Joseph 2 austria biography books
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Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790
"Joseph II" redirects here. For other uses, see Joseph II (disambiguation).
Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death.
Joseph 2 austria biography books
He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I, and the brother of Marie Antoinette, Leopold II, Maria Carolina of Austria, and Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma. He was thus the first ruler in the Austrian dominions of the union of the Houses of Habsburg and Lorraine, styled Habsburg-Lorraine.
Joseph was a proponent of enlightened absolutism; however, his commitment to secularizing, liberalizing and modernizing reforms resulted in significant opposition, which resulted in failure to fully implement his programs.
Meanwhile, despite making some territorial gains, his reckless foreign policy badly isolated Austria. He has been ranked with C