dominions and the Holy Roman Empire.
Joseph’s policy of religious toleration was the most aggressive of any state in Europe. The most unpopular of all his attempted modernization of the highly traditional Catholic Church which in ancient times helped establish the Holy Roman Empire beginning with the Charlemagne. He tried to make the Catholic Church in his empire the tool of the state, independent of Rome.
n November 1788, he returned to Vienna with ruined health, and during 1789, was a dying man. The concentration of his troops in the east gave the discontented Belgians an opportunity to revolt. In Hungary, the nobles were in all but open rebellion, and in his other states, there were peasant risings and a revival of particularistic sentiments. Joseph was left entirely alone. His minister Kaunitz refused to visit his sick-room and did not see him for two years. His brother Leopold remained at Florence. At last, Joseph, worn out and broken-hearted, recognized that his servants could not, or would not, carry out his plans. On 30 January 1790, he formally withdrew almost all his reforms in Hungary, and he died on 20 February 1790.
He is buried in tomb number 42 in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. He asked that his epitaph read: "Here lies Joseph II, who failed in all he undertook." Joseph was succeeded by his brother, Leopold II.
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