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71-516: The state-owned Residenzgalerie provides a cross-section of painting from the 16th to the 19th centuries. It bears similarities with the extensive painting collection of Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo , which was exhibited during his era (late 18th century) in rooms that are now the Residenzgalerie. After 1800, however, this collection was repeatedly plundered during the French Wars . In

142-558: A 20% death rate in the new hospital; the city nevertheless became preeminent in the medical field in the next century. 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 the highly traditional Catholic Church , which in medieval times had helped establish the Holy Roman Empire beginning with Charlemagne . Calling himself

213-548: A Lodge himself. Freemasonry attracted many anticlericals and was condemned by the Church. Joseph's feelings towards religion are reflected in a witticism he once spoke in Paris. While being given a tour of the Sorbonne 's library, the archivist took Joseph to a dark room containing religious documents and lamented the lack of light which prevented Joseph from being able to read them. Joseph put

284-562: A best friend and confidant in her husband's sister, Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen . The marriage of Joseph and Isabella resulted in the birth of a daughter, Maria Theresa . Isabella was fearful of pregnancy and early death, largely a result of the early loss of her mother. Her own pregnancy proved especially difficult as she suffered symptoms of pain, illness and melancholy both during and afterward, though Joseph attended to her and tried to comfort her. She remained bedridden for six weeks after their daughter's birth. Almost immediately on

355-527: A cultural attraction to go with the Salzburg Festival . The centrepiece of the Residenzgalerie is the Czernin Collection. This was first exhibited at the gallery in 1954, initially on loan and then bought outright between 1980 and 1991. Its paintings by 17th-century artists are principally Dutch, but also Italian, Spanish and French. Assembled between 1800 and 1845, the collection's original owner

426-569: A definite system for the good of all. He undertook the spread of education, the secularization of church lands, the reduction of the religious orders and the clergy, in general, to complete submission to the lay state, the issue of the Patent of Toleration (1781) providing limited guarantee of freedom of worship , and the promotion of unity by the compulsory use of the German language (replacing Latin or in some instances local languages)—everything which from

497-876: A group of collections in Europe which exchange artworks and co-operate on joint exhibitions and other events. Other members include the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna , and the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan . Count Hieronymus von Colloredo Hieronymus Joseph Franz de Paula Graf Colloredo von Wallsee und Melz ( German pronunciation: [hiˈʁɔnimʊs ˈjoːzɛf ˈfʁants də ˈpaʊla ˈɡʁaːf kɔloˈʁeːdo fɔn ˈvalzeː ʊnt ˈmɛlts] ; Jérôme Joseph Franz de Paula, Count of Colloredo-Wallsee and Mels; 31 May 1732 – 20 May 1812)

568-487: A hierarchy under himself as a supreme autocrat. The personnel of government was expected to be imbued with the same dedicated spirit of service to the state that he himself had. It was recruited without favor for a class or ethnic origins, and promotion was solely by merit. To further uniformity, the emperor made German the compulsory language of official business throughout the Habsburg Monarchy, which affected especially

639-417: A literate citizenry, elementary education was made compulsory for all boys and girls, and higher education on practical lines was offered for a select few. Joseph created scholarships for talented poor students and allowed the establishment of schools for Jews and other religious minorities. In 1784 he ordered that the country change its language of instruction from Latin to German, a highly controversial step in

710-466: A man of the Enlightenment he ridiculed the contemplative monastic orders, which he considered unproductive. Accordingly, he suppressed a third of the monasteries (over 700 were closed) and reduced the number of monks and nuns from 65,000 to 27,000. The Church's ecclesiastical tribunals were abolished and marriage was defined as a civil contract outside the jurisdiction of the Church. Joseph sharply cut

781-565: A multilingual empire. By the 18th century, centralization was the trend in medicine because more and better-educated doctors were requesting improved facilities. Cities lacked the budgets to fund local hospitals, and the monarchy wanted to end costly epidemics and quarantines. Joseph attempted to centralize medical care in Vienna through the construction of a single, large hospital, the famous Allgemeines Krankenhaus , which opened in 1784. Centralization worsened sanitation problems, causing epidemics and

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852-424: A single and egalitarian tax on land. The goal was to modernize the relationship of dependence between the landowners and peasantry, relieve some of the tax burden on the peasantry, and increase state revenues. Joseph looked on the tax and land reforms as being interconnected and strove to implement them at the same time. The various commissions he established to formulate and carry out the reforms met resistance among

923-525: A visit to his sister the queen of France, Marie Antoinette of Austria , traveling under the name of "Count Falkenstein". He was well received and much flattered by the Encyclopedists, but his observations led him to predict the approaching downfall of the French monarchy, and he was not impressed favorably by the French army or navy. In 1778, he commanded the troops collected to oppose Frederick, who supported

994-711: A visit with the Russian empress Catherine, which started talks that would later lead to the Austro-Russian Alliance (1781) , including an offensive clause to be used against the Ottomans. This was a significant diplomatic development, as it neutralised the previous Russian-Prussian alliance which had threatened the monarchy into peace during the War of the Bavarian Succession. The agreement with Russia would later lead Austria into

1065-423: Is well known to history as a patron and employer of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . He became exceptionally annoyed with Mozart's frequent absences. After a number of arguments, he ultimately dismissed him with the words, "Soll er doch gehen, ich brauche ihn nicht!" ("He should just go then; I don't need him!") Mozart's letters to his father recount his indignation at what he portrays as abusive and insulting behavior by

1136-414: The 1756 defensive pact between France and Austria. (The bride's mother, Princess Louise Élisabeth , was the eldest daughter of Louis XV of France and his popular wife, Queen Marie Leczinska . Isabella's father was Philip, Duke of Parma .) Joseph loved his bride, Isabella, finding her both stimulating and charming, and she sought with special care to cultivate his favor and affection. Isabella also found

1207-724: The Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum in Rome. One of his brothers was the Austrian general Wenzel Joseph von Colloredo . The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg fell vacant in December 1771, and (with considerable pressure from the Imperial court in Vienna), Colloredo, who had been Prince-Bishop of Gurk since 1761, was elected Prince-Archbishop on 14 March 1772 on the 13th ballot. According to Clive, "it

1278-462: The Kingdom of Hungary . The Diet of Hungary was stripped of its prerogatives, and not even called together. As privy finance minister, Count Karl von Zinzendorf (1739–1813) introduced a uniform system of accounting for state revenues, expenditures, and debts of the territories of the Austrian crown. Austria was more successful than France in meeting regular expenditures and in gaining credit. However,

1349-485: The power of the state when directed by reason . As an absolutist ruler, however, he was also convinced of his right to speak for the state uncontrolled by laws, and of the wisdom of his own rule. He had also inherited from his mother the belief of the House of Austria in its "August" quality and its claim to acquire whatever it found desirable for its power or profit. He was unable to understand that his philosophical plans for

1420-524: The Archbishop. In his letter of 13 June 1781, Mozart recounts that the final indignity of his dismissal by Colloredo was administered by the Archbishop's steward, Count Arco (Karl Joseph Maria Felix, 1743–1830): ...if they don't want me – that's fine by me; --instead of Count Arco accepting my petition or obtaining an audience for me to send it in later or persuading me to let the matter rest and think it over, enfin, whatever he wanted --no, he throws me out of

1491-403: The Austrian dominions. As emperor, he had little true power, and his mother had resolved that neither her husband nor her son should ever deprive her of sovereign control in her hereditary dominions. Joseph, by threatening to resign his place as co-regent, could induce his mother to abate her dislike for religious toleration. He could and did place a great strain on her patience and temper, as in

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1562-449: The Emperor was obvious to Frederick II of Prussia, who, after their first interview in 1769, described him as ambitious, and as capable of setting the world on fire. The French minister Vergennes , who met Joseph when he was traveling incognito in 1777, judged him to be "ambitious and despotic". After the death of his father in 1765, he became emperor and was made co-regent by his mother in

1633-485: The Great of Russia and Frederick the Great of Prussia as one of the three great Enlightenment monarchs. False but influential letters depict him as a somewhat more radical philosophe than he probably was. His policies are now known as Josephinism . He was a supporter of the arts, particularly of composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri . He died with no known surviving legitimate offspring and

1704-597: The Habsburg monarchy the greatest of the European powers. His main goal was to acquire Bavaria, if necessary in exchange for the Austrian Netherlands , but in 1778 and again in 1785 he was thwarted by King Frederick II of Prussia, whom he feared greatly; on the second occasion, a number of other German princes, wary of Joseph's designs on their lands, joined Frederick's side. Joseph's travels through Russia in 1780 included

1775-522: The Roman Catholic religion within his domains in a direction similar to Protestantism. Halliwell writes: " Pilgrimages and superstitious practices were banned, processions were restricted, church decoration was limited, musical settings of the Mass were shortened and sacred German hymns introduced ... These changes led to deep resentment, and Colloredo and the architect of the pastoral letter [that implemented

1846-459: The age of the monarchy, many of the works were transferred from Salzburg to Vienna . A new collection was proposed shortly after the First World War by a group of Salzburg artists, and the Residenzgalerie was opened in 1923. Apart from reinstating a permanent collection for Salzburg, the new gallery was also intended to be used by an art academy (never founded), encourage tourism, and provide

1917-630: The back of their newfound parenthood, the couple then endured two consecutive miscarriages—an ordeal particularly hard on Isabella—followed quickly by another pregnancy. Pregnancy was again provoking melancholy, fears and dread in Isabella. In November 1763, while six months pregnant, Isabella fell ill with smallpox and went into premature labor, resulting in the birth of their second child, Archduchess Maria Christina (b.d November 22 1763), who died shortly after being born. Progressively ill with smallpox and strained by sudden childbirth and tragedy, Isabella died

1988-452: The by now completely estranged French Queen. When Maria Theresa died, Joseph started issuing edicts, over 6,000 in all, plus 11,000 new laws designed to regulate and reorder every aspect of the empire. The spirit of Josephinism was benevolent and paternal. He intended to make his people happy, but strictly in accordance with his own criteria. Joseph set about building a rationalized, centralized, and uniform government for his diverse lands,

2059-693: The case of the First Partition of Poland and the War of the Bavarian Succession of 1778–1779, but in the last resort the empress spoke the final word. Therefore, until the death of his mother in 1780, Joseph was never quite free to follow his own instincts. During these years, Joseph traveled much. He met Frederick the Great privately at Neisse in 1769 (later painted in The Meeting of Frederick II and Joseph II in Neisse in 1769 ), and again at Mährisch-Neustadt in 1770;

2130-465: The crown and taxes were levied upon all income derived from land. The landlords, however, found their economic position threatened, and eventually reversed the policy. Indeed, in Hungary and Transylvania, the resistance of the magnates was such that Joseph had to content himself for a while with halfway measures. Of the five million Hungarians, 40,000 were nobles, of whom 4,000 were magnates who owned and ruled

2201-401: The destruction of the autonomous guilds, already weakened during the age of mercantilism. Joseph II's tax reforms and the institution of Katastralgemeinde (tax districts for the large estates) served this purpose, and new factory privileges ended guild rights while customs laws aimed at economic unity. Physiocratic influence also led to the inclusion of agriculture in these reforms. To produce

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2272-475: The event of Frederick's death, was to advance into Prussia and demand Silesia (a territory Frederick had conquered from Maria Theresa in the War of the Austrian Succession ). However, Frederick recovered, and thereafter became wary and mistrustful of Joseph. Joseph was also eager to enforce Austria's claim on Bavaria upon the death of the elector Maximilian III in 1777. In April of that year, he paid

2343-451: The events of Joseph II's last years also suggest that the government was financially vulnerable to the European wars that ensued after 1792. The Emperor also attempted to simplify the administration of his dominions, often a patchwork of states united in personal union by the Habsburg monarch. As an example, in 1786 he abolished the separate administration of the Duchy of Mantua , merging it with

2414-458: The example of his contemporary (and sometimes rival) King Frederick II of Prussia . His practical training was conferred by government officials, who were directed to instruct him in the mechanical details of the administration of the numerous states composing the Austrian dominions and the Holy Roman Empire. Joseph married Princess Isabella of Parma in October 1760, a union fashioned to bolster

2485-498: The expensive and largely futile Austro-Turkish War (1787–1791) . Joseph II travelled with only a few servants on horseback as "Count Falkenstein". He preferred to stop at a regular inn—forcing Catherine II to convert a wing of her palace, cajoling her gardener to act as inn-keeper. Joseph's participation in the Ottoman war was reluctant, attributable not to his usual acquisitiveness, but rather to his close ties to Russia, which he saw as

2556-681: The following week. The loss of his beloved wife and their newborn child was devastating for Joseph, after which he felt keenly reluctant to remarry, though he dearly loved his daughter and remained a devoted father to Maria Theresa. For political reasons, and under constant pressure, in 1765, he relented and married his second cousin , Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria , the daughter of Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor , and Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria . This marriage proved extremely unhappy, albeit brief, as it lasted only two years. Though Maria Josepha loved her husband, she felt timid and inferior in his company. Lacking common interests or pleasures,

2627-519: The guardian of Catholicism, Joseph II struck vigorously at papal power . He tried to make the Catholic Church in his territories the tool of the state, independent of Rome. Clergymen were deprived of the tithe and ordered to study in seminaries under government supervision, while bishops had to take a formal oath of loyalty to the crown. He financed the large increase in bishoprics, parishes, and secular clergy by extensive sales of monastic lands. As

2698-408: The land; most of the remainder were serfs legally tied to particular estates. After the collapse of the peasant revolt of Horea , 1784–1785, in which over a hundred nobles were killed, the emperor acted. His Imperial Patent of 1785 abolished serfdom but did not give the peasants ownership of the land or freedom from dues owed to the landowning nobles. It did give them personal freedom. Emancipation of

2769-474: The man at rest by saying "Ah, when it comes to theology, there is never much light." Thus, Joseph was undoubtedly a much laxer Catholic than his mother. In 1789 he issued a charter of religious toleration for the Jews of Galicia , a region with a large Yiddish-speaking traditional Jewish population. The charter abolished communal autonomy whereby the Jews controlled their internal affairs; it promoted Germanization and

2840-428: The moulding of humanity could meet with pardonable opposition. Joseph was documented by contemporaries as being impressive, but not necessarily likable. In 1760, his arranged consort , the well educated Isabella of Parma, was handed over to him. Joseph appears to have been completely in love with her, but Isabella preferred the companionship of Joseph's sister, Marie Christine of Austria . The overweening character of

2911-631: The necessary price to be paid for the security of his people. After initial defeats, the Austrians won a string of victories in 1789, including the capture of Belgrade , a key Turkish fortress in the Balkans. These victories however would not amount to any significant gains for the monarchy. Under the threat of Prussian intervention and with the worrying state of the revolution in France, the Treaty of Sistova of 1791 ended

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2982-540: The neighbouring Duchy of Milan . Local opposition to the change forced his successor Leopold II to reverse this measure and restore the duchy in 1791. The busy Joseph inspired a complete reform of the legal system, abolished brutal punishments and the death penalty in most instances, and imposed the principle of complete equality of treatment for all offenders. He lightened censorship of the press and theatre. In 1781–1782, he extended full legal freedom to serfs . Rentals paid by peasants were to be regulated by officials of

3053-460: The nobility, clergy, merchants and the peasants, since their barter economy lacked money. Joseph also abolished the death penalty in 1787, a reform that remained until 1795. After the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, Joseph sought to help the family of his estranged sister Queen Marie Antoinette of France and her husband King Louis XVI . Joseph kept an eye on the development of

3124-425: The nobility, the peasantry, and some officials. Most of the reforms were abrogated shortly before or after Joseph's death in 1790; they were doomed to failure from the start because they tried to change too much in too short a time, and tried to radically alter the traditional customs and relationships that the villagers had long depended upon. In the cities, the new economic principles of the Enlightenment called for

3195-448: The number of holy days to be observed in the Habsburg monarchy and ordered ornamentation in churches to be reduced. He forcibly simplified the manner in which the Mass (the central Catholic act of worship) was celebrated. Opponents of the reforms blamed them for revealing Protestant tendencies, with the rise of Enlightenment rationalism and the emergence of a liberal class of bourgeois officials. Anti-clericalism emerged and persisted, while

3266-458: The peasantry of feudal burdens, and to remove restrictions on trade and knowledge. In these, he did not differ from Frederick, or his own brother and successor Leopold II, all enlightened rulers of the 18th century. He tried to liberate serfs , but that did not last after his death. Where Joseph differed from great contemporary rulers, and was akin to the Jacobins in the intensity of his belief in

3337-460: The peasants from the Kingdom of Hungary promoted the growth of a new class of taxable landholders, but it did not abolish the deep-seated ills of feudalism and the exploitation of the landless squatters. Feudalism in the Habsburg monarchy finally ended in 1848. To equalize the incidence of taxation, Joseph caused an appraisal of all the lands of the Habsburg monarchy to be made so that he might impose

3408-510: The point of view of 18th-century philosophy, the Age of Enlightenment , appeared "reasonable". He strove for administrative unity with characteristic haste to reach results without preparation. Joseph carried out measures of the emancipation of the peasantry , which his mother had begun, and abolished serfdom in 1781. In 1789, he decreed that peasants must be paid in cash payments rather than labor obligations. These policies were violently rejected by

3479-399: The policy], Johann Michael Bönike , were called 'secret Lutherans '. His diocesans would quip: "Our Prince von Colloredo has no Gloria nor Credo ." Throughout his life he was close to Jansenism . On 12 December 1801, as French troops under Napoleon drew near to occupying the city, Archbishop Colloredo fled Salzburg, never to return. In 1803, in the course of the German mediatization ,

3550-579: The prince-archbishopric was secularized, ending the secular rule of Colloredo. Salzburg was awarded instead to the Grand Duke of Tuscany , who had lost his own state in the Napoleonic upheavals. Later, Salzburg was incorporated into Austria (1805), then Bavaria (1809), then finally into Austria again (1816). Colloredo, as archbishop, remained the ecclesiastical head of the archdiocese (but not in residence) until his death, aged 79, at Vienna in 1812. Colloredo

3621-634: The relationship offered little for Joseph, who confessed he felt no love (nor attraction) for her in return. He adapted by distancing himself from his wife to the point of near total avoidance, seeing her only at meals and upon retiring to bed. Maria Josepha, in turn, suffered considerable misery in finding herself locked in a cold, loveless union. Four months after the second anniversary of their wedding, Maria Josepha grew ill and died from smallpox. Joseph neither visited her during her illness nor attended her funeral, though he later expressed regret for not having shown her more kindness, respect, or warmth. One thing

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3692-413: The revolution, and became actively involved in the planning of a rescue attempt. These plans failed, however, either due to Marie Antoinette's refusal to leave her children behind in favor of a faster carriage or Louis XVI's reluctance to become a fugitive king. Joseph died in 1790, making negotiations with Austria about possible rescue attempts more difficult. It was not until 21 June 1791 that an attempt

3763-403: The rival claimant to Bavaria. This was the War of the Bavarian Succession . Real fighting was averted by the unwillingness of Frederick to embark on a new war and by Maria Theresa's determination to maintain peace. However, the war cost Joseph most of his influence over the other German princes, who were wary of his potential designs on their lands, and looked to Frederick as their protector. As

3834-455: The room and gives me a kick up the backside. – Well, in plain language this means that as far as I'm concerned, Salzburg no longer exists.... Leopold Mozart stayed in Salzburg but "continued to bemoan the failure to replace musicians who had left or died, and the consequent shambles in the court music." Colloredo "sometimes played the violin in the court orchestra." Hieronymus von Colloredo

3905-552: The second son of Count, later Prince Rudolph Joseph von Colloredo (1706–1788), a high-ranking Imperial official and his wife, Countess Maria Gabriele of Starhemberg (1707–1793). Hieronymus was brought up in a strict religious household, and since his health did not allow him to pursue a military career, he was educated at the Theresianum Academy in Vienna, and studied philosophy at the University of Vienna and theology at

3976-462: The son of Francis I, Joseph succeeded him as titular Duke of Lorraine and Bar , which had been surrendered to France on his father's marriage, and titular King of Jerusalem and Duke of Calabria (as a proxy for the Kingdom of Naples ). The death of Maria Theresa on 29 November 1780 left Joseph free to pursue his own policy, and he immediately directed his government on a new course, attempting to realize his ideal of enlightened despotism acting on

4047-401: The struggle was a perpetual one ... Colloredo had to establish like-minded people in each institution – ecclesiastical, educational, legal, medical, fiscal, administrative and publicistic – and persuade the reluctant populace to change its entire mentality." Halliwell adds that Colloredo "attracted European-wide admiration for his efforts." Colloredo also resembled Joseph II in moving

4118-465: The traditional Catholics were energized in opposition to the emperor. Joseph's Patent of Toleration in 1781 was a major shift away from the inquisitive religious policies of the Counter Reformation that were previously predominant in the monarchy. Limited religious freedom of worship was given to major non-Catholic Christian sects, although conversion from Catholicism was still restricted. This

4189-531: The two rulers initially got along well. On the second occasion, he was accompanied by Prince Kaunitz , whose conversation with Frederick may be said to mark the starting point of the First Partition of Poland. To this and to every other measure which promised to extend the dominions of his house, Joseph gave hearty approval. Thus, when Frederick fell severely ill in 1775, Joseph assembled an army in Bohemia which, in

4260-430: The union did provide him was the improved possibility of laying claim to a portion of Bavaria, though this would ultimately lead to the War of the Bavarian Succession . Joseph never remarried. In 1770, Joseph's only surviving child, the seven-year-old Maria Theresa, became ill with pleurisy and died. The loss of his daughter was deeply traumatic for him and left him grief-stricken and scarred. Lacking children, Joseph II

4331-521: The wearing of non-Jewish clothing. The Habsburg Empire also had a policy of war, expansion, colonization and trade as well as exporting intellectual influences. While opposing Prussia and Turkey, Austria maintained its defensive alliance with France and was friendly to Russia though trying to remove the Danubian Principalities from Russian influence. Mayer argues that Joseph was an excessively belligerent, expansionist leader, who sought to make

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4402-405: Was Prince-Bishop of Gurk from 1761 to 1772 and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1772 until 1803, when the prince-archbishopric was secularized. After secularization, Colloredo fled to Vienna and remained the non-resident archbishop of Salzburg, bereft of temporal power, until his death in 1812. He is most famously known as a patron and employer for Mozart . He was born in Vienna , Austria ,

4473-434: Was Count Johann Rudolf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz , who studied law in Salzburg and was related to Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. Also important are a number of works from the collection of Friedrich Karl, Count Schönborn-Buchheim (1674–1746), featuring mostly Dutch and Italian artists of the 17th century, which the gallery acquired on permanent loan in 1956. The Residenzgalerie is a member of "Private Art Collections",

4544-549: Was an unpopular choice in Salzburg whose citizens remained cool to him until the end." Clive continues, "he was extremely autocratic and his dictatorial attitude at times provoked the hostility of the cathedral chapter and of civic officials." During his thirty years as ruler of Salzburg, Colloredo implemented reforms similar to those carried out in the Austrian Empire under Joseph II ; see Josephinism . According to Halliwell, he "was ultimately successful in his main aims, but

4615-623: Was followed by the Edict of Tolerance in 1782, removing many restrictions and regulations on Jews. The Secularization Decree issued on 12 January 1782 banned several monastic orders not involved in teaching or healing and liquidated 140 monasteries (home to 1484 monks and 190 nuns). The banned monastic orders: Jesuits, Camaldolese , Order of Friars Minor Capuchin , Carmelites , Carthusians , Poor Clares , Order of Saint Benedict , Cistercians , Dominican Order (Order of Preachers), Franciscans , Pauline Fathers and Premonstratensians , and their wealth

4686-475: Was made , with the help of Count Fersen , a Swedish general who had been favored at the courts of both Marie Antoinette and Joseph. The attempt failed after the King was recognized from the back of a coin. Marie Antoinette became increasingly desperate for help from her homeland, even giving French military secrets to Austria. Nevertheless, even though Austria was at war with France at the time, it refused to directly help

4757-452: Was played by Nicholas Kepros in the 1984 film Amadeus . He is also a character in the musical Mozart! Colloredo is also a character in the musical "Mozart l'opera rock'". Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor 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. He

4828-481: Was succeeded by his younger brother Leopold II . He was baptised under the full name Josephus Benedictus Joannes Antonius Michael Adamus, born an archduke of Austria. Joseph was born in the midst of the early upheavals of the War of the Austrian Succession . His formal education was provided through the writings of David Hume , Edward Gibbon , Voltaire , Jean-Jacques Rousseau , and the Encyclopédistes , and by

4899-562: Was taken over by the Religious Fund. His anticlerical and liberal innovations induced Pope Pius VI to pay him a visit in March 1782. Joseph received the Pope politely and showed himself a good Catholic, but refused to be influenced. On the other hand, Joseph was very friendly to Freemasonry , as he found it highly compatible with his own Enlightenment philosophy, although he apparently never joined

4970-756: 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 Catherine

5041-402: Was ultimately succeeded by his younger brother, who became Leopold II . Joseph was made a member of the constituted council of state ( Staatsrat ) and began to draw up minutes for his mother to read. These papers contain the germs of his later policy, and of all the disasters that finally overtook him. He was a friend to religious toleration, anxious to reduce the power of the church, to relieve

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